Eventually Yours

✽ 60

~Brie

“Did you guys hear?”

“Hear what?” Cynthia asked.

“The party the company's throwing” Megan chuckled.

“We're throwing a party?” I asked.

She nodded and we all walked over to a table near the window to sit after we got our food.

“I didn't know we were throwing a party,” I said before biting into my pastrami on rye.

“Well, we are. And it's not just employees only so you can all bring dates.”

“I'm sure Nick's going to be down for that” Cynthia smiled.

“And it'll be nice to finally meet him” Avery nudged her. “I'm the only one here who has just seen photos of him.”

“What about you Brie?” Megan asked. “You’re going, right?”

“This weekend?”

“Yep.”

I shrugged and swallowed.

“Maybe.”

Why would Aiden ask me to go to DC with him if the company's throwing a party?

“Maybe?” Avery pouted. “Why maybe?”

I shrugged again.

“Just maybe.”

“Ave!”

We all turned toward the door and Avery paled.

“Oh no.”

I narrowed my eyes at the young woman who was already bustling in, making a beeline for our table.

“That's your awful cousin?” Cynthia whispered.

“Yes,” Avery whined.

I looked on. Josie was petite with blonde hair and big blue eyes. She reminded me of Tinkerbell, and from the phone call earlier, I could tell she possessed the same feisty personality as the diminutive Disney character.

Josie plopped down across from Avery and plucked the empty wine glass her hands on her cousin's tray. Instead of saying hello or apologizing for crashing our lunch group date, she started to ramble.

“You are not going to believe what just happened,” she announced and gestured to the wine bottle in the middle of the table. “The sooner we get this bottle open, the better.”

“Josie” Avery said firmly. “There are people here!”

Her cousin looked around the table.

“Right. Hi. I'm Ave's cousin.”

“We've heard” Cynthia replied.

Avery sighed and Megan reached out to open the wine bottle.

“So, get this” Josie began the moment Megan filled her glass. “My sister just called and asked me to be a bridesmaid. Not her Maid of Honor, just a regular, old, lousy attendant. How insulting.”

Megan, Cynthia, and I exchanged looks.

“Who is going to be her Maid of Honor?” Avery asked.

To be honest, I could see Avery didn't care. But she asked anyway.

“Tori!” Josie exclaimed and then made a snorting sound.

She took a sip of wine and reached across the table to pluck a pizza from Avery's plate. “How rude, right?”