Olivia hummed a noncommittal response. She was an adult. And a successful businesswoman to boot. If she didn’t want to go to the funeral, why should she have to? She was capable of making her own decisions.
“Hey. Earth to Liv.”
Snapping out of her gloomy thoughts, she turned back to her grinning friend. “Huh?”
“You zoned out on me. Thinking of that sexy husband of yours?”
“Um. Something like that.” It wasn’t really a lie, since she technically had been thinking about James.
Something in her voice must have given her away. Shannon’s grin faded to a concerned expression. “This isn’t about what I said, is it? Look, I didn’t mean anything by it. You know this is a no-judgement zone.”
“I’m not upset.” Desperate to change the subject, Olivia looked out the window, trying to gauge their surroundings. “Where is this place, anyway? I’m starving.”
“Right here, Miss Impatient.”
The car stopped in front of a loud, packed restaurant. Olivia climbed out while Shannon paid their fare.
“Why are there so many people on a Monday?”
“I told you.” Grabbing her arm, Shannon carted her up the stairs. “Jumbo margaritas!”
“Wright, party of two.” Shannon raised her voice to be heard over the din. “I called this afternoon.”
The friendly hostess smiled brightly and grabbed two menus. “Your table just opened up. Come with me.”
They followed her through the crowded restaurant to a small booth tucked in a corner. Olivia slid onto the bench, grateful to be somewhat insulated from all the noise.
The second the hostess left, a waiter appeared with a basket of chips and salsa. “Can I get you ladies something to drink?”
Shannon shot Olivia a wink. “Two jumbo margaritas.”
James hadn’t said how big her ‘one drink’ could be, but she still felt a twinge of guilt. She should have run the whole jumbo margarita thing past him before she’d left. But he’d said one drink, and she was planning to just have the one.
That small voice, the one that urged her to be a good girl and listen to Daddy, whispered that he wasn’t going to be amused by her reasoning.
“How’s work going? Sell anything good lately?” Shannon dipped a chip in the salsa and popped it in her mouth, munching happily. The woman ate like a linebacker, but still somehow managed to stay rail thin. If Olivia didn’t love her so much, she might have hated her for it.
Scooping up her own share of salsa, Olivia shrugged. “Not since the last time we talked. But I’ve got this pain in the ass couple. Won’t agree to lowering the price, won’t do anything to improve the property. Fuck, I can’t even get them to do the dishes when we have someone coming for a walkthrough.”
“Ugh.” Shannon wrinkled her nose in obvious disdain. “Those are the worst. Have you told James?”
“Yeah. He offered to help but I hate having to drag him into this shit. Makes me feel like a failure.”
“Well, that’s stupid.”
Mouth open in surprise, Olivia stared at her friend. “Why is it stupid?”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “He’s your broker. It’s his job to make sure you have what you need to move houses. If you need him to kick some ass, then that’s what he’s there for.”
It was a fair point. If he wasn’t her husband, she probably would have asked him to step in already. Pride was keeping her from letting him do his job. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can’t argue.”
Their margaritas arrived, and Olivia’s stomach dropped to her knees. She had never seen margaritas in a bucket. At least it looked like a bucket, akin to what a child might use to build sandcastles at the beach.
“Ho-ly shit,” she whispered. “It’s huge!”
“That’s what she said,” Shannon said, laughing hysterically at her juvenile joke.
Olivia forced a laugh. This wasn’t one drink, no matter how she tried to slice it. It was enough to knock out a baby elephant.