The dark-haired guy wraps his arms around Paige and kisses the daylights out of her. I’m guessing that’s Marcus. He’s come over to our house several times, but I’m usually working, or they’re already crashed out in her room.
She lets go of her boyfriend with a laugh. “Y’all, this is my boy toy Marcus.” Motioning to the two guys next to him, she says, “This is Troy and Dylan.”
Troy is a handsome blond with dimples, and Dylan has dark hair and blue eyes. They’re all striking.
I wait to feel a thrill like I do when I talk to Nick, but nothing happens.
Hmm.
Maybe I need to get to know Troy before I get the flutters, but he immediately turns to Baylee and kisses the back of her hand.
Dylan and I give each other an awkward smile. I hope he’s good at conversation, or this is going to be a long night.
The waitress seats us at a long table in the middle of the restaurant. I sit at one end of the table. From here I have a good view of the bar and the dance hall behind it. Dylan sits on my right, Troy sits next to him, and Baylee takes the chair on the far end. Paige sits on the other side of me and Marcus grabs the seat next to her.
The guys order a pitcher of beer, and I cringe. I’m not really a beer drinker.
Paige taps on the menu. “Girls, how do you feel about sharing a pitcher of margaritas with me?”
“Sounds good,” Baylee shouts from across the table to be heard.
“I’m in.” I’m not sure who’s paying tonight or if we’re all going Dutch, but I have enough to pay for myself.
The guys order several appetizers for the table, and then it’s like the girls don’t exist. Funny that I was so worried about talking to new people tonight because since we got here, they haven’t shut up about next week’s Bronco game against Northwestern.
“Sure hope Silva has his shit together,” Marcus says after he takes a long drink of his beer.
Troy pounds his fist on the table. “I got a hundred on that game. He’d better win.”
“Have some faith,” I say because I can’t help myself. “He’s a great quarterback. Remember that he took over halfway through last season. That couldn’t have been easy. It takes time to gel with a new team.”
People are so hard on the guy. They have no idea how hard he works. D1 football is brutal.
Marcus chugs his beer, then shrugs. “Guess you have a point.”
Leaning over to Paige, I whisper, “Marcus doesn’t know I work for Nick?”
She shakes her head. “Figured that was your personal business.”
I seriously love my roommate. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Since it’s getting warm, I remove my shawl and drape it over the back of my chair. “Excuse me a minute. I’m going to find the bathroom.”
When I stand, Dylan whistles. “Why the hell are you hiding yourself behind that scarf? Damn, girl.”
All of a sudden, Troy stops talking to Baylee to check me out. Gross. He picked Baylee, so he should be focused on her.
“I’ll be right back.” Self-conscious, I pull my long hair over my shoulder as I walk between the tables.
In the bathroom, I make sure my eyelashes are still glued on and reapply some lip gloss. I don’t recognize the blonde in the mirror. My hair is sleek and smooth and my eyes are intense, but my lips are pale pink. The girls wanted me to wear a blood-red lipstick, but that’s not my style.
Paige let me borrow her gold hoop earrings, and I’m happy to say that the black halter dress fits great. I definitely look chesty because it has an empire waist, but the long skirt is more flattering than I thought it would be.
I smile at myself. For the first time maybe ever, I feel really pretty. I might be a big nerd, but I look like a normal woman out with her friends. Maybe if I pretend to be confident, people will think I am.
Tossing my hair back, I step out of the bathroom. That’s when I hear a familiar laugh at the bar. Jinxy sees me and does a double-take.
“Abby? You’re Nick’s babysitter, right?”
I smile. “Yeah, that’s me.” He leans down to hug me, and I reciprocate. “Meeting up with friends?”
