“Woot!” Eliza exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.
I grinned and reached for another of the pink drinks and tipped it into my mouth. The delicious chilled feeling spread through my mouth, and I took another gulp.
Camilla ran her hands down her clothing, straightening non-existent wrinkles, and marched away. Her tensed shoulders gave away her anxiety, though. My eyes followed her body as she weaved in and out of the crowd of people until she reached the table. The smiling one grinned up and sent the other a meaningful glance. Green eyes snarled something as his eyes flashed up and met Camilla’s.
“Who wants to bet that she manages to convince him to give him her number?” I exclaimed.
“Pft, I say she gets him for the night.” Eliza winked.
“You have a problem.” Rosalind shook her head, and I started giggling like crazy.
“Raelena Marino, where the hell have you been?” Jeff’s familiar voice rasped from my side.
17
I hated my full name. It sounded like a digestive medication, hence the shortening to Rae.
The name itself tensed me up and offered me a second of sobriety, but my reaction to the person addressing me shocked me. I felt nothing. The betrayal of him cheating was gone. Poof. All that was left was regret and a fondness for how we used to have fun—and a teeny tiny bit of gratitude that he’d helped my sister get settled.
I turned in my seat and stared up at the ex-high school quarterback who had the stature to accompany the title. The alcohol in my system loosened me enough to smile at him. I gave a polite nod and turned back to meet Eliza’s intrigued eyes.
“Rae, please could I talk to you?”
I snorted. “I have nothing to say to you, cheater.”
Well, I guess I wasn’t too over the whole thing. I rued the drinks in that second. It was going to loosen my tongue. I just knew it.
“Aren’t you here with Jen?” I sneered, waving a hand over my shoulder. “She’s over there.”
All I’d wanted was to have fun and relax, but here was the freaking wrench in the road. I turned to see the questioning looks in my friends’ eyes.
“Oh,” Rosalind exclaimed. “It’s the jerk that you were running from when…” She trailed off, and at my terse nod, she glared at Jeff, who evaded her eyes.
“Please, it’s too loud out here. I need to talk to you about your sister.” Shit.
“Thank you,” I spat. His eyebrow rose. “I talked to her. You didn’t have to help her out.” I cleared my throat. “I just wanted to tell you I appreciate it.”
“Anything for you, Rae,” he said. “I’m glad she told you. I was worried about how you’d react, or what you’d think of me.” I tensed and whirled back around with a glare. He looked shocked at how fast I’d turned. “She didn’t tell you?”
His words tilted up at the end like a question, and I rolled my eyes. It was annoying when we were dating, and it was annoying now.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
“She’s living with me. I gave her the spare room.”
A million things rushed through my brain. No wonder she hadn’t said anything when I asked for her address. She knew I’d be pissed. The wood under my hands creaked.
“Girls, I’m going to see my sister. You’re going to give me a ride,” I demanded from Jeff and didn’t let him answer before I continued. “If Rian comes by before I do, tell him I’ll be back, please.” I doubted he would, not even a day had passed, but I liked covering my bases.
“Please, be careful,” Rosalind cautioned.
I turned to Eliza. “Tell me how that goes,” I said, looking behind her toward the male who, even sitting, dwarfed Camilla.
“You guys be careful, too,” I said and grabbed my delicious drink for one more swallow before following Jeff. The liquid hit me instantly. I swayed and grasped Jeff’s arm to keep my balance. He grabbed me and squeezed. I wanted to tell him not to get any ideas, but nothing came out. Jeff guided me through the parking lot to his familiar truck and helped me into the passenger side. I watched my hand in the moonlight, the tan skin seeming so smooth. It was fascinating.
“Are you here with Jen?” I asked when the driver’s door opened and he slid in.
“No.” His expression flashed with regret. I snorted. “Are you okay?”
I lifted my hand and grinned. “My hand is so smooth,” I said and grabbed his hand to show him.
He tensed but allowed it, a fond smile playing at his lips. “Are you okay, Rae? You never drink this much.” The concern in his voice brought me back to Roark. It was always about Roark.
“Yeah, I’m great,” I said, shaking off any sad thoughts that were trying to shove their way in and bring me down. I didn’t like being sad. I was tired of being sad. “I’m wonderful!”
Jeff gave me a strange look, but I smiled. “When you left, I was so worried. I’ve never felt so awful in my life, but then you had to go on and disappear on me. At the beginning, I’d thought you were staying with friends, hanging low, but after a week of hunting down all the people you could have stayed with, I went to the police department. They told me about your totaled car and how you were missing, suspected of being dragged into the woods by a wild animal.” His eyes were tortured. “I searched for you, Rae. I printed flyers, the whole thing, and then you call me out of nowhere.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Where were you?”
“I was finding my way to my sister. It took me a while, but I got there eventually, okay?” I looked away from him. “How have you been?” I changed the subject and reached my hand out to touch his shoulder in an old habit. I allowed myself
