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When I reached the bar and signaled to the bartender, I wasn’t surprised to see Lincoln appear beside me. When I had the bartender’s attention, I ordered. “A shot of the strongest whiskey you have. Neat.”
“Make that two,” Lincoln said. He then proceeded to frown thunderously at me.
I gave him a sheepish look. “I know… You want to deck me in the face. Any chance I can avoid the blow because it’s almost my birthday?” My lame attempt at a joke did nothing to calm him down.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” He scoffed. “You didn’t have to snap like that.”
I sighed. “I didn’t… It wasn’t intentional.”
His derisive snort resonated with disbelief. “What, do you not like Charlotte?”
Jesus Christ. I gawked at him. Not like Charlotte? I spent every other minute thinking about how much I did like her… and why I shouldn’t. I spent every five minutes wondering if she was going to rekindle her romance with my best friend and what the hell I’d do if they became a thing again. What a mess. I tucked my chin into my chest and said, “I’ll apologize to her.”
He nodded. “The others love her, and I want you to feel the same.”
Lincoln wanted me to love Charlotte. The irony. If he knew that my feelings toward her were far from the platonic affection like the others, he’d gut me like a fish.
“So we can be one big, happy family?” I asked. There was a hint of bitterness lacing my words. Hopefully, Lincoln didn’t hear it.
He shrugged. “It’ll be better if my future girlfriend has great relationships with the men I consider my brothers.”
My molars snapped together as I fought off a wave of jealousy. My drink arrived, and I snatched it up to gulp down the entire thing. Wincing against the burn of it going down my throat, I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll make things right with her.”
Lincoln took his shot and then slapped me on the shoulder. “Are you coming back to the party or what?”
“In a few.”
“Okay.” After a concerned look, he walked away.
I scowled into my empty glass. Sometimes, I hated the way my friends looked at me when it got to this time of year. I didn’t want anybody’s pity, for fuck’s sake.
“Hey, there, Grumpy Gus.”
I glance to my left to see Kaia resting her arms on the bar. She inspected the rows of bottles on the shelves.
“Did you just call me?—?”
“Yup. You were scowling at your glass just now. I thought it would burst into flames.”
I grunted. “Can I help you?”
“Nope. I took a walk over here because you seemed lonely.”
That softened me quickly. She wasn’t wrong. I often felt lonely in a crowd.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” she told the bartender.
I raised my eyebrows at the teenager. “Like hell, you will.”
“Aw, come on, Grumpy Gus. Eighteen isn’t that far off from twenty-one.”
“Uh-huh. She’ll have a soda,” I told the bartender.
Kaia sucked her teeth but accepted the decision. She hopped on a bar stool beside me. “So, what’s your deal? Aren’t you supposed to be happy or whatnot on your birthday trip?”
I gazed at the young woman with mild amusement. She had a lot in common with Charlotte. They just steamrolled right in and started conversations…. personal ones. “It’s complicated.”
“That’s what old folks always say. It’s complicated.” She shook her head, obviously disgusted.
