I rolled my eyes. “He’s just a guy.”
A guy whose mere existence gives other people arrhythmias, apparently, but still. A guy.
“Come on.” She reached across the table to poke my arm. “Evenyouhave got to admit that he’s more than just a guy. That makes it sound like he’s not the hottest creature to have ever set foot in our little town and he definitely is. Did you see those eyes?”
I shrugged. “Congratulations to him, and yes. I did see his eyes. He has eyes. That’s great.”
She scoffed. “You’re not fooling me with this whole pretending-you’re-not-interested thing. I know you, Ms. Raquel Thompson, and I saw even your ears blush when he looked over here.”
“I’m not interested and my ears weren’t blushing. They’re flushed because it’s hot in here.”
“Mhm.”
I stood abruptly. “Don’t read into this. I’m just changing the music, is all.”
“You’re escaping to the jukebox?”
“I hate this song and Ethan will be here in a minute, so this will give you some time to make googly eyes at him while I do something about the music situation.”
She shook her head at me as I left our table, but let me go. No doubt she’d continue her teasing as soon as I got back, but at least this would give me a few seconds to get my head on straight.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t even picked a single song yet when I heard my name from behind. “Raquel?”
Internally, I stopped dead, dread rolling down my spine. I would know that voice anywhere. Franklin had been Hunter’s best friend since high school and he would’ve been the best man at our wedding.
I turned slowly, a rush of ice flooding my veins when I realized it wasn’t only Franklin but a whole group of Hunter’s friends behind me. Three of them were crowded near the arcade machine, so uncomfortable that they looked constipated when I was finally facing them.
Franklin smiled awkwardly. “Hey. How have you been?”
“Fine,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
He nodded. “Cool. Cool.”
God, this is painful.Yet, the conversation kept going.
“How are things at the shop?” David asked. “I saw you guys had some wrecks there. That’s good.”
My eyes narrowed. “How is that good?”
He shrugged. “Not for the people, I mean. I hope they’re okay. I just meant, uh, for your business.”
“Have you heard that Hunter and Farrah are having a baby?” Franklin asked, a smug, shitty grin on his face. “They’re due in the spring.”
I had not, in fact, heard, and the news hit me like a crowbar taken directly to my spine. Thankfully, I managed to keep my expression neutral as I nodded. “Good for them.”
“Yeah,” David said. “Yeah. Totally.”
As he nodded, silence fell between us and I decided I’d rather have a fist fight with a Transformer than to keep speaking tothem, so I jerked my head toward the pool tables. “I’ve actually got to go. I owe my brother a game.”
It was a complete lie, but none of them said a single word about it as I spun on my heels and wound my way through the crowded bar toward Avery, who was standing around one of the tables with his friends and Theo, who seemed to have become one of them.
Avery looked up as I joined them, smiling. “Are you playing?”
“Yeah. One game. Then I have to get back to Miley.”
Theo held a pool cue loosely in one hand, watching me like he knew I was on the verge of biting somebody just as Avery tossed me a cue of my own. “It’s you against Theo this round, then.”
“Poor guy,” I muttered.
