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I nod. I kind of like something about him. Not like-like, but like.
“So this is how we’re spending New Years’ Eve?” Greg’s got a wry smile on his face.
I appreciate his sense of humor. “Yeah, aren’t we something else?”
He takes one of the mugs from Kara, fills it from the pitcher, then hands it to me. He fills another one, hands it to Kara, then fills one for himself. He hands the pitcher and empty mug to Todd.
“You’re in school?” I make casual conversation.
He laughs. “Not hardly. Todd’s my cousin. I’m a little old to be in school still.” He taps his chest. “Twenty-five.”
His statement makes me think of my own situation. I may never graduate. That’s not true. I will. This semester should hopefully be my last. Maybe. I’m just wrapping up a couple of classes.
Of course, next thought, damn, he’s close to Josh’s age. And there I go, back to thinking of Josh. I can’t get away from things that remind me of him. Dammit already.
“You okay?” Greg’s got an expression of concern on his face. “You zoned for a second.”
“Yeah. So what do you do now that you’re out of school? Other than escort your baby cousin to dives on New Year’s Eve?” I opt for wit and a diversion from the topic on my mind.
“Tech sector.” His smile widens, even and white, in his handsome face.
Too bad I only have Josh on my mind.
“It’s a good business to be in.”
“Hell, yeah.” Todd’s been listening in, evidently. “I’ll drink to that!” He raises his mug, slams it against Greg’s then downs it. “Hey, give us four shots of Jäger,” he yells at a passing waitress.
She gives him a dirty look, and I wonder if she’ll do his bidding. Not that I care. I’m not into getting drunk tonight.
She does bring it.
She brings that one, and another round, and then another.
And pretty soon, after the first one’s really hit my system, the second and the third aren’t so hard to knock back. Greg and Todd don’t seem so bad, and maybe Kara’s idea wasn’t that bad, either.
“Let’s go to the bathroom.” Kara grabs my arm.
If she’s as tipsy as I am, she probably needs my help to get there. Those shots have made things blurry.
“Okay.” I let her lead the way.
“He’s not here,” she screams over the music.
I give her a confused look. “Who’s not here?” My mind’s on Todd and wondering what she means.
“The hot bartender.” She drunk-frowns. It’s a very exaggerated grimace. “Duh.”
“Oh.” I sort of want to ask her who cares because she seems to be pretty interested in Todd.
She jerks my arm, almost pulling me to the floor. “Ohmigod, ohmigod,ohmigod.”
My head feels like it’s spinning, and my ears may be bleeding from her screaming in my ear. “What?”
I’m wondering if she just started her period and is freaking out because we’re still half the bar away from the bathroom, and as packed as it is in here, we’re not getting there in any kind of a hurry.
“Ohmigod. That’s got to be him. He’s exactly what Riley said he looked like.” She gives me a solid yank and turns me to face the nearest bar.
Oh. Fuck.“Shit.” The word comes out of me like it’s forced out of me from a punch in the abdomen. I know it can’t be. There’s no way. The world’s not that damned small.
