Honey on Your Mind Part 20

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that." She approached a card table on the sidewalk that was covered with T-shirts. "Hold up for a minute, ladies. I need to buy Nick one of these." Nick's trademark was his collection of T-shirts with witty sayings. The first one I ever saw him wear said EVEN AWESOME NEEDS TO SLEEP. He'd been wearing it at the office and proudly called it "a crowd favorite."

The three of us started plowing through the pile, looking for shirts that were funny but not offensive-or at least not too offensive. It's a fine line.

"How about this?" I held one up that said I'D RATHER BE QUILTING.

Andie gestured for me to give it to her. "I like it, hand it over."

"Check out this one." McKenna held up IT'S NOT A BEER BELLY, IT'S A GAS TANK FOR THE s.e.x MACHINE.

"He already has that one," Andie said.

I looked at her. "You're joking."

She looked back at me. "Have you met Nick?"

"Good point."

McKenna tried again. "How about this?" It said REAL MEN DON'T MANSCAPE.

Andie grabbed it out of McKenna's hands. "I love it! I'm buying him that one too."

The day was clear and crisp, but not nearly as cold as I'd feared. We kept walking and soon started popping in and out of funky little stores. I was grateful not to be swimming through a sea of frantic holiday shoppers. Navigating crowds of tourists was painful enough when I wasn't hungover.

"So speaking of the T-shirt man, Andie, what is the latest?" I held open a door to a vintage clothing boutique. "You were evasive last night."

She pushed past me into the store. "I know, I know."

McKenna and I followed her. "Are you going to move in with him?" I asked.

She didn't say anything.

"Well?" McKenna said.

"Well?" I echoed.

Finally Andie spoke. "Ladies..."

"Yes?"

"I think...I think I'm going to take the plunge."

"Wow!" McKenna said. "That's huge!"

"For real? You're going to give up your apartment?" I said.

Andie shrugged. "I know, I know. It's a total leap of faith, which is unlike me, but it just feels right, you know what I mean?"

McKenna, who had been with Hunter since before we could legally rent a car, smiled. "I know exactly what you mean. I'm so happy for you."

I sifted through a rack of dresses. "I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Me neither," Andie said. "After so many years of being emotional Teflon, I didn't think I'd ever find someone who would actually stick."

McKenna rolled her eyes. "Please, you're hardly emotional Teflon. You're just...picky. That's not a bad thing."

Andie held up a hand. "You don't have to sugarcoat it. I know I'm a handful. But, despite my...for lack of a better word, b.i.t.c.hiness, Nick makes me feel so, I don't know, accepted, no matter how mean I am. I'm not sure what the right word is. But whatever it is, he does it."

I walked over and hugged her. "You're going to make me cry. And I agree with Mackie. You're not emotional Teflon, and you're not mean. You're s.p.u.n.ky and dynamic and interesting and wonderful, and I hope you know how lucky he is to have you."

She hugged me back for a moment, and then pushed me away. "OK, enough about my stunted emotional development. So what about you? What's going on with Jake? We haven't talked about that yet either."

I smiled. "I'm happy to report that Jake is great. Wonderful, in fact. He could probably even play a prince in a Disney movie."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." Andie fake-choked herself.

I laughed and started looking through the dresses again. "The only problem is that I don't get to see him that often. Our schedules are both so busy."

"Have you freaked out on him lately?" McKenna said.

I slowly put my hands on my hips. "You will both be proud to hear that no, I have not. I've made a huge effort to talk to him nearly every day, and you know how bad I am about talking on the phone."

"Yeah, you really suck at that," Andie said.

"I'm not one to cast stones," McKenna said. "These days I don't even know where my phone is half the time."

"You have a baby, that doesn't count," Andie said to her.

I adjusted my ponytail. "So anyhow, I've been making a big effort to include him in everything that's been going on with me, the good and the bad. And guess what? I've even shared a big secret with him."

As soon as I said that last part, I wanted to cover my mouth.

Shut up, Waverly!

Andie's ears perked up. "A big secret? Do tell."

I hesitated.

"Well?" she said.

"I...I really shouldn't, I'm sorry," I said.

What is wrong with you, Waverly?

"You're keeping a secret from us? For real?" Andie looked from me to McKenna, who put her hands up as if to say I don't want to get involved.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Andie. I can't. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

She looked a bit hurt, which surprised me. Didn't she have any secrets that were just between her and Nick?

I decided to change the subject. "Anyhow, speaking of Jake, I have some big news."

Their eyes immediately darted to my left hand.

I laughed. "Not that."

"Well, what then?" McKenna said.

"He invited me to spend Christmas with his family."

"No way!" Andie pushed my arm. "That's huge."

"I know. Can you believe it? I'm totally nervous."

"Congratulations. That's a major milestone in the relationship department," McKenna said.

I bit my lip. "Tell me about it. Like I don't already have enough on my mind right now."

"What do you mean?" Andie said.

Before I could reply, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, are you Waverly from Love, Wendy?"

I turned and saw two women in their early twenties smiling at me. One wore a baseball hat, the other a high bun. I smiled back and hoped they hadn't overheard our conversation.

"Hi, um, yes, that's me."

"We love that show!" Hat Girl playfully clapped her hands as High-Bun Girl whipped out her phone.

"Can we take a picture with you?" High-Bun Girl asked.

"Um, sure," Ugh. I wish I'd bothered to put on makeup, because I knew that picture was totally going on Facebook for the whole world to see. Where was Tanya and her magic toolbox when I needed her?

"I'll take it!" Andie put out her hand. "So you like watching Love, Wendy?"

"We love it," Hat Girl said as she handed over the phone. "We watch it all the time at our sorority house. We go to Rutgers."

"What house are you in?" I asked.

"Delta Gamma," High-Bun Girl said.

"Waverly was a Delta Gamma," Andie said. "Did you know that?"

Both girls looked at me. "You were?" they asked in unison.

I nodded. "At Cal Berkeley. She was too." I pointed to McKenna.

"That's so cool!" Hat Girl said.

"So speaking of Honey on Your Mind, can you tell that Waverly has a Delta Gamma-style hangover on her mind right now?" Andie said.

"Andie!" I gasped as McKenna covered her mouth and cracked up.

Hat Girl laughed too. "We're totally hurting too. We had our holiday formal last night."

High-Bun Girl nodded. "It was intense. On the way home, my date threw up out the window of the bus."

"That happened to me once," McKenna said. "KA spring fling. Jason Parker. Off the balcony."

"I think it happens to everyone at least once," Andie said, nodding.

I thought of my sorority days from way back when. It was hard to wrap my head around how many years had pa.s.sed since then. The two women standing here seemed so young, which of course made me think about how old we must seem to them. Are we really that old now?

As I posed for a photo with my "fans," I glanced at McKenna and thought of her husband and baby at home, then took a quick look at Andie and thought of the big move that awaited her back in San Francisco.

There was no getting around it. No matter how immature we acted on occasion, we were grown up now. We were hardly old, but no one would consider us kids anymore.

a a a "So how long do you think you'll stay in New York?" McKenna finished her water and set the gla.s.s on the table. She had insisted on an alcohol-free dinner that evening, at least for herself. Meanwhile, Andie, more determined than ever to remain childless after seeing how far McKenna had fallen from her glory days of barhopping the night away, had ordered a bottle of pinot noir that she and I would split.

"I'm really not sure. At first, I had it in my head that I'd stay for a couple years, but after living here a few months, I can see how two years could easily stretch into like...ten. There's just so much to do, and I haven't even scratched the surface."

She shook her head. "Don't stay away too long. Elizabeth's early education won't be complete without witnessing a few Waverly moments. It's just not the same hearing about them over the phone."

"Thank you, Mackie. That's what I'll think the next time I slip on a patch of ice or a pigeon drops a load on my head: I wish little Elizabeth had seen that."

Andie refilled my wine gla.s.s. "I hate pigeons. They're like flying rats. So how's it been working with Paige?"

I felt the blood in my veins go cold. So far, I'd managed to avoid the topic of Paige and had been hoping to get through the rest of the weekend without having to talk about her at all. Knowing me and my big mouth, I knew the chances were excellent that I'd inadvertently blurt out something inappropriate.

"Paige?"

"Yeah, how's that going?"

I had to say something, but I didn't want to lie. I was a horrible liar, and Andie was perceptive, so I needed to be careful.

I decided to tell the truth and exercise selective omission.

"She's great. Amazing, actually. She's lined up some big retail accounts for Waverly's Honey Shop, and in January she's coming on board full-time."

"Full-time, for real?" Andie said. "You'll be paying her a salary?"

I shook my head. "Commission, but a really good commission. And did I tell you guys I'm opening an office for Waverly's Honey Shop? I feel like I didn't tell you that."

"I think I need to subscribe to your blog to keep up with your life," McKenna said.

"Please, like I would ever in a million years have a blog."

"And thank G.o.d for that," Andie said.