Page 30 of Now That It's You
Kendall nodded, looking thoughtful as she grabbed more popcorn. “I always liked Kyle. I wish he had kissed you. Last night, I mean.”
“Not a good idea.” Meg shook her head. “Can you even imagine?”
Kendall shrugged. “I’m not sure it would be the weirdest thing in the world.”
“No? Look at the underside of the popcorn bowl.”
“What?”
“The bowl you’re holding. Look at the bottom of it.”
Kendall frowned, then raised the bowl overhead and peered at it. “M plus M equals butt cheeks?”
“It’s supposed to be a heart,” Meg said. “My grandmother painted it before she died, which is why I can’t get rid of it despite the fact that it’s really damn creepy to eat popcorn out of a bowl with my dead ex’s initial on it.”
“Your initial is there, too,” Kendall pointed out as she lowered the bowl.
“I’m just saying. There’s too much baggage there with me and Kyle. No matter what, we’d never escape all the ghosts of that other relationship.”
Kendall shrugged and drained her wineglass. “I disagree.”
“No, it’s true. There’s no way around the fact that I was engaged to his brother.”
“Of course. I’m just saying that’s not insurmountable.”
“It is,” Meg insisted.
“It’s not,” Kendall replied. “But I’d rather watch that cupcake show than argue with you. What channel is it on?”
“Not a clue.” Meg stood up and grabbed the empty wine bottle as she headed toward the kitchen. “You want to stick with Pinot Grigio, or do you want something else?”
“You don’t have any red open, do you?”
“Half a bottle of Chianti from when I made lasagna a few days ago.” She picked the bottle up off the kitchen counter and studied it. “It’s probably still good. That was the night before Matt died, actually.”
Meg thought about the lasagna, remembering how she’d carefully layered the cheese and sausage and noodles and sauce while rehearsing in her mind what she’d say to Matt at the hospital the next day.
Look, I know we both did some things we regret, but I wanted to tell you I’m sorry and that I’d like to put it all behind us and maybe even work toward renewing our friendship if?—
“Meg!” Kendall shouted. “Get in here now!”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
Her pulse sped up and she started back toward the living room with the Chianti bottle clutched in her hand. “Did you spill the popcorn? It’s okay, just?—”
“No, right now, come here!”
The volume on the television slid to a deafening level and Meg sprinted out to see Kendall aiming the remote at the screen with a wide-eyed look on her face.
“ . . . So, yeah,” the blonde actress was saying as she crossed her legs saucily. She leaned into Jimmy Fallon’s desk, making her sequined gown twinkle. “I’ve already made three recipes from this book and I have to tell you, I’ve never felt so?—”
“Horny?” Jimmy Fallon flashed a salacious grin at the audience, who responded with applause and loud whoops of encouragement.
“Oh, stop!” The actress gave Jimmy a playful swat, flashing a wedding ring that could have doubled as a paperweight. “I’m not kidding, I can’t believe this aphrodisiac stuff works, but if you read the little sidebars?—”
“That’s my book,” Meg said, dumbfounded.
