Chapter One
B
I notice Iris and Bear whispering into each other’s ears across the high-top bar table. Her high-pitched giggle makes me smile, because I know it’s probably something dirty by the way her freckled cheeks turn red. And although it’s likely meant for her ears only, I’m dying to know. There are no boundaries between my best friend and me; we tell each othereverything. So even if I’m not getting in on the secret now, I know she’ll tell me later.
“Bear just said he wants to steal me away to the bathroom.” Or she’ll tell me right now.
Bear blushes. After almost a year of them being together, he should know by now that the things he tells her, especially sex-related things, aren’t just between him and Iris.
I smirk at his coyness and choose to embarrass him further. “Then do it.”
“I was just kidding.”
“Bear, have you never had public sex before?” I probe, knowing the answer already.
He looks down at Iris and shakes his head with a sly smile on his face.
Iris quickly comes to his defense. “Bear was just trying to get his fix before bed. He has to get up early for work tomorrow, so he’s actually heading back to the apartment soon.”
I go to make a smart ass comment to my friend about being an old married woman—no, she’s not actually married, though she often acts like it—but she cuts me off.
“Don’t worry, I’m staying right here with you and Fia.”
“Good. Just because Bear’s a responsible adult doesn’t mean you need to waste your first spring break as a teacher going to bed early.”
Fia and I also have to be up early tomorrow for work, but ‘early’ is a loose term in our office. We work for Minnesota’s most well-respected art dealer, Daniel Perez. Our job mostly consists of traveling with him to different parts of the world to pick out pieces for our wealthy, high-profile clients around the Twin Cities and various other parts of the country. I saw on Daniel’s story that he’s also out tonight, enjoying a few mid-week cocktails. He won’t be in until at least 10:00, which means Fia and I, as his assistants, don’t have to be at the office until 9:55. One of the many perks of our job.
“It feels so weird being on break, but not as a student this time. I sometimes forget that other adults don’t get two weeks off in the winter, a week off for spring break, and two and a half months off in the summer.”
“You deserve it after dealing with those crotch goblins every day. God, I’d want to drown myself in the Mississippi after one day of that shit.” I seriously don’t know how she does it. Especially kindergarteners. They can’t even tie their own shoes for fuck's sake.
“I actually miss my little goblins.”
I look over at Fia, who’s standing so close to me that our sides are pressed up against each other. “She’s joking, right?”
“Don’t look at me, she’syourbest friend.”
I target Bear next. “She’s joking, right?”
“I think she’s pretty serious.” He looks down at her as if she holds the world and he’s just lucky enough to be on it. Disgusting, but cute. “She loves those kids, and they sure love the shit out of her right back.”
Iris leans into Bear’s side, his arm already wrapped around her waist, like it has been all night. Her hand pats his chest. “You’d better get going. We girls have a lot of hearts to break tonight.”
That’s my girl! This newfound confidence looks good on Iris, and I’m totally here for it. I hate that it took a man to bring it out of her, but he’s a good one, so I’ll accept it. Unlike her past boyfriends, Bear actually encourages Iris to do her own thing and isn’t possessive over her. I love this version of my bestie. It’s quite the breath of fresh air.
“Alright. You ladies behave. Call me if you need anything.”
He kisses Iris and says goodbye before grabbing his coat off his stool and leaving.
I pat his shoulder as he walks by to make sure he hears me. “We won’t.”
He snorts out a laugh and shakes his head at me, exiting without a retort. He knows better than to argue with me. He may be Iris’s boyfriend, but I’ve trained him well.
“Now that the testosterone has left the building, the fun can begin!”
Iris rolls her eyes at me, knowing full well that I’m not joking.
I grab my empty drink off the table and rattle the remaining ice against the glass. “Who needs another round?”
