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He looked more rugged than he had the last time I’d seen him, which was a year ago now. Shaggy blond hair and a scruffy beard set off the tan of his skin and the brightness of his eyes. He’d stayed with me in London for a week before flying to Nairobi, and it’d been a week of bliss, despite my concrete place in the friendzone.
As always, he pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “Hello, Bits.”
“Hello, Bobs,” I said, doing my best not to nestle into his chest, a task made difficult with my arms around his waist. “You’re here!”
A chuckle reverberated through him, into me before he kissed my temple, the warmth of his lips on my skin pure heaven. Instantly, I was comforted and relaxed. Henry, my sweet and kind man who didn’t make me want to tear my hair out in chunks. Refined, civilized, polite Henry, who didn’t make sex jokes that inspired inappropriate feelings in inappropriate places.
I sighed, feeling wonderfully at ease.
That was all I got before I had to make my rounds, kissing Davis on the cheek and having a little whispering moment with Cass as we hugged and giggled, still giddy to be near each other after so long. And then, we sat, settling in to catch up.
“Now, don’t make fun of The Filly,” she warned quietly. “It’s the only restaurant within twenty miles with real napkins.”
With a chuckle, we opened our menus.
“What’s good?” I asked.
“Any of it, really, but I always get a filet,” she said. “With cheesy broccoli and a baked potato. Fuck a wedding diet.”
“I’ll remember you said that when I can’t button your dress,” I teased.
“It has buttons?” Davis asked with one brow raised.
“That’s your only hint,” I assured him. I closed my menu. “I’ll have what you’re having. But I could use a glass of wine.”
“Rough flight?” Henry asked.
I wanted to dive into his voice and swim around in it. “The flight was fine. It was what happened after that did me in.”
Cass had a pointed expression on her face when she said to Davis, “She met Remy.”
It was all she had to say for Davis to cast me an apologetic glance.
“And?” I prompted with no small edge of blame.
Cass winced. “And she has to stay with him.”
“Oh, no,” Davis breathed.
“Oh, yes. Thank you,” I said as the server arrived with a bottle of wine. “I’m in desperate need of a drink.”
With a wan smile, she poured mine first, disregarding the rules of table service. I couldn’t have cared less, as it meant I didn’t have to wait to sample mine. I tried not to make a face when it hit my tongue.
Cass and I shared a look.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked. The waitress made a face at her, and she added, “No offense, Brandy.”
But in the end, Brandy shrugged. “None taken. Nobody’d accuse Remy of being a sommelier, but I’m sure he did the best he could with what God gave him.”
“Remy ordered it?” Cass asked. “Well, that explains it. He should have asked me.”
“Ask him to order whiskey, though, and prepare to have your world shaken,” Brandy said as she finished pouring. “I’ll give y’all a minute.”
I sat back in my seat with a sigh, sipping my wine. Cass mirrored me, smiling with her lips together and eyes twinkling.
“I can’t believe we’re all here. We haven’t been together like this in years, not since the last summer we spent at your parents’ estate, Jessa.”
“Ah, the grand graduation summer of debauchery,” Henry said, raising his glass. “Cheers to that.”
