Chapter 14: Dusk and the Surprise

By the time the light softened and turned orange, I was buzzed. Not drunk. Loose in the shoulders. Warmer than I had been in months. Roxie found me near the pool and linked her arm through mine.

“Come on,” she said. “There’s a surprise.”

She led me to the table under the big umbrella, where Nick sat with Ryan and two other older men and ladies who appeared to be their wives. I was not walking perfectly straight. Roxie did not seem to mind. When we reached the table, she did not slow down. She dropped onto Nick’s lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. At the same time she reached back, caught my wrist, and tugged me down onto Ryan’s lap.

I made a small surprised sound. I landed sideways, one hand braced on Ryan’s shoulder. He was solid under me. Warm. His arm settled around my waist, loose and easy. I felt the heat of his bare chest against my side. For a second I froze. Then I laughed because everyone else was smiling and because I was tipsy enough that the weirdness felt smaller than it should have.