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“I can attest,” Christy says.
“They use only the best tequila here,” Joy tells me. “None of that rotgut that makes you wish you were dead the next day.”
That sounds good to me. “Sign me up.”
Gage orders water.
I glance over at him. “We could Uber home and get your car tomorrow.”
He thinks about that for a second. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’m celebrating tonight. Let’s make it champagne for the table.”
“Whoa,” Brielle says. “What’s gotten into him, besides you?”
Before I can protest, Wynter says, “Technically, it’shimgetting intoher, but your point is well taken.”
They die laughing.
Leave it to Wynter.
“Knock it off,” I say, knowing they never will. To Gage, I say, “Will you please tell them what you’re celebrating?”
“Three things, actually,” he says. “One, I sold my company this week.”
That’s met with stunned silence.
“I thought you loved that place,” Joy says.
“Not as much as I used to, and I’m ready for a change. Two, we’ve reached a plea deal with the guy who killed my family. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we got enough, and we’ll avoid the trial.”
“Aw, Gage,” Derek says. “That’s a big one.”
“Yeah, it feels good to have it settled, even if it doesn’t change anything, you know?”
“All too well,” Derek says as Roni nods in agreement.
Both their spouses were murdered.
“And the third thing,” Gage says, shifting his gaze to me, “is that the lovely Iris here has convinced me that I need to be in a relationship with her, and so I’ve decided to let her have her wicked way with me.”
That sets off another roar of laughter that has my face burning with mortification. “You’ll pay for that later,” I tell him.
“I can’t wait.”
Wynter stands suddenly and walks away.
“What’s up with her?” I ask Lexi, who was sitting the closest to her.
“No idea. I’ll go after her.”
“Let me. If it was something I said, I should take care of it.”
“It wasn’t anything you said,” Gage says.
“Still, I’ll go. Order me a margarita.” I take off in the direction Wynter went and duck into the ladies’ room to see if she’s in there. I look under the stalls, but don’t see the funky sneakers she always wears, so I head outside, wondering if she left.
I find her off to the side of the entrance, having a cigarette as she shivers in the cool autumn air.
“Wynter.”
