She just smiled and he walked away, probably to find another woman not wearing a ring on her finger.
It wasn’t the first time a man had tried to speak to her in the last few months, but he was definitely one of the more attractive of them—both physically and in personality. Not a single one of them had piqued her interest. She’d felt nothing since the day she left Grant, and had zero interest in dating or sex.
After Frank disappeared into the crowd, Ashley appeared next to her. After getting another drink—hers with vodka—she didn’t walk away. Instead she took a sip and then looked at Wren.
“Having a good time?”
“I am, thanks. It’s good to get out.”
“That guy wasn’t bad looking, you know. And he seemed really interested in you.”
Wren snorted. “I think I’m one of the few women here not wearing a ring.”
“And you’re gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt,” Ashley added. “I noticed you didn’t really give him the time of day, though.”
Wren got the feeling the other woman wasn’t making idle small talk. Tonight, they were all out as friends, but when push came to shove, Ashley was married to Grant’s lieutenant. If Danny was the kind of guy who vented at home, Ashley might know just how hard Wren leaving was on Grant.
Rather than play coy, she just said it straight out. “When I left, it wasn’t because I didn’t love Grant. In that moment, I thought it was the best thing for him. I have absolutely no interest in dating anybody else.”
“I hate you a little bit,” Ashley said, her tongue no doubt loosened a little by the cocktails. “But I loved you two together. I loved who he was with you, so I’m rooting for you.”
“Thank you.”
Ashley slung her arm around Wren’s shoulders. Definitely the cocktails. “I mean it. If you need anything, we’re here for you.”
“Wren!” This time it was Jamie, yelling to her. “Come dance, girl!”
They were determined she was going to have a good time, so who was she to say no? After sucking down the last of her soda water and setting the empty glass on the bar, she danced her way back to her friends.
* * *
Gavin crossed his arms and sighed. Again. “This is a really stupid idea.”
Grant looked up at the neon sign with the fancy wineglass logo. Or maybe it was a martini glass. Hell if he knew. Frosted beer mugs were more his style. “That’s like the tenth time you’ve said that.”
“Won’t be the last, either, because it’s a really stupid idea.”
“The place looks packed. They won’t even know we’re here.”
“The place looks packed because it’s barely bigger than our engine bay, and there are five women in there who know us. We’re not going to be able to hide, they’re going to know we’re here, and you’re going to look like a creepy douchebag.”
“And you?”
“I’ll just tell them I was trying to stop you, then I’ll kiss Cait and buy them all a drink and they’ll love me. You, though? They’ll just think you’re a moron.”
“Okay, maybe it’s a slightly stupid idea. We need a better one.”
“I’ve got one. We go back to Kincaid’s, have another brew and shoot some more pool.”
“Maybe we could go in and you tell Cait you need her keys because you can’t find yours and you locked yourself out, or something. Or maybe—” He stopped when Gavin waved to somebody. “Who are you waving to?”
Gavin nodded his head toward one of the windows, where Cait was waving back. With Wren at her side.
“Shit.”
“I told you so.”
The two women exchanged words and then laughed. A few seconds later, Jamie appeared next to Wren. She laughed and then yelled something over her shoulder. A moment later, they were all in the window, looking out at them.
