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I say a silent prayer of thanks that I put maximum effort into my hair and makeup tonight. Not that it matters, because I’m not trying to impress Linc. Or any man, for that matter. All at once, I realize that everyone is looking to me to answer Linc’s question. Flustered, I shake my head and wave a hand in dismissal.
“Just an inside joke,” I say, hoping the girls won’t elaborate. The last thing I want is to discuss my past relationships with Linc. The very idea of it makes me slightly nauseated. I don’t realize that Linc’s not alone until I spot his brother, Cole standing behind him. Cole gives us all a smile of greeting.
“Ladies,” he says, flashing his winning dimples for all to see. “I trust you’re having a nice night out?”
Cole is the owner of the Peach Fuzz and he and Linc are best friends with Piper’s fiancé. Before Piper and I became friends, I could count on one hand the number of times I’d come to this bar. But now, it seems like we’re here every other week. Which means that I’ve run into Linc more in the past few months than I did in the 10 years since we graduated high school. It’s not that I have anything against this place. It’s just that I’ve done my best to avoid situations where I might run into people from high school, and Peach Fuzz is a prime example of one of those places.
I’ve known Linc since we were 10 years old, when he and his family first moved to Peach Tree. I vividly remember all the buzz surrounding a new kid at school. In a town as small as ours, it was a big deal when someone new moved to town. Linc had been my first crush. But then, he’d been the crush of all the girls in Miss Holcomb’s fourth grade class. He’d been quiet and serious, especially for a ten-year-old boy. Compared to the other boys in our school, Linc had seemed so mysterious. But he’d also been kind.
He'd become popular immediately and that popularity had followed him all the way through high school. It helped that he was good at football and was ridiculously hot. He’d been prom king two years in a row, even though juniors technically weren’t allowed to hold the title. As for me, I’d gone alone to prom since no one wanted to ask the dorky band nerd with the frizzy hair to be their date. By the time he left for college on a football scholarship, and I left for Atlanta, I’d known him for nearly a decade. And we’d never had a single conversation. I remember being shocked when he’d greeted me by name the first time we all hung out together at Peach Fuzz last year. Until that moment, I’d been almost convinced he didn’t know my name.
Since that night, the five of us—six, if Layna was in town—have hung out more frequently. Linc doesn’t usually stay as long as the others. He needs to get home to his daughter, Ella. I don’t know the story there, but I know he dropped out of college when she was born and has spent the time since raising her. I don’t know where the girl’s mother is, but he’s never mentioned her, and I don’t feel comfortable asking about her. What if she died and he’s spent all these years mourning her? I don’t think I want to hear about the great love of Lincoln Prescott’s life. And that probably makes me a horrible person, right?
Piper invites the guys to join us. I have a half a minute to hope they'll refuse before Cole smiles and accepts the invite. I do my best to pretend I’m oblivious to Linc’s closeness as he takes the empty spot beside me on the booth seat. I risk a quick glance in his direction and smile, avoiding eye contact. He’s not saying much, letting the others carry the conversation. He does that a lot, it seems. I get the feeling he’s the type of guy who doesn’t speak to fill the silence, but instead waits until he has something worth saying. I admire that. Silence has never been my strong suit. I’m more the type of person to blurt out whatever random thought pops into my head, consequences be damned. It’s been my downfall on more than one occasion, unfortunately.
Cole orders another round of drinks as everyone chats, catching up on one another’s lives since we last hung out. There isn’t much to report on my end unless I want to tell them about my most recent cheating ex, which I most definitely do not. Linc talks a little about his new business. He recently became a licensed contractor, and his business is growing in the area. Cole brags about his brother, but I notice that Linc still doesn’t say a lot. He’s so close to me that I can practically feel the heat of his large body radiating out toward me. I want to lean into it, into him. I want to climb into his lap if I’m being completely honest with myself. But I have a feeling that won’t go over well, especially since he seems to be avoiding looking in my direction or speaking to me at all.
“How long are you in town, Layna?” Cole asks as he hands out a fresh round of drinks, pulling me away from my Linc obsession.
“She’s moving here,” Piper says, bouncing in her seat a little.
“Really?” Cole says, turning to look at Layna. “I didn’t know that was your plan.”
She shrugs. “It wasn’t at first. It’s a recent decision.”
“An impulsive decision, you mean,” Piper grumbles.
Layna rolls her eyes. “Maybe so, but I stand by it. It’s going to be great, Pipes. Just wait.”
Piper grins at her sister. “I’m happy you’re going to be living closer to me. I’m just surprised at the suddenness. That’s all.”
“What did I miss?”
We all look up to see Luke standing next to the table, smiling down at Piper. I shoot her a look through narrowed eyes.
“Did you invite a boy to girl’s night?”
Piper’s face goes red, and she points at Linc and Cole accusingly. “They’re here!”
“That’s different,” I say. “We didn’t invite them. They just showed up.”
“Hey,” Cole says, feigning hurt. “We’re right here. We can hear you.”
I roll my eyes at him, making Linc laugh. The sound of that rumbling laugh hits me hard and I feel a flutter low in my belly. I suck in a slow breath to calm my suddenly racing heart. I need to get a grip. It was just a laugh. It’s not like he reached up my skirt or something. Ah, shit. Now I’m thinking about him reaching up my skirt. I risk a glance at his hand resting on the leather seat between us. I picture his long, thick fingers sliding up my inner thigh, pushing my skirt up as it moves higher. My breathing becomes shallow, and I swallow hard.
Stop being a slut. Stop being a slut. Stop being a slut.
I chant the words over and over in my head until I can stop thinking filthy thoughts about the man seated beside me.
“Next round of drinks is on the guys,” Layna shouts, forcefully yanking me from my dirty thoughts. “Since they crashed our girl’s night out.”
Luke kisses Piper’s cheek. “My pleasure,” he says in a voice that I’m pretty sure he meant for her ears only.
I try to ignore the slight twinge of jealousy I feel. Not that I’m into my best friend’s fiancé. Jealousy is probably the wrong word. Envy might be more appropriate. I envy their relationship. I envy Piper’s certainty and trust that it will last. I’ve never felt that. These days I’m starting to doubt I ever will. Cole says something that makes everyone at the table laugh, pulling me out of my melancholia. I hear Linc’s deep, rumbling laugh from beside me and that flutter hits me again. This time though, I do my best to ignore it. Nothing good ever came from pining over Lincoln Prescott. I’m not going to start doing it again now.
By the time we all decide to call it a night and I head back to my apartment above my salon, I’m tired and ready for my pajamas. I check the time. It’s barely 10pm. On a Friday night. I suddenly feel ancient. When did I become this person who’s home and in her pajamas by 10:00 on a weekend?
“When you realized how much hangovers suck,” I mutter to my empty bedroom as I toss my bra in the direction of the dresser.
