Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Unlucky.
Leah had never categorised herself as unlucky—not entirely, if you discounted losing the love of her life, of course. She also didn’t believe in superstition. Friday the thirteenth was just like any other day of the year.
But—she did believe in God. And according to biblical tradition, unlucky Fridays stretched way back.
It was said to be the day Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the day Cain murdered Abel, the day Noah’s Ark set sail in the great flood—and, of course, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus and was famously the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper.
That biblical history lesson played out in Leah’s mind as she took her seat at a table neatly laid for twelve guests.
“We can squeeze you in next to Ariana,” Grace said to Hannah cheerfully.
That made thirteen.
It was Friday, it was the thirteenth, and now there were thirteen guests.
Leah couldn’t make it up. If superstition were a person, it was officially laughing in her face.
Hannah had been like a deer in headlights, standing outside her car, smiling from ear to ear as she saw Ariana pull up behind—and then the smile vanished when she saw me.
Confusion set in.
Nobody had time to acknowledge the elephant in the room because Grace came bounding out with a party hat and a badge announcing the grand old age of thirty-five—the five crossed out and replaced with a six.
“Why didn’t you tell me Hannah was here?” Leah snarled.
“I did. Check your texts.”
Grace
Code RED.
We have a problem.
Leah?
Hannah is here!
She came to surprise Ariana.
I didn’t know anything about it.
I REPEAT, I didn’t know.
Neither does Ariana.
“Oh.”
“I tried to warn you,” Grace said through gritted teeth.
Hannah took a seat across from Leah, avoiding eye contact. Ariana stood by the kitchen island, laughing with two of her friends who had also ‘secretly’ made the trip from Michigan. She glanced over at Leah and smiled sympathetically.
As the night wore on, awkwardness reigned supreme. Leah found herself cornered by the cake stand, toying with the knife and debating how big to cut the slice. Was there etiquette? She settled for what she would call a happy medium.
“You can cut more than that,” Ariana laughed. “I’d say at least to the ‘r.’”
“That’s very kind of you,” Leah teased. The knife slid through the cake with ease; the moist chocolate sponge landed on her plate with a soft thud.
“Thank you for today.” Ariana reached out and squeezed Leah’s arm.
“I only distracted you. Grace did all the hard work,” Leah replied, trying to sound casual.
“I know. I mean, thank you for spending the day with me—regardless of the why. It was nice to connect with you again.” Ariana looked a little nervous, but her smile was warm.
“It was nice.”
“I didn’t know Hannah was coming,” Ariana blurted.
“I know—nobody did, apparently,” Leah smirked. “Did she know I was here?”
“Erm . . .”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“Well, the thing is, I was going to, and then she was really stressed with work and I didn’t want to worry her—”
“Why would she be worried?” Leah probed.
“Well, not worried, but you know what I mean. I didn’t want her to think anything sinister was going on because you’re here.”
“Sinister?” Leah teased.
“I ended up telling her this morning.”
“Oh, so you told her I was here, and suddenly she arrives. That’s interesting.”
Leah couldn’t help but smile.
I’ve still got it.
Hannah wasn’t out of line for flying in from New York. Leah would’ve done the same. A little hint of jealousy can eat you alive. Leah had been too trusting of Ariana and Hannah’s newfound friendship when they were together—and Hannah had every right to feel the same now the roles were reversed.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Ariana said, changing the subject.
“With Hannah being here?”
She nodded.
“I think you should be more concerned about how Hannah feels. I’m the one who gate-crashed your family vacation. How I feel isn’t really relevant.”
“It’s always relevant, Leah.” Ariana forced a smile.
“Thank you for caring, but honestly, I’m okay.”
Ariana grabbed a plastic fork from the table and poked at the giant piece of cake on Leah’s plate.
“You don’t mind if I just—”
Leah batted her fork away with her own. “There’s a giant cake right there.”
“Yes, but your slice looks extra tasty.” Ariana grinned, trying to keep the mood light.
“You haven’t changed one bit, have you?” Leah laughed—a little louder than intended. Ariana used to steal her food at every opportunity. Her reasoning? It tasted better off someone else’s plate. Leah eventually gave in, letting her share the slice.
“Wow,” Leah mumbled through a mouthful of cake. “I need to know where Grace ordered this from!”
Like a shark lurking in the distance, Hannah made her way through the guests, eventually ending up beside Ariana.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Hannah said.
“Yeah, it’s a surprise for me too,” Leah replied.
“How’s the cake?” Hannah forced a smile. She glanced at Leah, who was too busy manoeuvring her tongue to get the cake from her teeth.
“It’s so good,” Ariana answered.
“Good. And did you have a nice day today in Chicago?” Her tone was friendly but guarded.
“Yeah, I got my hot dog, and Leah got the popcorn she’s been craving.” Ariana’s eyes flickered between Leah and Hannah. She was treading carefully, but the tension was undeniable. An awkward silence followed. Ariana shifted on her feet, unsure how to navigate it.
“I did,” Leah nodded, her smile strained.
“Grace did a great job tonight,” Hannah said.
“Uh-huh. Really great.”
Grace had pulled out all the stops. The cake was immense. The selection of food—some home-cooked, some ordered in—was mouth-wateringly good. The balloon arch, the confetti, the banners—all abundant yet tasteful.
“Where did she get the champagne tower?” Leah laughed.
“I honestly have no idea. The woman’s a miracle worker,” Ariana praised her sister.
Hannah linked her arm through Ariana’s. “Can I borrow you for a minute? I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? My birthday isn’t until next week.” Ariana raised an eyebrow.
“I know, but I want you to have it now.”
“Sure, okay.”
“I . . .erm . . .I got you a card,” Leah blurted.
Shut up, you idiot.
“Really?” Ariana smiled—genuinely.
“Yeah, it’s over by the TV with the others.” Leah averted her gaze to the slice of chocolate cake on her plate.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Hannah pulled Ariana away, but her eyes stayed locked on Leah until she was out of view. Leah stabbed at the chocolate cake, muttering, “I got you a card. Urgh, what an idiot.”
“Is everything okay?” Grace appeared from nowhere—she had a habit of doing that.
“Yep.”
“Why are you talking to yourself?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes. You’re not a ventriloquist. Also, what did that cake do to you?” Grace raised an eyebrow. Leah hadn’t noticed the force with which she’d been hacking the chocolate into tiny pieces.
“It was too delicious, so I assumed it was cursed.” Leah stuck her tongue out.
“Funny.” Grace rolled her eyes. “Where did Hannah just drag my sister to?”
“She’s got her a present, apparently.”
“Her birthday’s not until next week,” Grace repeated.
“That’s what Ariana said.”
“Huh.” Grace paused. Then her whole demeanour changed; her eyes widened. “Oh, shit!”
“What?” Leah set the plate of smashed cake onto the table.
“You don’t think—” Grace couldn’t finish.
“What, Grace?”
“You don’t think she’s going to ask her to marry her, do you?”
“Aren’t they already engaged?” Leah asked.
She was playing dumb—she knew they weren’t.
Not officially. They’d been engaged the first time around, then split, and when they rekindled, they jumped straight back to ‘engaged’ status—but neither of them wore a ring.
According to Grace, Hannah launched hers into Lake Michigan during a post-breakup boat trip aimed at helping her move on.
Ariana refused to replace it after she found out.
Leah didn’t like to admit it, but she social-media-stalked Ariana and Hannah at least once a month. It used to be daily, then weekly, then bi-weekly, and eventually here she was—a new woman. Progress had been made, but she still liked to take a sneak peek for old times’ sake.
“No, they’ve not made it ‘official’ since they got back together.”
“Why? It’s been five years.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Grace shrugged. “Whenever I ask, they avoid the topic.”
“Surely she wouldn’t choose today? When I’m here as well?”
“Technically she didn’t know you were here until this morning, so . . .”
“Oh, shit, she’s going to propose!” Leah’s voice went high-pitched and squeaky.
“Sshh!” Grace slapped a hand over her mouth.
“I can’t believe she would choose now.”
“Is this a bad time to tell you that I wrote a heartfelt message in the birthday card ‘you’ gave her?” Grace looked guilty—and it wasn’t I ate the last slice of cake guilty. It was I really fucked up guilty.
“Grace . . .” Leah growled.
“Listen, I just thought it would be nice. I couldn’t write a generic message—she means more to you than that. It felt wrong.”
“What did you write?” Leah fumed.
“I can’t remember exactly,” Grace cringed.
“I’m going to get the card now!” Leah practically ran—just as Ariana walked out, a card clutched in one hand and Hannah’s hand in the other. She looked shell-shocked. Ariana forced a smile, but the grin on Hannah’s face stretched from ear to ear.
“We have some news,” Hannah announced to the group.
The other twelve guests turned their heads. Grace appeared at Leah’s side, squeezing her hand in support. She already knew what was coming. Grace predicted accurately.
“We’re engaged!” Hannah screamed. “Again!”
Hannah’s laughter rang out across the room. It was infectious. Leah only felt joy when she heard it—not hatred—and that was surprising, even to her. Leah smiled on the outside, but inside, her heart ached. She watched Hannah, her face aglow with happiness, and felt a pang of guilt.