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“Thanks, man,” I said, putting them in my leather jacket before I peeled it off and hung it on one of the hooks on the side of the booth. The thought of him or Cal, or really anyone, potentially drinking and driving tied my stomach in knots. Aiden knew I had a better chance of enjoying the evening if I had his keys.
I slid onto the bench beside him and gave him a fist bump. “Where is everyone? I thought I was late.”
“Poppy’s finishing the cake, and Lauren is helping her bring it. Rowan, Cammie, and Cal are coming from the office. Rowan’s back was giving her trouble, so Cal wanted to work on her or something. Your usual?” Aiden asked, quickly changing thesubject. We’d grown pretty attached to Rowan and seeing her in pain bothered us both.
I nodded.
“What should I get Hell Cat? I figure the rest of the ladies are good with mango margaritas, but I don’t want a repeat of last summer.”
“No, we do not,” I said. The last time Poppy drank fruity drinks she had too many and got sick. I paced her studio all night while she slept it off on a futon just to make sure she didn’t have alcohol poisoning. Cal and Aiden both gave me shit for it, saying I would have rolled them on their sides and slept on the floor or gone home. “Whiskey on the rocks for Poppy.”
“Yeah, that stuff tastes so bad she won’t drink too fast.” Aiden raised his hand and our usual server at Church—who happened to be Max’s sister—hurried to the table. “Hey Brandi. We’ll take a pitcher of whatever IPA is freshest, a whiskey on the rocks, a Liquid Death, and a pitcher of frozen mango margaritas. And a mixed app platter,” he added, smirking at me. “Just in case the lightweights need something more than cake to soak up the booze.”
Cal, Rowan, and Cammie joined us a few minutes after Brandi left.
“Sorry we’re late,” Cal said as he slid into the booth beside Aiden in the corner.
“Not like we could start the party without the man of the hour,” Aiden said, giving Rowan a wink as she sat beside me.
“Hey, Theo,” she said, smiling. She lowered her voice and added, “I thought Cammie would be more comfortable sitting beside me or Cal.”
Cammie gave me a little wave as she slid in next to Cal. I considered it progress. When she wasn’t working at Cal’s office or Karma, Cammie acted jumpy around men. Since Cal had basically adopted us both as his honorary siblings, she’d beenaround me enough to relax a little, but Rowan’s thoughtfulness made my chest warm. I couldn’t have picked a better partner for my best friend.
“Here’s your drinks,” Brandi said, carrying a large tray to the table. “Apps should be out soon.”
Aiden pushed a twenty across the table like he always did whenever she brought him anything. “How’s Max?” he asked.
“Good. We finally got the insurance approval to start occupational therapy,” she said, folding the bill into her apron. “Theo, before you go, my Max drew Big Max a picture today. Would you mind taking it to him? I’m scheduled until Monday, and the kidlet is impatient for his uncle to get it.”
“I’d be happy to,” I said. Hearing Max’s name made me think about my impending homelessness. I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn’t argue with his reason for evicting me.
“Congratulation, Cal!” Lauren shouted, poking her head around a group of college-aged guys clustered by the door.
“Open your eyes and move,” Poppy snapped.
They parted and Poppy hurried to the booth carrying a huge black cake box.
Lauren slid in beside Rowan after greeting everyone. Poppy squeezed into the last remaining seat beside Cammie. She was so far away; I couldn’t even say hello without shouting.
“The suspense is killing me,” Cammie said, gripping her hands together.
“Calm your tits, woman,” Poppy said. I watched her delicate fingers untie the string that held the box closed. She loosened each edge of the box before folding down the sides to reveal a bright pink three-tiered cake with a detailed model of Skye pulling the protective paper off an exam table. The sides of the cake were covered in colorful flowers and butterflies, each dusted with something glittery. It was incredible and, apart fromSkye, looked nothing like the type of cake I’d imagined for Cal. He laughed and Cammie clapped her hands.
“Um,” Rowan said, taking in the cake. “That’s an interesting color palette and—is that a unicorn?”
Cal laughed harder.
“I’ve been telling him he needs to get used to girlie shi—stuff if he’s going to live with you,” Poppy shouted. “You’ll have floral throw pillows all over his space before the ink dries on the marriage license. I also figured Cammie would like the colors.”
“I do,” she said with a huge grin. “I feel like I should have gotten you something, Cal. Especially after the raise you gave me.”
“You’re worth every penny,” he said.
“If you’re going to quit Karma, please give me a head’s up,” Lauren said looking slightly panicked. “I don’t know what I’d do without you in the evenings and weekends.”
“I love working at the cafe,” Cammie said. “And I love working with you, Cal. To the best PT in the state!”
We all cheered and toasted. After we ate the appetizers and cake, which was some chocolate concoction I couldn’t resist tasting, and had a couple rounds, the girls retreated to the bathroom. When they returned, they reshuffled to different parts of the table, and Poppy somehow ended up beside Aiden. Every muscle in my back tensed when he pulled her into a side hug and kept his arm around her.