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“I know. Night, Tyler.”
“Night.”
* * *
My eyes flutter open just after nine o’clock on Saturday morning. As soon as my eyes open, my brain is overrun with the events of the previous night. Mostly, I rerun my late night chat with Andrew. I’m still not sure what to think of it, but maybe, just maybe, he and I can be friends. And only friends.
I shoot Avery a quick text to make sure she made it through the night and then shuffle to the kitchen to make coffee. As I make my way to the couch, cup in hand, my phone vibrates with a text.
Avery: I am alive and well. What time do you want to meet downtown?
Ugh. More peopley activities.
Me: I just rolled out of bed. What if I meet you at Drip at 10:00?
Avery: Works for me. Are you bringing your boyfriend?
Me: I don’t have a boyfriend.
Avery: I don’t know. Andrew was hanging out awfully close to you last night.
Me: We are just friends.
Avery: We’ll see how long that lasts. That’s a lot more than you guys were a few days ago.
I roll my eyes and toss the phone down on the couch next to me. Andrew and I will not be a thing.
* * *
Devin, the barista, slides two iced lattes across the counter to me just as my phone pings. It’s Avery letting me know she’s here, waiting outside. I thank Devin and quickly grab our drinks to meet her. As I step through the door, she looks at me like I just saved her life by bringing her a coffee.
“Oh, bless you.” She says with a sigh, taking the drink from me and inhaling a long sip. “Are we getting too old to stay out as late as we did last night?” She asks, leaning on the handlebar of the stroller. “I like to think I’m still young and fun, but damn, then I stay out after 9 pm and have to question my entire existence.”
We stroll down the sidewalk towards the car show. “Yes, we absolutely are. I don’t remember the last time I stayed out until 10:30, but I’m going to need at least a week to recover from it.” I say with a yawn.
She sighs loudly. “When did this happen? We aren’t even thirty yet.”
I raise a brow. “We’re getting close, though.”
“Shut your mouth.” Avery glares at me. “We still have a couple of years.”
“Morning ladies.” A voice interrupts our conversation and we both turn toward the sound. Derek, the officer from last night, is standing on the sidewalk holding a coffee in one hand and a dog leash in the other. His German Shepard is sitting quietly at his feet, overlooking the crowd downtown. He’s off duty now, but still has that stance, like he is ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.
“Morning!” we say in unison back to him.
When we get a little further away, I lean towards Avery. “The hot cop was checking you out.”
She steals a glance at him and then rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever. He just feels sorry for me after that scene last night.”
“I think he wants to protect and serve you.” I mutter, bouncing my eyebrows at her.
Avery shakes her head and takes another sip of her coffee. “We’re just friends.”
“I’ve heard you say that about him before. He’s the one from the hospital, isn’t he?” I raise a brow in her direction, recollecting that Derek had shown up at the hospital when Cory got arrested for hurting her.
She nods. “Yes, and we were just friends then, too.” She steals another glance at him before looking back at me. “I told you. You saw that mess last night. I am at Cory’s mercy for the rest of my life. I couldn’t date if I wanted to.”
I frown at my best friend. I hate this for her. “But that isn’t fair. You guys are over. You deserve to have your own life.”
