Page 9 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?

“Speaking of your heterosexual lifestyle, where’s Dominic tonight?” Ariana asked, looking toward a hallway that likely led to bedrooms.

“At the card house, like always. There’s a poker tournament tonight. With any luck, maybe he’ll bring home the five-hundred-dollar prize, which we can add to our cruise fund. Who wants more wine?” Olive extended her glass, and Stevie poured.

“I’m bisexual,” Morgan said. “Or pansexual.” A pause as she studied the wall. “I never know how to label myself. I like who I like. I wish that were one of the labels.” She capped off the comment with a smile, and Ella couldn’t help but smile, too.

“And we’re just garden-variety lesbians,” Ariana said, gesturing between herself and Em.

She shrugged. “Just thought you should know who you’re sharing the space with since the book is sapphic and all.

” She watched Ella cautiously as if waiting to see if she’d storm out of the room, maybe scream in horror, and slam the door.

Then it dawned on her. They didn’t want her to dive in headfirst if she was some radical bigot, in for the shock of her life when she got to know the group better.

And then it made her sadly wonder if that had happened before.

“Oh, I’m sexually fluid.” She winced. “I generally date whoever I’m attracted to as well.

” She nodded to Morgan. “I usually say bisexual.” She nodded a few times.

“But my former fiancée was a woman.” She’d likely offered too many details, but felt strangely at home with this group and wanted them to know she was one of them.

Ariana’s eyes widened, and her mouth turned up. “Well, pull up a chair, ma’am. You have stumbled into the right book club.”

Excitement bubbled, and a comforting warmth hit and spread out. She felt like a puzzle piece that had just snapped into place. It was a unique sensation. “I’m getting the feeling I have.”

“So you think Bristow nailed it?” Em said, putting them back on course. Something about her tone made it sound like she didn’t entirely think so. Ah, book club discourse was in effect. Ella was in, her thoughts bursting to be shared.

“Well, I felt the emotional connection slowly built to the point that I wished they’d hurry up and fall in love already,” Ariana said. “What about you?”

Em exhaled. “I think I was hesitant to buy in. She was going for the slow burn, and that’s fine, but how many adorable, flirtatious scenes did we need to get the message? Let’s get to the external conflict. I was ready for the strife much sooner than we got it.”

Morgan opened her mouth to speak, but Ella couldn’t hold herself back, feeling the need to defend the scenes she loved.

“But, I would argue that we have to fall in love with the couple, and seeing how they interact in everyday situations allows us that glimpse. It’s not padding.

I’d argue it’s foundation. Otherwise, what are we rooting for? ”

“I like her,” Stevie said, pointing at Ella and then taking a gulp of wine. “Best new member we’ve had since Olive.”

“Thank you,” Ella said, smiling in solidarity at Olive, who also seemed to sit taller. She switched her focus to Morgan. “Sorry if I cut you off. I might be overly excited to be here.”

Morgan laughed. “Not at all. I just wanted to share how much I enjoyed the little things the two mains noticed about each other.” Only Ella had to play that sentence back because Em was pouring a glass of wine about two feet away, and she had a perfect view of the action.

Her hands were captivating. She had long fingers and slender wrists, yet she moved with such confidence and owned every square inch she traversed.

Ella snuck a glance at her profile, and didn’t think it was fair for someone to appear so unaffectedly attractive.

Em had thick, dark lashes and full lips that curved naturally upward.

But her eyes captivated Ella the most, luminous and—whoops, she was supposed to be listening.

“Oh, those kinds of observations are wildly sexy,” Ariana said.

Ella swallowed, panicking for a moment until she realized they were still caught up in book chat.

“You know what I found fascinating?” Olive said, gesturing with a cheese cube.

“The secondary characters.” She popped it and spoke around her subtle chew.

“We never really went home with any of them or heard their internal thoughts, but the author offered us glimpses of their own parallel stories running behind the scenes. They had real lives. I could tell!” Just then, her cell phone vibrated, and Olive took a moment to read the text.

A smile came onto her lips, and pink blossomed on her cheeks.

Ella wondered who had put it there. Maybe Olive had a saucy date later.

A scandalous affair, perhaps? No one would suspect her.

“Yeah, but couldn’t she have offered more than a glimpse, so that we felt like we knew them better?” Em asked, her brows pulling in. She’d voiced skepticism twice now. Not the softest one in the group, and that was okay.

“All right.” Ariana studied her. “Something’s up with you. You’re dark and moody today, like a rain cloud just knocked you upside the head and you’re pissed off about it.”

“I would say that’s fair. I hate those aggressive rain clouds.

” Em sighed and went serious. “Rough week is all.” She touched her forehead briefly, which Ella recognized as a sign of vulnerability.

She likely wasn’t sure what to do with her hands when confronted with personal questions.

Ella memorized that tidbit for reasons she wasn’t sure about.

She had a hunch, though. There was something about this woman that she found captivating.

“Want to talk about it?” Morgan asked softly. She did seem to have an empathetic quality that was easy to admire. Ella had a good feeling about all of these women, which was hard to come by these days. She predicted she’d be back to book club, if they’d have her.

“Uh, actually, I don’t. I want to lose myself in one of these suckers,” Em said, holding up Life in the Fast Lane with the two illustrated women making sexy eyes at each other on the cover, race car in the background.

“And pretend life always ends with an HEA. I’m just having a hard time suspending disbelief these days. Too much real-world clutter.”

“HEA,” Ella mumbled, thumbing through the copy in her hands for a clue.

“Happily ever after,” Stevie offered in a stage whisper. “You’re too cute, sweet girl.”

“That’s code for new,” Ariana said with a sideways grin. “And don’t be afraid to ask whatever questions you have about romance shorthand.”

Em nodded along. “We’re super fans of the genre and are here for your every need.”

Ella laughed and arched a brow. “Every one, huh?” Apparently, her wine just let words fly out of her mouth like a flock of canaries in the spring.

“See? I like her, too,” Ariana said to the room. “I like you, Ella.”

“Thank you. The feeling is mutual. It’s sealed, and you’re not gonna be able to get rid of me.”

“The lovefest is palpable,” Em said with an edgy glint. Ella also liked that edge. It made her skin tingle in all the right places.

Olive leaned in. “Let’s talk about the way Zoe likes to tell Jolene how she tastes when they kiss … and otherwise. Who else had a big reaction? I had to set the book down and revel.” Her words were spicy, but her conservative delivery was reminiscent of a librarian, creating an intriguing dynamic.

“Oh, you’re going for it,” Stevie said, nodding. “The passion fruit soda reference for one. I needed to stand in front of my freezer.”

“Same,” Ella said. “It showed me that she was a detail-oriented woman. I liked that.” She felt Em watching her as she spoke, and a shiver went down her spine.

And when the room moved on with the conversation, Em didn’t look away.

What was she supposed to do with that? Instinctually, Ella turned and met her gaze, and something noteworthy, something unnameable, locked into place.

For a moment, they stayed just like that, quietly watching each other as the volume in the room seemed to fall away until it was just them.

“Sorry. Was that too personal? Just smack me with a frying pan.”

Ella froze. What had she missed? A frying pan?

“Um, Ella, you there?”

Someone was speaking to her. That’s why it had gone quiet. They were waiting for her response.

She blinked and turned to the room filled with expectant stares. “I’m the one who’s sorry. What was the question?”

More looks were exchanged, smiles suppressed. Had they caught her and Em having a staring contest? That’s what it had been, hadn’t it? Her skin was sensitive, and her mind felt like a merry-go-round, so it had to have been something. A moment. She liked the term.

Ariana straightened, attempting to smother a smile. “I just asked if there was a Mrs. Ella in your life? Or one in the running.”

“Oh! No. I just moved to Everly Springs from Tulsa. Single. Unemployed. Ready to start over. I sound like such a cliché when I hear it out loud, but I’m definitely in transition.”

“You’re from Oklahoma!” Stevie exclaimed. She seemed intrigued. The news made everyone sit right the hell up. “I wondered why none of us had ever encountered you before.”

“Oh, wow,” Morgan said, placing a hand over her heart. “Right in the center of the country. You’re like our own personal Dorothy. At last.”

“Who knew you’ve been waiting for one?” Olive said.

“I get how it would seem that way,” Ella said with a laugh. “Tulsa isn’t as sleepy as it sounds, though. I promise. Like eighty million Starbucks.”