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“You’re both idiots,” Nina tells them, standing from the pedicure chair. She slips off into my brother’s kitchen, returning moments later with a gift box. “Shall we open presents?”
I sit up a little straighter in the seat. “You didn’t buy me a gift?”
“It’s small. Much too small for the Lady of Lowerwick.” She throws me a wink. “But we all pitched in, and we think you’ll like what we got you.”
I take the box as she hands it to me, my fingers running over the giant red bow. My throat catches. “You guys barely know me.”
“How all the best friendships tend to start out,” Megan tells me with a wink. “Open it already.”
I pull off the bow and lift the lid.
“Oh my god!”
It’s filled with gifts. Gift vouchers, lipsticks and glosses in various shades, face creams, miniature vodka bottles, textbooks—university textbooks.
“How did that get in there?” Nina proclaims, frowning over my shoulder. “Does it have a name? Who does it belong to?”
I open it up and chuckle when I see my name on the “this book belongs to” line. “Nina,” I say in wonder, flicking over the next page. An envelope drops out into my lap. I pick it up and flip it over, pulling out the papers inside. “An application.”
“Bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery MBBS.” Nina leans in closer. “I’m well and truly over the line. But this is just a little nudge. You don’t have to fill it in.”
“I want to.” I look up at her with shining eyes, my mouth pulling up into a sad smile. “I want to go back to university so bad.”
Nina looks at me with pity in her eyes. They all do.
“Enough of this, sorry,” I tell them, placing the forms to my side and digging in the gift box for the vodka shots. There are at least ten. I throw one to each of the girls, and they catch them. “We go on three.”
“Three is for the weak—and men. We go on one,” Megan states.
“One…”
We went on one.
We were drunk by three.
And Lance Sullivan showed up at six.
EIGHT
Scarlet
I have no idea who is walking into my brother’s penthouse when I run for the entrance, and the second my eyes land on Lance Sullivan, my heart plummets to my ass.
“Did someone say stripper?” Elliot Montgomery, Mason’s best friend, business partner, and our nonbiological brother saunters around the entrance of the penthouse, pulling his shirt from his slacks as if he’s about to put on a show.
“Me, I did,” Lucy shrieks, jumping down from the sofa and throwing her hands in the air.
We’ve danced, sang, and drank for the past hour. I’m well and truly tipsy. It’s not often that I drink, let alone with these girls. And now I’m standing here, not feeling myself fully as Elliot, Charlie, and Lance step into the living area… I regret nothing.
“Put your damn clothes on. I do not want to see that.” I go to slap Elliot’s arm, but he pulls me to him, tucking me into his side.
“Happy birthday, Scar.” He kisses my head.
“Thanks, Ell.”
Charlie greets me next, giving me a tight hug. “Happy birthday.”
“Hey.” I close my eyes and squeeze him back.
