Gabby giggled and Noel’s gaze met Amber’s smug blue eyes. “This is going to be great. Maybe you could get Nick to make us a playlist for the party. He’s good at that.”
Just another subtle reminder of the connection Amber and Nick had.
Yep, the next five weeks were definitely going to be painful.
Chapter 7
NICK
“Didn’t I just pick you up from the airport?” Noel grumbled from the passenger seat, her head flopped back against the headrest.
Nick grinned, keeping his eyes on the traffic in front of him. He’d insisted on driving Noel’s car to the airport so she wouldn’t have to drive the entire five-hour round trip from Mistletoe to Boise and back. “You did and I appreciate that. Merry can get me Wednesday when I get back from Colorado. We are going to do some car shopping for me.”
Nick did a little dance in his seat and Noel laughed.
“I don’t mind dropping you off and getting you. That’s the whole reason I took a vacation day. But I hate Boise traffic. Freaking Californians.”
Nick chuckled. Over the last ten years, Boise’s population had boomed with an influx of people from other states, but it was a rite of passage as a native Idahoan to blame California for…well, just about everything.
“I won’t need to go to Denver for many moons after this trip, so rest easy.”
“Many moons? Seriously? I think you need more coffee,” Noel said.
“If you want more coffee, Noel, just say so. There is a Human Bean up the way from the airport.”
Nick caught Noel’s grimace out of the corner of his eye. “Ew, the Human Bean is a terrible name for a coffee company. It makes me think they poop out the coffee beans and feed them to people.”
“Where the hell do you get these ideas?” Nick shook his head and took a right. “Dutch Bros it is then.”
“See, that’s not a weird name! Plus their coffee doesn’t taste like butt crack.”
“How old are you?” Nick asked.
“Oh come on! I’ve heard you and Pike and Anthony all say, ‘this tastes like shit!’ It is such a double standard that guys can talk nasty but girls are supposed to be magical rainbow creatures who never fart or curse.”
“So you’re saying you’re not a unicorn?” he teased.
She popped him in the arm and he laughed, “Hey! I’m driving here!”
Noel flopped back in her seat. “Don’t be a baby.”
“You pack a hard punch.”
“For a girl?” she sniped.
“Whoa, I did not say that. What’s wrong with you?”
“Ugh, so much.” Nick didn’t come back with a smart-ass reply, just let her keep talking. “You know how Gabby’s getting married?”
“Yeah?”
“Amber is in the wedding too.”
Nick made a face. It was surprising how being home, around the people he loved made him see Amber in a whole new light. Yesterday he’d found himself on Facebook and a relationship quiz had popped up in his feed. He’d never tell Pike or Anthony, but he took it in regards to Amber and himself. Depressing. The only word he could come up with to describe the dismal nineteen percent he’d gotten on it. Amber really had a point that they barely knew each other, even after staying together for eight years.
“Amber helping out with the wedding plans, huh? That must be fun,” he quipped.
“Tons. The first thing she did after making fun of my appearance? Grill me about you for a solid five minutes until Gabby saved me. Then she threw me under the bus by telling her we were together. I explained later to Gabby what was up, but it’s like Amber is trying to cause trouble for me.”
Nick waggled his eyebrows. “Well, you did kiss her ex. Hussy.”
Noel groaned. “Ex being the key term and she broke up with you! There is no reason she should be giving me grief. She. Broke up. With you. In fact, we should play that Walker Hayes song for her, since it isn’t sinking in.”
“Seems her reaction is understandable. Didn’t you tell me I’m a great guy and she was crazy to dump me?”
“I don’t remember saying that exactly.”
“I was paraphrasing.”
“Regardless of what I may or may not have inferred, she should be taking her regret for dumping you out on you, not me. Mean girls were supposed to vanish when I graduated high school. I ain’t no hollaback girl.”
“Oh boy. Breaking out the old school Gwen, huh?” Even though he knew she was already prickly, Nick added, “I know you don’t like her, but Amber prodding you for information doesn’t really sound like bullying, Noel.”