and desserts. Charley filled a plate for Amanda and brought it to her.
“Thank you.”
“What can I get you to drink?” Charley asked, her eyes warm and friendly, making Amanda think Landon exaggerated about her ferociousness.
“Some white wine if you have it would be great.”
“Do we have white wine, ladies?”
“Hell yes,” Hannah said. “And there’s plenty to go around since most of us are preggo.”
“We were wondering when you were going to fess up, Han,” Ella said. With dark shiny hair and brown eyes, Ella resembled her older sister, Hannah.
“Guilty as charged and couldn’t be happier about it, although Nolan and I wanted to keep it a secret for now until the dreaded first trimester is over.”
“We’re thrilled for you and Nolan,” Ella said as the others extended congratulations to Hannah on news they’d figured out for themselves some time ago. “And we won’t say anything. Don’t worry.”
“Did you guys hear we might get more snow this weekend?” Lucy asked as she captured her red hair into a ponytail.
“Ugh,” Megan said. “Enough already.”
“We start getting stir crazy around this time,” Hannah said for Amanda’s benefit. “Winter in Vermont goes on forever some years.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Emma said as she came in. “Grayson gave me perfect directions, and I still managed to get lost.”
“You haven’t missed anything,” Charley said. “Amanda just got here, and we haven’t even grilled her about Landon yet.”
“Oh good. I want to hear that.” Emma smiled at Amanda. “We’ve all had our turn in the hot seat. Looks like it’s yours now.”
“Lovely,” Amanda said, amused by them.
“Soooo,” Cameron said, batting her eyelashes, “how’s Landon?”
“He’s fine.” Why should she make it easy for them?
Lucy tag-teamed off to Cameron. “And you guys are…” Lucy rolled her hand, hoping Amanda would fill in the blanks for them.
Amanda knitted her eyebrows, hoping she was conveying that she didn’t understand the question.
“They want to know if you’re doing it or not,” Charley said.
Ella pounced. “Charley! Don’t ask her that!”
“Why not? Everyone was asking me when I was staying with Tyler after I fell off the mountain.”
“What was it like to fall off a mountain?” Amanda asked.
“Painful. He challenged me to run during a snowstorm, and I ended up at the bottom of a steep drop. I screwed up my knee, had to have surgery, and since my parents were away at the time, Tyler insisted on nursing me back to health.”
“Because he had the only one-story house,” Hannah added, rolling her eyes.
“You have to give him credit for overruling the entire Abbott family to get his way,” Charley said.
“He was very determined, as I recall,” Lucy said.
“He was,” Charley said, her smile fading.
“What’s wrong, Charl?” Hannah asked.
“I think he’s going to ask me to marry him. Like, for real ask me.”
“Oh damn,” Ella said. “Why do you say that?”
“Just a vibe I’m picking up on.”
“You don’t want to marry him?” Dani asked.
Charley glanced at Ella, seeming pained.
“Charley has always said she doesn’t want to get married or have kids,” Ella said. “She was very honest from the beginning about that with Tyler.”
Charley moaned. “I love him so much. More than anything. But I still have no desire to be married. Why can’t we continue as we are, both of us here by choice, not because a piece of paper says we have to be?”
“You should tell him that,” Amanda said, hoping she wasn’t overstepping as the new girl. “Remind him again that you still feel the same way you always did and say what you just did to us, about how it’s more important for both of you to be there because you want to be, not because you’re legally required to be.”
“I don’t want to hurt him,” Charley said softly. “He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Tell him that, too,” Dani said. “That’ll matter to him.”
Charley wiped away a tear. “The new girls are pretty smart.” She waved her hand. “Let’s go back to grilling Amanda. That was better than me spilling my guts. She never did tell us if they’re doing it.”
“And she doesn’t have to,” Ella said with a pointed look for her sister.
“We’re… enjoying each other’s company.” Amanda chose her words carefully out of respect for Landon’s privacy in the hornet’s nest that was his family.
“Landon doesn’t do serious,” Charley said tentatively. “You know that, right?”
“He might be changing his mind on that,” Hannah said as she dipped a carrot into ranch dip and popped it into her mouth.