“Still, sparkling?—”
“Tap is fine.”
He rushed off with the same urgency he’d approached, and Greer and Maddie began talking. I fought back a yawn and fought harder to follow along with their rapid-fire convo. The easy flow of it clearly stemmed from being lifelong friends, but it was impossible to track in my state.
I should’ve ordered a coffee to sober the fuck up.
“You good?”
I dragged my eyes away from the women to see that Easton was studying me with a mix of concern and alertness.
It was a look I was familiar with.
“Yeah, why?”
“Water?”
His confusion made sense. The only time I drank water at a bar was when he was forcing it on me.
I lifted a shoulder. “The night is young. Pacing myself.”
“Something you’re known for.”
I gestured around us—and nearly smacked a hovering woman.
That would make for an interesting news cycle.
Pulling my arm closer to avoid any risk of accidental violence and drama, I pointed out, “I’m thirty-three now. An old man. You must remember from when you turned thirty-three… a decade or two ago.”
Easton was only four years older than me—though fifteen years older than Maddie—but he carried himself with a stoic maturity that set us apart.
Usually.
That maturity was nowhere to be seen when he flipped me off before turning his scowl down at his laughing woman. “Something funny, Madeline?”
She bit her bottom lip, but it did nothing to hide her grin.
Lucky for her, she was saved by the server’s reappearance. He distributed the drinks and disappeared back into the crush.
Greer took a sip of hers before setting it onto the high-top to pull out her phone. “I’m ordering my rideshare now because otherwise this last drink will turn into three.”
“Vic will drive you home,” Easton said before I could offer up my own driver.
Not that I wanted her to leave, but I sure as hell didn’t want her leaving in a stranger’s car.
She tried to wave him away but must’ve known he wasn’t going to back down. “If you’re both sure.”
Maddie just nodded, so I voiced outrage on her behalf.
And, fuck it, on my behalf, too.
“You can’t leave yet. I still haven’t cut the cake.”
She smiled up at me. “Don’t worry, Maddie will text me the flavor to solve that mystery.”
“But it’s not even midnight.”
Her smile shrank, and regret kicked my ass.
