“There aren’t exactly swanky clubs here,” I point out.
“There are absolutely bars and places to dance though,” she says. “You’re in a freaking college town. Thatyoudecided to banish yourself to, in case you forgot. So change out of that hideous sweater, grab your weird roommate, and go shake your ass at whatever bar you can find.”
“I like this sweater,” I say. When Libby only arches an eyebrow, I let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’ll see what I can figure out.”
“Good girl,” she says. “And remember: safe sex is great sex!”
“I won’t be?—”
Libby hangs up before I can finish my protest.
“To my first week in Aberlena!”I announce. I raise my vodka shot above my head, frowning when half of it sloshes onto my bare arm. Across from me, Tessa snorts. I don’t even care. I’m just happy (and really, really surprised) she agreed to come out with me at all.
I throw back my shot and Tessa sips her beer. She doesn’tdoshots, apparently. No, cool girl Tessa drinks the darkest beer she can find and maintains the world’s most intense grimace as she watches the drunken crowd around us.
Shit.
I’m being judgemental. That is basically the opposite of girl power. If she wants to drink yucky beer and wear a boring outfit to the bar, that’sherprerogative.
“Are you going to the college?” Tessa asks. She leans her elbows against our table. We’re near the back, at the only open table we could find when we arrived thirty minutes ago. Barco’s, according to Tessa, is the only decent bar in Aberlena. The rest are overridden by college students. She’d told me this, as if going to college was the equivalent of being a cockroach.
And now, she’s asking if I’m one of those cockroaches.
“No,” I say. I signal the waitress for another shot. It will be my third, and I know better than to drink this hard this fast. Still, it’s clear Tessa won’t be matching my freak tonight. She’ll probably want to leave in twenty minutes, and I’d at least like to feel drunk before that happens.
“You here for a job opportunity?” she asks. She sounds skeptical at this one, as if the thought ofmegetting a job offer is ludicrous. To be fair, she’s not exactly wrong.
I’ve got an unfinished business degree and zero relevant work experience. I was partway through my junior year of college when Mom’s health tanked, and my temporary leave from college turned into a permanent one.
“I’m looking for someone,” I say. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t tell people what I was doing here. I knew it would draw pitiful looks.
What kind of grown woman goes looking for a father who clearly abandoned her?
I’ve had that thought often.
“My dad,” I say. I’ll blame the alcohol for my loose lips, but honestly, I’ve never been great with keeping secrets. “Or my sperm donor, as my friend Libby calls him.”
Tessa doesn’t say anything. She looks like she wishes she’d never asked. Her eyes hone in on her half-empty beer (still her first one), and she traces the condensation with her finger.
Jesus, Grace. Way to kill a mood.
Not that we’d been having a spectacular time before that confession. Still, if I had any hope of Friday bar nights with Tessa becoming a habit, I think I just squashed it.
“Well, I hope you find him,” she says. She keeps her eyes on her beer. “He sounds like an asshole though.”
I let out a surprised laugh that turns into a snort. For the first time, Tessa gives me a genuine smile. She echoes my laughter and takes a generous chug of beer.
We sit in silence for a few minutes. I check my phone notifications, and Tessa leans back in her chair, surveying the crowd. Once I’ve replied to Libby’s sixteen texts, I place my phone back on the table.
“Okay, so what about you?” I ask. “What’s your?—”
“You still haven’t noticed,” Tessa interrupts. She’s smiling at me, but it’s a reduced version, lips just barely tilted.
“Noticed?” I repeat.
“That guy has been staring you down since he walked in,” she says. Her eyes spark with amusement. “The second you look at him, he’s going to come over and offer to buy you a drink.”
“I doubt that…”
