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“Evie!” I hissed. “How was your night last night?” I asked hastily.
“Oof. Talk about a boner-killer. Well, as you know, we were out of frozen pizzas,” Evie started, tapping away on her keyboard. “But we did agree on something the therapist emailed us. He said something about how Mike and I need to hang out together with each other’s friends, because watching your significant other interact with other people is supposed to remind you of what you love about them or whatever. So whenever you and Emmett are ready, I’ve got a double date with your names on it,” Evie said. But then she snorted. “Unless you’re still recovering from last night’s double date.”
“It was definitely… a doozy.”
> “Yeah, I’d think so, because it’s got you using the word ‘doozy,’” Evie laughed. “I want to thoroughly make fun of you for that but I’ll give you a break.”
“How weirdly merciful of you,” I teased.
“Well. I figure you’re gonna need it considering who just walked in.”
I squinted at Evie for a second but then my face fell.
Crap.
I knew without looking around that it was Britt. One, she always came around ten-thirty on Tuesdays. Two, she had an insanely loud voice that she showed off with pride. I stiffened as I waited for her to prance over and say hi, but luckily, I only heard her greeting whichever client she’d come to have a meeting with.
“You’re safe for now,” Evie said under her breath. “Though I can feel her cattiness brewing.”
It sounded like a typical Evie joke but I could honestly feel it too. Aside from the palpable heat of Britt’s eyes on the back of my head, I could see through the reflection in the raw bar that she kept looking my way. It was no surprise at all that she strutted over to our table the second she wrapped up her meeting.
“Good morning, ladies,” she smiled, perching her butt on a stool in front of the raw bar.
I usually saw her wearing sexy but work appropriate outfits to my restaurant, like skintight blouses and tiny pencil skirts, but today Britt had on a peach-colored sundress with the wide V-neck cut damned near down to her navel. I almost wanted to ask her where she bought her boob tape because it was a miracle that she’d yet to have a wardrobe malfunction.
“Morning, Britt. Hitting the club soon?” Evie asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Britt’s dress. Britt looked down her front and waved a hand in the air.
“Oh, this thing? No, no club for me, doll. I’m actually going to have a meeting with Emmett here in about twenty minutes.”
Ah. Well, that explained that. I smiled at Britt, knowing well that she expected me to ask what she and Emmett were meeting about, but I didn’t feel like giving her the satisfaction of making me feel out of the loop. Besides, I could guess that it was probably for Emmett’s gala.
“It’s for Emmett’s gala,” Britt said importantly.
Yep. Exactly.
“Ooh. What gala?” Evie cocked her head. I knew she was genuinely curious because she found Emmett’s wealth to be so very fascinating. “Why, Aly, that sounds very fancy,” she said, grinning at me. Britt cooed.
“Oh, you’re so cute! Yes, I guess you could call it ‘fancy.’ It is black tie, so you’ll definitely have to save up a few paychecks for your dress, Aly,” she winked at me.
Aaand there it is.
The first dig. Evie and I had predicted it so the second we heard it, we glanced at each other and shared a satisfied smile – which was kind of twisted, but that was just us.
“I mean we’re definitely going all out for this one,” Britt nodded, once again carrying the conversation all by herself. “The cause means a lot to him, as you know,” she nodded at me then quickly furrowed her brow. “Or maybe you don’t know. Do you know what the gala’s for this year?” When I didn’t answer right away, she smiled. “It’s for heart disease. Because his dad died of a heart attack when he was eighteen.”
“Yes. I know that.”
“Really? Were you at the funeral? Because I don’t think I saw you.”
I couldn’t help my surprise. “You were at Uncle George’s funeral?” I blinked then caught myself. “I mean – George.”
Britt’s eyes went wide. “Wow. Your families are so close you call his parents aunt and uncle?”
I chewed my lip, knowing well that Britt was setting me up. Still, I answered, “Yes.”
“Yikes. Then why didn’t you go to the funeral? Emmett was such a mess that day. It was so, so sad. I mean – to have your father and grandpa die within days of each other? So horrible.”
I blinked.
