She chuckles as I continue. “While you were busy with croquet, Kristi and I went over to Game Kastle. She taught me how to play this game called Warhammer.”
Jennifer gives me a sideways look before telling me, “Hita, you and Kristi are a scary combination.”
“How so?” She shoots me another hard look as I tell her, “Eyes on the road.”
Jennifer’s very by-the-book. She gets kind of flustered, and then maintaining focus on the road she continues, “You two exploit each other’s weaknesses. Juliette’s geeky, but she isn’t into the whole gaming thing. When you roomed with her she was always dragging you out to be with people.”
“That’s what I’m telling you. Kristi dragged me out to be with people. The people we’re meeting also like to play games.”
Jennifer purses her mouth, finally she says, “The fact that you think going gaming at some store is more social then sitting in your room playing games is what scares me.”
“Why, because the activity I like is a geeky game as opposed to, what, ‘croquet at the club?’ My going out and playing games isn’t any less relevant than you and your games.”
The two of us drive in silence as she heads into the parking garage. After parking the car, she stares straight out the front window.
“Are you going to be all pissy with me tonight?” I ask.
Taking a deep breath she looks at me and smiles, finally saying, “No, I only have about a five minute ability to be pissed off at you. Really, it pissed me off more since you have a point. I guess I was being prejudicial. I get it. I get pissed when someone says I waste my time scrapbooking. We all have different activities that relax us and bring us enjoyment.”
Reaching over the console of her car we give each other a big hug.
Xhan is trendy, with a modern bar all backlit with blue florescent lights. As we walk in I quickly spot Juliette sitting on a bar stool with Stephan standing real close to her, his arm proprietarily flung around her shoulders. He looks as rakishly sexy as ever, which annoys me since I wish his looks better reflected his annoying qualities. Thankfully, Meredith and Sam are there too.
As Jennifer and I head up to the bar and greet our friends, Juliette smiles, holds up her glass, and says, “I already bought us a pitcher of margaritas.”
“Really, I thought you drank lemon drops, cosmopolitans, or martinis in a bar like this?” Jennifer sarcastically replies.
Juliette dismisses the comment with a wave of her hand. “Margaritas are our go to drink, if they can’t make them, then I’m not drinking.”
Meredith asks, “Where’s Carter?” In a very stuck up accent she continues, “Did he get waylaid at the club playing polo again?”
Jennifer chuckles, then answers, “Come on, he’s not a pretentious jerk.” She eyeballs Stephan.
Sam passes Jennifer and me a drink saying, “Drink up ladies, take the edge off.”
Meredith shoots him a look that says be careful, you’re treading on thin ice, as I wonder if Jennifer and I still have a bit of an edge from our earlier conversation.
Juliette asks Jennifer, “Is Carter still joining us?”
Looking at her phone Jennifer’s eyebrows knit. “He texted me that he got held up at a meeting with one of their new start-ups. I told him to bring the guys he’s working with.”
“Does that make us eight or nine now?” Stephan asks.
Jennifer shrugs in reply.
Stephan shakes his head in annoyance as he releases Juliette and heads over to the hostess to tell her our group is expanding.
It only takes one margarita for Carter to show up with a nice looking Indian guy. Both are dressed in slacks and very euro tailored and commercially pressed button downs. Introducing his friend to the group, he tells us that Anil’s business, some kind of community app that’s showing a lot of traction, has received funding by his firm. Looking at these two guys who appear to be only a few years older than me, I wonder if there are any adults with experience working with young companies. Then I realize that’s probably why so many companies are like the one I interviewed with in San Francisco, blowing through their funding as they spend it on fancy offices and lots of non-essential employees.
Sam is right; the margarita sure has taken the edge off. I find my shoulders relaxing and my mouth naturally tips into a smile as I get handed a second drink. It doesn’t take