Sam watched them both, shaking her head. She allowed herself to crack a small smile as she returned to the house.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do you have any clothes that don’t screammiddle-aged lesbian?” Jordan pulled all the clothes from Sam’s suitcase and summarily discarded them in a pile on the bed.
“First.” Sam held up a warning finger. “I’m not middle-aged.” She ticked off another. “And two, I am a lesbian, so any clothes I wear are considered lesbian clothes. And three, it wasn’t like I was expecting nights out on the town when I came home,” she finished, holding up a third finger.
Dallis chuckled from her spot on a chair in the corner. She looked up from typing on her phone. “She looks fine, Jordan.”
“I thought we were going for better than justfine, Dallis.” Jordan flopped down on the bed beside the pile of clothes.
“White T-shirt. Blue jeans. That’s fit as hell.” Dallis glanced up from her phone again. “No doubt she’ll look hot.”
“I’m right here, you know.” Sam threw up her hands in exasperation. “You don’t need to talk about me like I don’t exist!” She flopped down on the bed beside Jordan. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to collect herself. She felt like a teenager again, like that seventeen-year-old girl trying to determine whether her best friend liked her. Funny how twelve years later, she had landed back in the same spot.
Sam sat up and started rifling through the clothes on the bed. She picked out a plain green sweater and ignored Jordan as he gaped at her choice. He reached behind her and started going through the clothes again.
“Not that.” Jordan sat up and snatched the sweater from her hands, replacing it with a little black camisole she didn’t even remember packing. “This.”
Sam picked up the green sweater again and pulled it over her head. Jordan opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a glare. “It brings out the color of my eyes.”
“Your eyes are brown,” he argued.
“They’re hazel.”
Dallis rose to her feet and reached out a hand to pull Jordan up. She turned to look at Sam. “Are we ready or what?”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Sam said as she joined them. “Let’s do this.”
Forty-five minutes later, the three of them walked into Easton’s. Jordan headed to the bar to get drinks for everyone while Sam took Dallis to the back room, where Brad and the guys were playing darts.
“Sam!” Brad handed his darts off to Jasper and walked over. He seemed to hesitate only slightly before wrapping her in a hug. “You came!”
“Of course I came,” Sam said, sliding onto a stool. “I believe I said drinks were on me.”
Brad waved her off. “You can buy the next round, but that’s it.” He turned slightly, acknowledging Dallis standing beside Sam. “Who’s this?”
“This is Dallis. She’s a friend of Jordan’s from the university.” Sam gestured to the guys. “Dallis, this is Brad. He’s been saving my life by helping with my mother’s house. That over there is his cousin Jasper, and the other guy is Adam. We all went to high school together.”
Dallis held out her hand and shook everyone’s hands. “It’s a pleasure. Sam has told me everything you have done. You are an amazing friend.”
“It’s nothing.” Brad waved off the compliment. “It’s just what we do here.”
“Are we ready to party?” Jordan nudged into the group,carrying a tray filled with drinks. Besides the beers he had brought for everyone, there were shots of a transparent liquid, a salt shaker, and a dish filled with lime slices.
“Jordan…” Sam groaned. “Tequila? Really?” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him. “Now who’s trying to relive their glory days?”
“Just take a glass, Martin.” He handed her a shot and passed out the others to Dallis and Brad.
She looked around the bar and noticed a few other familiar faces, including Melissa, who raised her glass of what looked like white wine—since when had Easton’s even served wine?—and grinned. Sam rolled her eyes. Even across the bar, she could hear the laugh that Melissa barked out. Sam let out a long sigh. Of course, even at a straight bar, she still felt like she was on display.
Their hodgepodge group of people got on surprisingly well. Adam and Jordan were deep into a game of darts. Brad and Dallis were deep in conversation about soccer, of all things. Hicksville didn’t even have a soccer team. Sam leaned against a table and sipped her beer, nodding and smiling whenever someone paid her any attention. The minutes ticked by, feeling like hours as she waited. To pass the time, she started to turn to the bar to get another drink, then remembered the shots they had done earlier. She slouched back against the table. She was going to need a clear head to get through tonight.
“Psst.” Jordan came up behind her and whispered in her ear. “Incoming. Three o’clock.”
Sam swiveled her head to the bar door, craning her neck to see around the people blocking her view. All she could see was the top of Alex’s head as she maneuvered her way through the crowded bar. But then Alex’s face came into view at a break between the bodies, and their eyes met. Alex’s lips quirked up in a slight smile, and Sam felt her pulse rise. Heat flared in her cheeks as Alex made her way closer.
She felt a hand tuck into her side and looked over to see Dallis standing beside her, smiling with reassurance. “That must be her, right?”
