AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Laughing, I sling an arm around her shoulders. “Thanks, you all good, need anything?”
“Oh no,” she says, looking at Brandon again. “Zoey has been amazing. She’s taking us around the resort and the town tomorrow to look at some locations, she’s—”
“What she is, is really—” Brandon chimes in.
“Don’t,” I say, cutting him off, even as he lets out another laugh. I flip him the bird, but it only makes him laugh harder.
“Dude, you’re only reacting like this because you know I’m right.”
“Trace, remind me again why you’re marrying this guy?” I tease, as we make our way over to the huge balcony off the living room. I can see the fire is going and there are two glasses of wine sitting on the coffee table.
Tracy laughs. “Um and remind me why you’re best friends with him?” she asks, giving me a smirk.
“Obviously, it’s because I’m awesome,” Brandon says, a grin on his face as he hands me a beer.
I glance again at the two wine glasses on the coffee table as I take a seat on one of the couches. Brandon sits opposite me as Tracy grabs one of the wines and sits beside him. Before I have a chance to wonder who the second glass belongs to, Zoey appears at the balcony door.
“Sorry about that,” she says, waving her phone as if to explain before she sees me. “Oh, Ethan, hi,” she says, giving me a small smile.
I stand from the couch. “Hi.”
I hear Brandon snort out a laugh as Tracy indicates the space on the couch beside me and says, “We invited Zoey to join us for dinner.”
I nod, my eyes still on Zoey as she walks over and takes a seat beside me. “I don’t have to come,” she says, her gaze moving over my friends, before coming back to me.
“Don’t be silly,” Tracy says, waving a hand in dismissal. “You’ve been so welcoming and helpful, it’s the least we can do.”
Zoey laughs. “It is actually my job to be welcoming and helpful, remember?”
“Come to dinner,” I blurt out and again, Brandon snorts. I shoot him a look, but he only grins and gives me a wink. Fucker.
“Yes, come,” Brandon now says, taking a sip of his beer. “It’ll be a great chance for us to get to know you,” he adds, grinning.
Zoey raises a brow now as she hits my best friend with a look. “I thought you said Ethan had told you all about me?” There’s a teasing tone to her question that tells me she’s giving him shit. Which I seriously love.
I scoff. “That’s what he told you?” I ask, knowing I’ve said basically nothing about Zoey to my best friend for this exact reason.
“Uh huh,” she says with a nod.
Brandon is just sitting there grinning at the two of us, not bothering to deny what he’s said or admit he’s embellished what he knows. He’s just watching me and Zoey, that stupid grin on his face only getting bigger. “Oh, this is good,” he eventually says, flicking his fiancée a quick glance.
“Okay, where are we going for dinner?” I ask, needing to move the conversation away from this topic. Brandon getting any ideas in his head about me and Zoey is a very dangerous thing.
“We could go to the restaurant,” Zoey suggests. “Or maybe the bistro if you want something more casual.”
Tracy laughs, finishing off her wine as she says, “We are not eating here.” She pauses, pointing her finger in my direction. “This guy will never let us pay if we do that.”
We have another drink before we eventually settle on a steakhouse in town, which I drive us to because it’s still too cold to walk. Zoey spends the drive pointing out random spots that might work for various parts of their wedding, particularly the photos and when I glance in the rearview mirror, I don’t miss the knowing look Brandon gives me.
It’s amazing how easily Zoey has already fit in with my friends. How quickly she and Tracy seem to have developed what almost looks like a genuine friendship, the two of them laughing over anything and everything.
I wonder if it would be the same with me and her friends. I already know some of them, but would we be able to do shit like this too.
Fuck, why am I even thinking this? It’s not like this is a fucking double date we’re on.
“So you guys have really never been out to Tahoe before?” Zoey asks after we’ve been seated and placed our order.
“No,” Brandon replies. “We’re bad friends, but—”
