Both Izzy and Julia paused, and Annie saw them exchanging a look.
“Enough about me. How’s Hawaii?” Izzy asked.
Annie shrugged. “You’d think drinking mai tais in paradise would make me feel better. But most of the time I just feel so blah and gross.”
“You’re fierce and you know it.” Izzy snapped his fingers in the air. “Fierce.”
Annie blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m as fierce as a hippo.” She rolled her eyes at Serena, whose eyes twinkled back at her.
Izzy gave her the side-eye. “Hippos are fierce. Don’t put yourself down. If you can still do a split, you’ve still got it. Get up. Now.”
“What?” Annie made a face. Was he serious?
“Do a split. Now.” Izzy stared at her so intently that it made Annie sit up straight.
“I’m not doing a split right now . . .”
“Get up!” Izzy barked, and Annie jumped up.
“Fine.” She scrunched her nose at him but gave her phone to Serena and slid into a split. Serena held up the phone so Julia and Izzy could see, and Annie said, “Are you happy now? I can still do a split. Without warming up.”
“Now the other leg,” Izzy ordered.
Annie scowled but switched legs, throwing her hands in the air for good measure. “There. Are you satisfied?” She looked up to the sky and yelled, “I’m fierce!”
“Yes, you are!” Serena yelled back, caught in the moment.
Annie rolled to her side and took her phone back from Serena. “Are you happy now?” she hissed into the phone. “I just made a spectacle of myself in front of my new friend.”
Izzy guffawed. “Girl, in show business, a spectacle is never a bad thing.”
Annie glared at him but then dissolved into giggles, unable to resist him. He always knew how to make her laugh.
“So, where’s your friend? We need to get to know her.” Izzy brought the phone close to his face again. “Give her the phone.”
Annie passed it to Serena with a little apologetic shrug, but Serena didn’t look upset. She took the phone eagerly and gave a little wave. “It’s so great to meet Annie’s friends. She’s incredible, isn’t she?”
Julia’s head cocked to the side. “We think so. But why do you?”
“Julia!” Izzy sounded affronted. “You’re being rude.”
Julia shook her head. “Sorry. I’m a bit drunk. When I get drunk, I have no filter. But Annie is our friend. We don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Oh, of course.” Serena’s eyes opened wide, and she looked the picture of earnestness. “I just meant that I’ve never met someone who I instantly connected with like we did. She’s so great.”
“How do you know each other?” Julia asked.
“Um . . .” Serena floundered, and Annie reached to take the phone back from her.
“Her car broke down on our street and she rang my doorbell. I almost didn’t let her in. I was being silly and thought she was a serial killer or something.”
“So, wait. You’ve only just met tonight?” Izzy’s Barbados accent tended to come out when he was excited or nervous, and right now, it was out in full force.
“Yes, but I feel like I’ve known her forever.” Annie felt the need to defend her friend. “Like she’s one of us.”
“Oh.” That was all Julia said, but Annie could read a lot into that one word. Oh, what do you really know about this woman you’ve invited into your home? Oh, who is she? Oh, and why are you so chummy with her? You’re the one who’s always warning us about potential killers and you let a stranger into your house and now compare her to your best friends?
“Hey.” Annie said this quietly, but she hoped they heard her warning. She didn’t want them to insult her new friend.
“Right.” Izzy nodded. “Well, I’m so glad you’re making new friends there, Annie. Keep an eye on our girl, would you, Serena?”
“Sure thing.” Serena beamed at Izzy, seemingly at ease now that the interrogation into how long they’d known each other was over. “I’m just glad she wants to be my friend.”
“Tell me more about Sheilah.” Annie tried to steer the conversation away from Serena.
“She’s awesome.” Izzy’s face took over his square as he brought the phone close. “So perfect for our Julia. Not uptight at all. In fact, I think she makes Julia loosen up and live a little, instead of always following the rules.”
“Hey.” Julia glared. “I’m not uptight. I just like to do the right thing.”
“I know what you mean.” Serena joined in the conversation as if she’d always known them. “I like to follow the rules too. It makes life easier, doesn’t it?”
Julia tilted her head to one side and seemed to be considering what Serena had just said. “Yes,” she said slowly, drawing out the word. “That’s exactly it. It’s easier to follow the rules. Less messy.”
“Right.” Serena nodded her head enthusiastically. “When I stray from the rules, I always get confused and usually land in trouble. Like, is this right or wrong? Should I have done that? And then I start second-guessing myself. Like, maybe if I’d stuck to the plan, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now. You know?”
Julia pointed her finger at the phone. “Exactly. See, guys, someone understands.”
Annie caught Izzy’s look, and they both rolled their eyes.
“I saw that.” Julia pinched her lips together, glaring at her friends.
Annie laughed. “I’m happy for you, Julia. When are you going to tell your parents?”
Julia’s face immediately dropped, her mouth turning down. “I don’t know. You know how my parents are. They’re always making anti-gay comments, like how unnatural it is. Like it’s a disease or something.”
Annie felt Julia’s pain. Her parents were a bit more open, but they still had some hard-and-fast ideas of what relationships should be like. At the same time, maybe it was time Julia finally confronted her parents. “You’re thirty-eight years old, Julia. Don’t you think it’s time to live your life the way you want and not be afraid of what your parents think?” Julia was four years younger than Annie and Izzy. She’d been only eighteen when they met all those years ago, and Annie and Izzy liked to tease her about how much younger she was.
“I know.” Julia’s chin dropped to her chest so all they saw was the top of her head, making her voice muffled. “I’m scared. But I don’t want to hide Sheilah. I don’t want to pretend she’s my ‘special friend.’”
“I wish I was there to help you.” Annie felt helpless all the way in Hawaii and glanced at Serena, who was looking on, sympathy shining in her eyes, making Annie certain again that she was going to be a great friend.
Julia’s head popped back up. “Hey, that’s a good idea. Can you come back here and go with me to tell my parents? They love you. They’d listen to you more than me. Maybe you can convince them.”
Izzy piped up. “Julia! She just got to Kauai. She can’t fly all the way back here just to hold your hands while you talk to Mommy and Daddy.”