Christian was already striding over, his smile deepening his dimples.
“Oh, God.” Sage threw back her champagne flute. “He doesn’t know when to throw in the towel, does he?”
“I really don’t think ‘I give up’ is in his vocabulary.”
“And that’s the fucking problem,” Sage said, almost distantly, as if remembering something. “He needs to.”
“What’s the problem?” Christian asked.
“Just that you won’t give up on her,” I told him, giving her a smirk.
“Bitch.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but there was a flicker of a smile on her lips. “No, the real problem is that Reed left without an explanation.”
“Oh, shit.” Christian grimaced. “He’s a dead man, isn’t he?”
“More than likely,” I confirmed.
“Doweneed to have a talk with him?” he asked, gesturing between him and Sage.
“Fuck.” She sighed at his emphasis, throwing up her hands. “I don’t know why I even try anymore.”
“You can stop fighting it and just dance with me?” Christian held out his hand.
“It’s just us, Sage.” I bumped my shoulder with hers. “Whatever happens at the bonfire, stays at the bonfire,” I said, referring to the place we all stood, even if there wasn’t a burn pile anymore. “You know, we never talked about Jude and Romy getting it on in his truck last summer.”
“What the fuck?” Romy asked, her and Hazel joining us.
“Oh, come on.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s no secret. We all saw you then, adjusting your clothes when we returned to the stables.”
“Shit.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
“See, Sage?” I poured Romy a glass, handing it to her. “Go dance with Christian. We won’t say anything for at least … well, not until next year.” I laughed at my own joke.
“Fucking fine,” Sage relented, slamming her champagne flute down.
“Shit, don’t break the glass,” I scolded, holding the unlevel table steady as the rest of the glasses rattled.
“Really?” Christian asked. His eyes went wide, and he was beaming like a fucking idiot. “Is this a dream? Quick, Sage, pinch me!”
He held out his arm to her, but she slapped it away, grabbing his hand instead. “Don’t press your fucking luck. I’ll give you one dance.”
His grin was so wide, I thought it might break his jaw. “One dance it is, baby. I can live on the memory for the rest of my life and die a happy man.”
Sage rolled her eyes, but there was a smile begging to break free.
“So what’s going on with you and Reed?” Hazel asked, as we watched Christian take Sage in his arms.
I poured myself another glass. “We apparently still have some things to work out.”
“Where did he take off to?” Romy asked.
“To his ex-wife.” I pressed my lips together, starting to get pissed all over again. Sage and Christian had only been a momentary distraction.
“Yikes. Wrong move, buddy,” Hazel commented.
I shook my head. “He didn’t even tell me what was going on, just that he’d be right back.”
“At least he’s not just grunting anymore. But it does sound like he needs to work on his communication skills,” Romy said. I nearly laughed, remembering her communication skills with Jude early on. At least there’d been growth since then.
