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How could I? My best friend was all over the woman I wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“Clubs aren’t my scene.” I gulped the liquor in my glass.
Vera perched on the leather bench beside me. “It doesn’t seem to be Michael’s either. He hasn’t looked up from his phone since he got here.”
“Don’t mind him, he’s probably chatting with his nanny.”
“Oh, he has kids?”
“A daughter.”
“I see…”
I swallowed a smile because Vera sounded disappointed. She showed interest in Alex the other night, but she probably realized that he was a playboy. I guess she saw that Spencer wasn’t much better. Lincoln was all about Charlotte. I must have been taken out of the lineup because all she’d ever seen me do was brood, so Michael had likely been her last hope. She probably assumed he was married after my revelation. He was single, but it wasn’t my place to tell her that.
After a heavy sigh, she got up. “I’d ask you to dance but I’m sure you’d decline, so I’m gonna head to the dance floor solo.”
My lips twisted into a ghost of a smile. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
She took a step away then stopped. Turning back, she studied me with an intensity that made me frown. She then looked away and I followed her gaze to where Charlotte and Lincoln were in deep conversation.
When Vera turned back to me, she hit me with a shocking suggestion. “You know, Jamie, if you like her, just tell her. I know it might be complicated, but the heart wants what it wants, right?”
My eyes bulged and my jaw slackened. Had Charlotte told Vera about our kiss or had she figured it out because of my longing looks at her friend? I’d tried to be subtle but surely someone would catch on to me watching Charlotte like a creepy stalker. I didn’t think the guys realized, especially Lincoln, but… I blew out a breath as I held Vera’s gaze. Women were probably more intuitive about that kind of thing.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Vera,” I replied.
There was no way I’d act on what I felt for Charlotte. For the sake of my friendship with Lincoln, I couldn’t.
Her mouth curved into a faint ironic twist. “Right… Later, Jamie. Try to have some fun.”
After Vera took off, I sat there staring into space and practically drowning my anxiety over the Charlotte situation in alcohol. However, my mind kept going back to her. Her smile, the way her eyes twinkled when she laughed, her humor, and her energy. It was so easy to relax and talk to her when we had our brief private moments. The kiss we shared replayed in my mind because I simply couldn’t stop it. Every good thing I felt that night rose to hit me in the chest. I wanted to feel them again.
However, loyalty to Lincoln and the bro code flashed in my mind like a warning sign. I couldn’t possibly do what Vera suggested.
“Jesus,” I whispered, pressing my fingers against my tightly shut eyes.
I couldn’t take the mental torture anymore, so I got up and walked to the metal rails to search for Vera.
13
JAMIE
Vera was easy to spot in the crowd because she had the biggest hair and the ends were dyed blonde. I headed to the stairs to get to the dance floor. Vera saw me barreling toward her and grinned. She twirled and beckoned to me with her finger.
“Jamie, you decided to take my advice and have fun.”
I dodged a couple gyrating dangerously close to me. “Not really. I don’t know the first thing about having fun.” I had to shout above the music. “I’ve been uptight my entire life… so I’ve been told.”
Vera threw her head back and laughed. “So what are you doing on the dance floor?”
I snorted. “Certainly not dancing. I don’t know how.”
Standing there while everyone moved in rhythm made me feel so out of place.
Vera shook her head and gave me a look that I was sure meant: Aww, you poor thing. She placed her hands on my shoulders. “Relax, Jamie. Just let loose and move to the music.”
