other girls. Madison Cunningham had been Ellery’s BFF ever since they’d both worn the same Supergirl costume to kindergarten on Halloween. Rather than see the other as competition, like Mia Dinkins and Claire Toby, her other close friends who had both dressed as Tinkerbell, Mads and Elle had declared themselves soul mates . . . and still had the connection that going to two different colleges, pledging two different sororities, and crushing on the same hot celebrities couldn’t break.
“That’s right. We’re making up for lost time,” Claire said, selecting a plump strawberry from the fruit plate Ellery’s mother had set out. Her mom had decorated the rented house on the edge of the vineyard with fresh flowers, pink balloons, and a cute birthday sign that hung from the two light fixtures. The island bar was covered with party poppers and confetti. No doubt her mother had a vacuum in her car ready to tackle the rental after Ellery and her friends departed. This was the kind of mother hers was—always prepared, committed to making everything perfect, and never leaving a mess.
Problem was, her mother couldn’t fix the downhill slide Ellery felt she was on. So while she felt grateful to her mother for always picking her up, she also resented that while she was plummeting toward an uncertain future, her mother was on a meteoric trajectory toward fame. This small, petty part of herself she hated, but she couldn’t seem to make it go away. The only thing she’d felt good about was being engaged to Josh, and now that part of her plan was in jeopardy.
There were times she wondered if Josh had proposed just to get her to shut up about their future . . . or as a consolation for her getting smacked down by J.J. Krause. The glow of wearing that diamond had faded, and often she felt like she was merely another piece of business he needed to complete so he could get the dream he wanted with a woman whose plan coincided with his own. Dr. Josh Prince, plastic surgeon, upstanding husband, doting father, and rich as shit.
But that wasn’t true. They were more than just a plan. They were in love.
Or had been.
“Elle? Wine?” Madison asked again, jarring her out of her too-difficult thoughts.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, let’s crack open a white.” ’Cause I’m going to need it. Maybe two bottles before the cocktail hour.
Madison smiled and looked so pretty it made Ellery wish she hadn’t done the microdermabrasion on her cheeks and chin. Both were now red and splotchy, even though her face felt remarkably smooth. She just needed an hour or two more for her skin to calm down.
“Gotcha,” Madison said, rooting in the drawers for a wine opener. Claire continued munching on the fruit, snagging a cookie that her delicate frame could well afford. Claire had short, dark hair, a lithe runner’s body, and a weakness for watching Gossip Girl, Mean Girls, Gilmore Girls, or any kind of show with girls, pretty, or gossip in the title. Claire was studying to take the CPA exam while working for a firm in Baton Rouge. Gentle Madison was working in the pediatric intensive care unit at a hospital in Monroe. Both were already ten times more successful than Ellery, not that either would say anything about Ellery failing to net the internship she’d crowed about all last year. They’d heard about her failure months ago, offered encouragement, and then promptly gone about their own business. Ellery was the one who had to live with the choices she’d made. Or choice. She should have listened to her adviser and applied for more than one internship.
She’d just been so certain that the position would be hers.
“I wish Mia could have come today, but at least she’ll make it tonight,” Claire said, swiping crumbs off the granite. While Madison and Claire had elected to go to LSU for college, Mia had gone with Ellery to the University of Georgia, where she’d stayed to do law school. Still, the four girls had stayed very close, going on spring break together every year, texting each other at least once a day, and spending the holidays shopping, vegging while watching CSI, and sipping apple-pie moonshine before going out to their favorite haunts in Shreveport.
Ellery accepted the wine Madison handed her. “Josh is coming, right? You made sure? Because he’s become very slippery here lately.”
“Yep, and he is part of Mia’s job. She’s grabbing him on the way over, and