“If you need me, I can stay and help,” I offered.
“Nah, Alex is coming in,” Paul said.
Without a word, I hurried toward the back of the restaurant, shaking off the eerie chills Drew had given me.
My friends were sipping wine when I entered the private dining room, which was adorned with built-in bookcases and eclectic artwork and was one of my favorite places to have a quiet dinner. Duke, Denim, Dillon, and I often arranged to meet here for family meetings.
“What’s that look for?” Brittany asked. “You look?—”
“Weird,” Andie said.
“There’s a dude at the bar wearing a G-shaped earring in honor of his mother, whose name is Grace. Odd, right?”
“Sweet,” Britt said with a shrug.
“No, definitely weird,” Andie added.
Brittany poured me a glass of wine as I sat down. “Tonight, we’re toasting to your freedom.”
“Here, here.” Andie raised her wineglass.
After our glasses clanged and we took a drink, I said, “I have a dilemma.”
Two sets of eyes widened, and I saw the eagerness on both their faces.
Britt and Andie already knew some of what had happened between Brian and me but nothing about our kiss. So, I told them everything since he’d first walked into the gym over a week ago up to his phone call earlier today, including how angry Duke was with Brian. Then I finished by asking, “Should I go to Fran’s banquet or not?”
Britt popped forward, elbows on the table. “You definitely should go. Don’t punish Fran for the tension between you and Brian.”
“So the kiss was that good?” Andie asked.
I touched my lips. “I've never been kissed like that.”
“Not even when you and Dom were seeing each other?” Britt sighed.
I curled hair around my ear. “I had no feelings for Dom. He’s always been more of a friend.”
“I remember Shane Ackerson.” Andie lowered her gaze to her drink. “He was swoony, the hottest boy in high school, and he only had eyes for me. His tongue could do things that I swear I can still feel today.”
Britt’s brown eyes bugged out. “Like?”
As for me, I didn’t have the same reaction. I’d never had the luxury of the high school experience—the dating scene, football games, and cozy nights around a campfire. But I didn’t want to rain on Andie’s parade. She seemed quite happy reminiscing.
I had nothing in my past worth reminiscing about, a big reason why I wanted to live in the college dorm and attend football games and hang out with friends.
Andie swatted at Britt. “I’m not sharing that part. Someone could be listening.” She swung her dreamy gaze to me. “I agree with Britt. You should go to the banquet. And, Grace, fight for what you want. You deserve a man like Brian. It’s time tostop living in the past. Maybe those night terrors you have will subside with a great guy in your bed.”
I hated that she had witnessed my night terrors. But she was right that having somebody next to me helped keep them at bay. Whenever she’d crawled into bed with me after one of my screaming episodes, I finally could fall into a peaceful sleep.
“I’ll think about it. I really don’t want to disappoint Fran.”
“I think you’ve made your decision,” Britt said.
Andie set her glass down. “I’ve come to one of my own.”
Britt and I gave Andie our full attention.
“If Carl Dixon apologizes, I won’t accept it. Only because he won’t mean it. His father is forcing him. And if it’s true that Carl didn’t roofie my drink, then I want to find the guy who did. It’s important to get to the root cause. So I’ve called Kelton Maxwell. I will be helping him with the investigation into Omega House. Grace, you’ve been an inspiration for as long as I’ve known you that women can’t sit idle. We need to fight to stop pigs like Carl and those assholes who roofie drinks.”
