them since the reunion, and they had a lot to catch up on.
They went to YOT Bar and Kitchen and got a seat with a view of the water. Hannah took a sip of the mojito she ordered. It was sweet and minty and hit all her relaxation buttons.
“So, Hannah,” Veronica asked. “Tell us everything.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean your job, Oliver, what you’ve been doing. Who you’ve been doing?”
Jess laughed. “Yes, especially the who you’ve been doing.”
“Oh.” She stirred her drink. “Oliver broke his wrist this week.”
“Oh no,” Tina said. “What happened?”
She filled them in on Oliver’s accident, then they all started talking about their kids, and then about their friend Mary’s new baby girl, which gave her a reprieve from discussing her dating life—at least through another cocktail.
“Are you dating anyone, Hannah?” Jess asked.
She inwardly winced, but she knew she was going to have to talk about Kal. These were her high school friends. Plus they all knew Kal.
“I’m sort of seeing Kal Donovan.”
Veronica’s eyes widened. She laid her palm flat on the table and leaned forward. “Wait. What? You’re dating Kal again?”
“Seriously?” Tina asked.
“Tell us everything,” Jess said, signaling their server for another round of drinks.
By the time she’d finished her third mojito, she’d spilled the entire story of her and Kal. And her face was numb. She was pretty sure her toes were numb, too.
“Wow,” Jess said. “You and Kal Donovan. Who would have ever thought the two of you would hook up again after all these years.”
Tina nodded. “It’s like you were meant to be. Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Who both ended up dead, Tina,” Veronica said.
“Okay, maybe not those two. Like . . . like . . . I don’t know. Give me a romantic couple.”
“Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley,” Hannah said, laying her chin in her hand.
They all looked at her. Hannah shrugged. “Oliver and I are reading Harry Potter. And I’ve seen the movies. They’re perfect together. Friends first, and they both stand up for and protect the other through everything.”
“Okay, maybe,” Veronica said.
“I could definitely see it,” Jess said. “You and Kal were always so tight in high school. And now he’s back in your life.”
“It’s like it’s meant to be,” Tina repeated, a dreamy look on her face. “It’s so romantic.”
Hannah waved her hand. “We’re just having some fun. It’s . . . familiar, ya know?”
“Is that all it is, though?” Veronica asked. “Familiar?”
“I . . . I don’t know. I feel a lot of things for Kal. I always have. But I don’t know if I have the time right now for that kind of relationship. I’m not sure I ever want to have another deep relationship again.”
Veronica laid her hand on Hannah’s arm. “Of course you don’t. You got hurt by someone who was supposed to be your partner in life. No wonder you’re anxious about falling in love again.”
She wasn’t about to tell her friends she had never loved Landon. Not the way she loved . . .
She wasn’t going to think about that. She was pretty sure she couldn’t put together a coherent thought at all right now.
“I don’t know. We’re having a good time together. We include Oliver in a lot of the things we do. It’s good right now, you know?”
Jess nodded. “And that’s enough.”
“Exactly,” Tina said. “You shouldn’t be in a rush. Take things slow. Whatever happens between the two of you will . . . happen. On its own. Organically.”
“Right. Organically.” Whatever that meant. Her brain went fuzzy again. The conversation was deep, more than she’d wanted to have tonight. “We should order some food.”
“That sounds good,” Tina said.
They grabbed their menus, and Hannah tried to focus on the dishes listed. What was in those mojitos anyway? When their server came over, she decided to switch to water. Because she was definitely getting shit-faced, and that hadn’t been her intention.
They ordered their food.
“And another round of drinks, too,” Veronica said.
Hannah cringed. She hoped she remembered the right address when it was time to go home.
KAL WAS PLAYING A VIDEO GAME, COMPLETELY DESTROYING the enemy, when the doorbell rang.
“Dammit.” He frowned, paused the game and went to answer the door, surprised to see not only Hannah, but Veronica, Tina and Jess as well.
“Hi, Kal,” Veronica said. “Your girlfriend is toasted, but she wanted to come see you. She’s all yours now.”
Hannah, who was leaning against the doorjamb, gave him a sloppy smile. “I wanted to see you.”
“Hi there. Who’s driving?”
“Jeff, our friendly