Page 19 of Summer Brew

Because I can’t stop thinking about Keaton.

The way he touched me.

The way he looked sure and sincere when he said he didn’t regret being with me.

The way he kissed me was like he couldn’t get enough.

Just when I’m about to start pulling the flowers out again, my girls come barreling into the event room. They have huge grins on their faces, and I already know they’re up to no good.

“We’re here to help,” Greylin chirps while holding up a bag of chips.

“You’ve been in here forever,” Meadow holds up a box from the bakery.

I have no doubt that it holds brownies and cookies, ensuring she has everyone’s favorites. That’s just the kind of lady she is.

Mayer looks around with pride on her face. “Are you in here agonizing over every flower? It looks great in here.”

“I’m not agonizing over every flower,” I grumble the words even as I eye the garland.

Now I won’t be able to pull them out. Maybe it’s for the best. I keep going and the girls join me and make me forget why I was even worried about the placement of everything like it was the end of the world. It never was.

And I know that.

Maybe.

Kind of.

Meadow dances one of the brownies toward me after pulling it from the box. “Come on. Take a little break. You earned it with how good this place looks.”

The painting for the party is a beach scene, and I think everyone will have fun working on it. Everyone’s station is already set up, and I don’t have much else to do. Still, I don’t think I can sit still.

I try, but only because I’m being bribed with a brownie. Meadow knows it’s one of my weaknesses and she’s concocted this recipe just for me. Including the peanut butter bits that get all melty and gooey inside of every square of chocolate deliciousness. Don’t get me started on the caramel drizzle.

“Fine,” I whine slightly as I slump into a seat. “Only because of the brownie.”

I watch as my friends double check everything, knowing full well how I like things done and how I set things up. Greylin blushes when Meadow teases her about Aiden and how she’s been doing since he’s been working nightshifts recently.

Their chatting is nice, but my mind drifts back to Keaton. I almost let out a groan when I remember the feeling of being filled by him. My body heats up and I take an even bigger bite of my brownie. Hopefully, she brought another one for me.

“You’re being quiet,” Mayer’s voice is a mix of accusation and concern.

I look up to find my best friends looking at me. My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline as I mumble, “Who? Me?”

Mayer huffs out a laugh while grabbing a cookie. “Of course. Who else? You’re being very quiet and you just had this faraway look on your face,” she teases me.

“Did you finally do it?” Meadow is staring at me like she already knows the answer.

She hadn’t mentioned the tribunal again, but now it’s time for me to prove the truth in my promise to her. Damn it.

“Of course,” I tell her and stick my tongue out at her. “I went to Keaton and asked for help.”

Greylin and Mayer freeze, their eyes going wide, as Meadow looks on with pure satisfaction written all over her face. She claps a few times and does a little shimmy, and I can’t help but smile.

“You asked Keaton for help?” Greylin sounds affronted. I can’t say I blame her; I haven’t made my resistance a secret.

When threatened with the tribunal, did I really have a choice?

I nod and make a noncommittal noise, even though I know it’s not going to be nearly enough. Their eyes bore into me even though I try to ignore them. It’s impossible.