Page 37 of What About Us

“Sorry you had to see that. Again.” I clear my throat.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he replies. “I’m glad you came with us.”

“Thanks. Me too. Are you going to hog the chips and salsa?”

He scowls. “I would never.”

“Oh, he will,” Easton yells back. “So we’ll get extra.”

“You’re paying,” Xander yells in return, earning the finger.

I haven’t eaten at The Salsa Bar yet. It’s a new Tex-Mex place, and I’ve heard it’s amazing, but I hardly have time to pet my cat—that’s not an innuendo—so trying new restaurants hasn’t been on my radar.

But I can see that it’s a nice place, with outdoor seating and a rooftop space, which is where they seat us, in the corner, with a view of the mountains.

I’m glad I’m still in Xander’s hoodie so I won’t get cold.

I start to sit, but Xander grabs the hood on the sweatshirt and says, “Whoa, Red, you’re with me.”

And damn, but that makes me feel good.

Xander gestures for me to sit next to him, so I do, and I’m shocked that I don’t even feel nervous. This afternoon, I almost had a panic attack at the thought of being around these new people, but here I am, hours later, socializing.

It’s weird.

I’ll probably freak out later.

CHAPTER NINE

XANDER

Ivy laughs next to me as she talks with Brit, and it makes me feel . . . it makes me feel. I love that she came out with us after her mom humiliated her. I wanted to scoop Ivy up and carry her out of there and assure her that she never has to step foot in that bar again.

But that’s not my place.

And I’m beginning to hate that it’s not my place.

“You’ve worked in the bar since you were twelve?” Britney asks Ivy. “Aren’t there laws against that?”

“Well, maybe,” Ivy says with a shrug. “I wasn’t serving alcohol, but I was cleaning and stocking and stuff. My dad died when I was a baby, and he left the bar to my mom. But her last husband, Chris, was around for a really long time, and he actually took care of everything. He was really my dad in every way that counts. But you saw my mom, and well, he left a few months ago.”

“Well, that sucks,” Cooper says, and pops a chip in his mouth. “So you’re pulling double duty.”

“For now.” Ivy shrugs and looks down at her hands. “Honestly, I know the bar needs work. I was just thinking about that tonight. I’d like to do a complete overhaul and change everything. Add a full kitchen so we could do an appetizer menu, and I’d make the place into a proper sports bar.”

“Oh, do it,” Britney says, jumping up and down in her chair. “That would be amazing.”

“I know, but my mom just drained the bank account, so the utility checks bounced. There’s no way. I should just abandon ship and let her deal with the fallout, but that doesn’t feel right either.”

Ivy shakes her head.

“Okay, enough about that boring and depressing topic. Britney, what do you do?”

“Oh, honey, I own the cutest little romance bookshop in Denver. It’s not too far from the arena and our condo, and I love it so much.”

“There’s a romance bookstore in Bitterroot Valley,” Ivy says, excitement transforming her face into a gorgeous glow, and I want to touch her. Fuck, I want to touch her. “I’ll take you in there, if you want, that is. Billie, the owner, is the sweetest.”

“I’d love that. Let’s do it tomorrow after y’all have your session.”