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I turn and look at her, putting my hand on my hip. “And by going out you mean?”
She grins and nods. “You know exactly what I mean. How long has it been since the two of us went out together? I even have a few of the girls from work meeting us. We’re going to get some drinks, meet some cute boys, and dance the night away,” she practically cheers before rushing out of the room.
I’m not much of a drinker…or a dancer. I’m not interested in meeting any boys yet either.
I could argue, but I know it would be pointless. Once Anna has her mind made up, there’s no changing it. Plus, she’s doing me a huge favor here by letting me move in with her. The least I can do is let her have a night of celebration.
* * *
“Piper, Jade, Lucy,” Anna says, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “This is my best friend from college, Emery.” She smiles wide before looking at me. “Emery, these are the girls. Piper is my assistant manager at the shop, and Jade and Lucy are two of the best employees I could ask for.” She motions to each one of them as she says their names.
The girls all smile and wave.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard Anna talk about you since the day she hired me,” Piper says.
“Tell me you’re going to start working at the store. We totally need more girls on our side when it comes to standing up to our impossible boss,” Jade says, smiling and winking at Anna.
I laugh and Anna fakes a shocked gasp.
“Actually, Emery is going to start working at Stevie’s Daycare,” Anna tells them.
“Oh,” the three of them say in unison, nodding.
“Emery loves kids and one day hopes to open her own daycare. We just have to find some investors to help her make the leap.” Anna bumps my shoulder with hers.
I offer a smile, “One of these days, I’m sure.” I take a deep breath. “Right now, I just want to focus on getting settled and bringing in some income.”
“Right now,” Anna says, “the only thing you need to think about is how much fun we’re going to have tonight.” She raises her glass of wine. “To girls’ night.”
We all raise our glasses and clank them together before taking a sip, toasting to the night ahead. The five of us finish eating the dinner that Anna was kind of enough to plan for all of us. It’s an elegant dinner in a dimly lit, popular restaurant in an up and coming part of town. It’s the kind of place that gives you tiny portions that cost as much as a week’s worth of groceries. Even though typically I would say it’s a waste of money, it’s definitely a fun experience for the celebration.
Once we finish dinner, we load back into the limo Anna rented for the night. A bottle of champagne gets popped open as we make the drive into the city so we can check out the new club that Anna insists on visiting. Apparently, it’s the hottest spot in town and another one of those places that you need to experience at least once in your life.
The drive to the city takes a while and by the time we arrive, we are finishing the second bottle of champagne. The driver opens the door and Piper, Jade, and Lucy rush to climb out and run off ahead of us. Once me and Anna slide out, we are alone and she links her arm with mine as we stroll toward the entrance at a leisurely pace.
“So, how did things end with you and Trent?”
I roll my eyes. “As good as you can imagine, I guess. He wasn’t happy that I was staying here in Texas, I’ll tell you that much.”
She nods. “It was time. Doesn’t he see that? I mean, you two started dating when you were sixteen. You did everything together, experienced everything together including going off to the same college. Then, you date the whole four years you’re there. It’s time to go your separate ways and see what else the world has to offer you.”
I give her a sad smile. She isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know. It’s the same thing I've been telling myself for the past few months since I decided to stay in Texas instead of going back home with Trent. But it doesn’t make me feel any better when I think about how much I hurt him.
“I know. It’s just hard, you know? I had been with him for so long, it’s almost like I don’t know how to live without him anymore.”
She nods. “It’s understandable, but you two were way too co-dependent. It’s time to move on. You need to meet someone tonight. Dance, flirt, kiss. Hell, maybe even hook up. Once you do that, you’ll see that you made the right decision.”
I snort and roll my eyes. “Why do you think hooking up with someone is going to make a difference? I’ve had sex before.”
“Yeah, but you’ve only had sex with one guy. There’s so much more out there that you need to experience. And sex with different guys is one of them. You’ll be blown away by how much better it can be when you step out of the norm. Now, come on. Put that smile back on and let’s have some fun.” She wags her brows at me, pulling me past the bouncer who lets us right into the club without having to wait in line.
2
LINC
“Lincoln, what’s the plan for tonight?” Tom asks, flopping down in the chair that sits across from my desk.
I rip my eyes from the computer as I lean back. “What are you talking about?”
