“Oh...” Ava nodded her head, which suddenly felt heavy. “That makes shents.”
It might have been her imagination but, she was pretty sure she’d started slurring her words.
“Here drink this.” Viv slid a glass of water toward Ava as she looked at their sisters. “Maybe that second shot wasn’t a great idea.”
“You gave her two shots?!” Grace was obviously displeased by that information.
“I’m right here!” Ava felt her arm fly up, but it felt like rubber as it flopped back down. “You don’t need to talk about me like I’m not here.”
“I’m going to get her coffee.” Grace stood and Ava watched her sister glide with confidence and grace through the sea of people.
That was when she saw him. Tall, dark and dangerous standing by the entrance.
He was here. Her dreams had finally come true.
Or wait...Was this a dream?
Was that why everything was suddenly so blurry?
Had she dreamt coming out with her sisters?
“Ava?” Audrey’s voice sounded far away.
“Ava!” Viv’s sounded closer, but still a little fuzzy.
“We need to get her home.”
“Let’s take her out the back.”
The next thing Ava knew she was being pulled from her seat.
“Wait! It’s him! Tall, dark, and dangerous!” She tried to say, but it came out sounding like gibberish as her sisters led her down a dark hallway and everything went black.
* * *
Asher scannedthe scene in front of him. The bar was crowded and he didn’t immediately see any of the guys. Logan’s text mentioned that they were in the back playing pool.
From where he stood, he didn’t see any pool tables but. He did another visual sweep of the area and this time his eyes stopped when they met a pair of green eyes that had him feeling a sense of dèjá vu. It was the second time since he’d been in Hope Falls that he’d felt it.
But this time it wasn’t an audio cue that took him there, it was visual. Ponytail was here except her hair was down. The long, light brown locks fell down around her shoulders framing her angelic face in soft waves.
He’d never seen her face straight on, but he knew that it was ponytail. His suspicion was confirmed when out of his peripheral vision he noticed that the redhead was seated beside her.
Ponytail blinked and when she opened her eyes again, he felt his chest expand. It could be in his mind, but he would swear that she was looking at him like she recognized him. Like she knew him. Not like she’d seen him around. It was more than that. The color drained from her face and it almost looked as if she’d seen a ghost. The connection he felt between them was palpable. It was real. It wasn’t just in his mind.
His impulse was to go over and speak to her, but he resisted it.
She was clearly there for a girls’ night out. The last thing she needed was some jackass to tell her that she seemed familiar to him. He knew that it would come off sounding like a line, but it wasn’t.
There was something about her, something that he couldn’t put his finger on that was familiar and drew him to her.
“Hey, you made it!” Simpson walked by holding several beers. “We’re back here.”
Reluctantly, Asher followed the rookie through the crowd but he couldn’t shake the feeling that had overwhelmed him when he’d seen ponytail. He glanced back to where she was sitting, but he didn’t see her there anymore.
“You made it!”
Asher looked back and saw Logan lifting his chin in greeting as he entered the pool area.
