Page 42 of The Rules

Showing up to Sunday brunch hungover was another thing New Dani was determined to put in the past. After her wedding, Emma had instituted the once a month tradition to ensure that no matter what direction their lives went in, there would always be scheduled “girl time.” Emma did stuff like that—scheduled fun and used terms like “girl time.” Although, when Old Danihadbeen feeling a little under the weather on brunch days, she could admit she was glad that all she had to do was roll out of bed and show up to a perfectly-executed morning.

Today she was feeling great, having had a full eight hours of sleep after Mike had dropped her off at a respectable eleven-forty-five p.m. The date itself had only been so-so, the music was weird, and Mike turned out to be one of those guys who tried to sing along to all the songs to prove he knew the words. She hated that. That’s what you’re paying the band to do. But the fact that she had at least six more tries already guaranteed had kept her from finishing her night feeling like a failure. She’d even hydrated and taken off her makeup before bed. New Dani was so responsible.

“Bloody Marys?” Dani held up the drink special menu to the table when the waiter arrived. Sonya and Emma each held a finger up.

“I’ll have cranberry juice, please,” Cat said.

Oh right. This.“Why no Bloody Mary, Cat?” she asked in a perfectly pleasant,I don’t suspect anythingvoice.

“This place uses too much horseradish.”

“Why don’t you have a mimosa, then?”

“Why don’t you just drop it?” Cat snapped.

Woah.Dani’s jaw dropped. Emma and Sonya exchanged a look. Cat wasn’t one for snippiness. Her mood typically waffled between bubbly and sarcastic, but she was never downright bitchy.

“Forget I said anything,” Dani said, holding her hands up.

“Sorry,” Cat muttered, obviously embarrassed by her display. But it didn’t really seem like remorse.

Dani changed the subject. “I had a date last night,” she said, turning her attention to Sonya and Emma. “Mike. He’s a freelance journalist.”

“Oh!” Emma was her biggest audience when it came to dating stories. She’d been married the longest, so hearing about Dani’s weekends was like taking an exotic vacation. “How did it go? Was there chemistry?”

“It wasn’t terrible.” She tried to picture Mike’s face and pick out the best parts to share, but a flash of Dylan’s bare, tattooed chest hovering above her manifested instead.

What the hell?

She chugged some ice water. “I mean, I’m not sure he’s soulmate material, but we had fun. He took me to a concert downtown and dinner. It was romantic, I guess.”

“And did you have your cheat night?” Sonya asked, her eyebrows raised.

Her cheeks flushed guiltily. She was sure Sonya noticed.

“What’s that?” Emma instinctively turned her question to Cat for the answer, and Dani felt a stab of longing. For the first time in maybe ever, she and Cat were both keeping something from each other. She saw it on Cat’s face too when she realized she was out of the loop and her cheeks pinked under Emma’s gaze.

Between this weird tension with Cat and the feeling that she was skirting a line of betrayal talking about Dylan, anonymously as it may be, she started to feel as queasy as if shehadhad a wild night out.

Cat shrugged. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”

“You didn’t tell them?” Sonya asked.

Dani’s phone buzzed with a text. She was grateful for the proverbial bell-save until she looked at the screen and saw it was from Dylan. If her face was red before, now her skin felt like it was on fire. She swiped the phone off the table and read.

Dylan: Saw Cat last night. She was twelve shades of green. Couldn’t eat her dinner.

Dani’s eyes bounced from the screen to Cat who drank her water in tiny little sips.Perfect timing, Dylan.

“I didn’tnottell them,” she said, looking pointedly at Cat. “I haven’t seen either of you, and it wasn’t a Facetime convo.” Vindication coursed through her, but then her stomach sank when she remembered the conversation they’d all had about Cat. God, this brunch was the worst. “I joined a dating site and I can’t have sex with the matches, so I have an, um, arrangement with a guy for the time I’m doing this. Something casual.”

“A dating site?” Emma asked at the same time Cat asked, “Who’s the guy?”

Heat crept up Dani’s neck and she fiddled with the ends of her hair. Cat was smart, and they knew each other on a different level, but after examining the way she chewed on her straw casually, Dani could tell Cat didn’t suspect anything. She was mad about being kept in the dark about the entire thing, though. That much was clear. Which was really rich coming from someone who was potentially hiding a whole baby.

Her phone buzzed again, but Dani shoved it in her purse without looking. “It’s no one you know,” she said.Just your husband’s best friend.Ugh. Her conscience came armed with a sledgehammer today.

Luckily, the waiter arrived with their meals, including her cocktail and Cat’s cranberry juice. Cat had skipped her usual eggs over easy and ordered french toast with an excessive amount of whipped cream instead. She obviously wasn’t forgoing alcohol for the health benefits.

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