“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask … your friendship group, the orphans. They’re all your college friends, right?” she asked Ash. “I mean, I know you and Chloe met at college, but where do the others fit in?”

“Oh, well, only Callie, Matt, Chloe, and I went to uni together. We did a lot of the same first-year classes—intro to marketing, that sort of thing. And Chloe and I moved in together in second year. We had this dumpy little flat in North Carlton,” she explained, as though the suburb name meant anything to Jules.

“But it was cool, you know, to have our own place. Callie crashed on the couch more often than she slept at home.” Ash laughed, the mirth in her eyes revealing the memories playing in her mind. “Anyway, we were a firm foursome that first couple of years, then Matt made other friends—guys—so we didn’t see him as much. Well, Chloe did; they always stayed close.” Jules wasn’t sure how to read that … or what she thought of it.

“And Thea? How long have she and Callie been together?”

“I’d say … uh, three or four years. Yeah, that’s about right. I loved Thea right away. Such a good match for Callie. You met them yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, they’re really cool.” So was their beachside condo. Jules had been a little envious of their water views.

“And what about David? Where does he fit in?” Jules asked.

“Dav-o,” Ash corrected.

“Do I really have to call him that?”

“It’s his name.” Jules rolled her eyes. It was one thing to shorten someone’s name to one syllable, like she sometimes did with Luce and Chlo—or like Ashley to Ash—but why add the O? “And anyway,” added Ash, “Davo isn’t short for David. It’s short for Davidson—his last name.”

“So, what’s his first name?”

“Kenneth.” Kind of old fashioned. Jules could see why he preferred a nickname. “And when you meet him, you’ll see, he’s all Davo and definitely not a Kenneth.”

“Okay, so tell me about Davo.”

Ash dropped the list onto the table and took another sip before answering. “Well—and I’m surprised Chloe didn’t mention this—but I guess the big thing is that he’s my ex.”

Jules must have done a crappy job of hiding her surprise because Ash laughed. “Yeah, it’s probably a little weird that we still hang out together, but mostly it’s okay.”

“No, no, sorry. It’s not as weird as you might think.” Jules filled Ash in on her parental situation.

“And everyone’s fine with it?”

“For the most part. I mean, sometimes I can tell it’s not great for my dad, but he’s a good sport.”

“Does he have someone?”

“No, not right now. He did bring someone to Christmas a couple of years ago—Paula—but that did not go well.”

“Why’s that?”

“She was … I don’t know.” Jules puffed out a sigh. “Actually, I do. She was okay, nothing special, and definitely not good enough for my dad, who is like the best guy in the world, but all that aside, she was only a few years older than me.”