Page 124 of Rock Bottom Girl

“It’s your turn,” Louisa insisted. “What’s your favorite memory of Jake from high school.”

I bit my lip and felt my cheeks turn hot.

“Oooooh,” Adeline crooned. “Tell us!”

“We didn’t hang out in the same crowds,” I said, tentatively glancing in Jake’s direction.

He squeezed my hand under the table.

“But he did lure me under the bleachers at a soccer game and gave me a very memorable kiss,” I confessed.

The Westons liked that, and I laughed with them pretending not to remember the fact that he’d unceremoniously proceeded to dump me for my nemesis.People changed. Didn’t they?

Lewis leaned over when the conversation moved on to the cruise Louisa was taking in January. “You’re the only girl Jake’s ever brought home,” he said in a whisper.

“Really?” I asked quietly.

Lewis nodded. “You must be pretty special,” he said with a wink.

Homer chose that moment to wedge his head between my knees demanding my attention and making Livvy laugh.

“We need to decide who’s making what for Thanksgiving,” Jake announced. “I know none of you want me to be providing any of the main dishes.”

“As if you could even find any dishes,” Max said with a roll of his eyes.

“Marley’s a great cook,” Jake said.

“You should bring your family to Jake’s for Thanksgiving,” Lewis decided. “Do you have a good stuffing recipe?”

“What?”

“Ugh, yeah,” Adeline agreed. “That schmancy vegetarian stuffing last year is not invited back.”

“I was trying something new,” Rob complained.

“Rob was vegetarian for six months,” Jake explained to me.

Rob took a big bite of chicken breast and stuffed it in his mouth. “It didn’t take.”

“I’m signing Marley up for the stuffing,” Adeline decided. “You’re allowed to make that baked corn stuff again, Jake. That was good, and the kids will eat it.”

“Speaking of,” Jake said, eyeing Adeline pointedly.

Adeline grinned and leaned into Rob. “Oh, yeah. We have a little announcement.”

Max and Lewis sat up straight.

“You guys are going to be gay grandpas again,” Rob said grandly.

Lewis stood up so fast his chair fell over backward. Max grabbed Adeline in a half-headlock half-hug. They both were shouting.

“God, I love it when they get good news,” Jake whispered in my ear.

My mother had reacted to the grandparent news the same way. She would love Jake’s family. So would my dad. For a minute, I could picture us all crammed around a table at Jake’s, eating, playing games, saying inappropriate things while the nieces and nephews destroyed things in another room.

But that wasn’t the plan. Jake’s life was here. Mine was out there somewhere, waiting for me to find it.

“Our baby’s having another baby,” Max said. Lewis grabbed Rob for a back-slapping hug.