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Inaya’s beautiful smile widened, becoming even more stunning. “I’mreallyliking where this is going.”

I sighed. “It might not be going anywhere.”

Inaya waved that away. “Have you exchanged numbers with them?”

Briefly halting as a laughing teenage couple stumbled out of a photo booth and almost bumped into me, I replied, “Yes. They insisted on it in case I was ever again in a situation where I needed help.”

Cat beamed. “Again, not their MO. They’ll suggest an arrangement, Briar. I’ll bet my life on it. And now we need to find you a gorgeous dress for tonight.”

I wasall overfocusing on shopping as opposed to my personal life. “Yeah, we absolutely do. So let’s go hunting.”

We went from store to store, browsing and buying. I picked up this and that over the next few hours, but notthe dress.

I was about to suggest we take a break and go grab something to eat, but my attention was right then snagged by a mannequin in a window display—or, more specifically, on the form-fitting dress it wore. The satin garment was a stunning royal blue covered in rhinestones.

I pointed at it. “This. I need this.”

“Oh, it would be perfect for you,” said Cat, joining her hands together.

“Fingers crossed they have it in my size,” I said, pushing open the glass door. The cool air conditioning washed over my skin, giving me a welcome reprieve from the sun’s heat.

I almost walked straight back out of the shop when I noticed the length of the line at the counter.Hell and damn.Hopefully it would be shorter soon.

With a breezy smile, I politely took the free perfume sample from the worker manning the spot near the door. My heels clicked along the shiny tiled floor as my and I friends moved further into the store, passing shoppers and headset-wearing sales assistants, while Duke and Adrian trailed a few feet behind us.

Many sounds drifted through the air—bags crinkling, voices murmuring, a baby babbling, store music playing low, and hangers scraping metal rails. The store lighting was so bright I pitied the workers here. I’d have a headache by the end of each workday if I had those lights beaming down on me for hours.

As I meandered through the space, I skipped my gaze over the selection of clothing, purely on the lookout for the dress I’d seen. Pausing halfway through the store, I tilted my head at the posed mannequins that stood on a platform.

Fingering one of the folded tees that were piled on a table, Izzy gave me a knowing smile. “It’s killing you not to rearrange that display, isn’t it?”

I let out a forced cough and lied, “Of course not.”

Her only reply was a disbelieving snort.

“Found it!” Cat announced.

Carefully skirting a baby stroller, I crossed to where the blonde stood. And yep, she had indeed found whatwouldbe my dress very soon.

“I’m trying to find your size.” Fabric rustled and swooshed as Cat moved the hangers back and forth on the rack. “Boom, we have a winner.” She unhooked it from the metal rail and handed it to me.

A smile tugging at my mouth, I held up the dress, taking in each detail.

“It is absolutely gorgeous,” said Cat. “And very you. If Trace and Kaleb don’t already intend to suggest an arrangement, they will when they see you in that. I know these things.”

“I refuse to get my hopes up.”

“So youwouldbe up for it?”

“Oh, I’d be one hundred percent in.”

Chuckling, Inaya took a pair of folded jeans from a freestanding shelf and tossed them over her arm. “Alondra. Would.Freak.Which would seriously delight me.”

Izzy smirked. “It would delight us all.”

After earlier notifying my dads about the Flynn incident by phone—they’d predictably lost their minds—I’d tried calling Alondra to also share it with her, knowing she’d be upset if she heard the story from others. None of her friends had been at the Vault Friday night, so they hadn’t seen Kaleb carrying me out of there. But they might soon learn of it from another club member and then pass it on to her. I’d rather do that myself, but she hadn’t answered my call or yet returned it.

“On the subject of Alondra … I learned something interesting while speaking with my dads.” I paused as a phone began to chime—it took a few moments for me to realize that it wasn’t mine, it merely had the same ring tone. “It turns out that she hadn’t only intended to give Trace a good, long ride all those years ago. She’d meant to bag him.”

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