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“There will be alcohol, good music,greatcompany, and…” she trails off, but I fill in the gap. And Dani—there will also be Dani.
“You know I don’t really drink, and it’s what youdidn’tsay that makes me want to say no.”
“I get it. And I don’t care. Either work it out together, or get used to seeing each other in the same room, because you’re both my friends, and I refuse to choose sides.”
“Okay,fuck, I’ll be there, but I’m not going to enjoy it,” I joke, the smallest of smiles on my face even though she can’t see it.
Lucy laughs. “I never asked you to have fun. Hate it as much as you want, as long as you're there.”
I bite back a sigh because we both know I’ll be there, no matter what I’m feeling. “I’ll be the guy with the fake smile.”
Lucy huffs out a laugh, and I can picture her rolling her eyes. “Bye, Logan.”
She hangs up, and I smile. She’s become really unapologetic of late, and I don’t blame her. I just enjoyed it more when it wasn’t aimed at me.
I pull my Jeep to a stop in front of Lucy’s house at the same time Dylan and Summer arrive. Summer jumps out of the car and runs over, pressing her hands to my chest when she stops in front of me.
“How are you doing? How’s your mom? How’s Liam?”
“Slow down, Sum,” Dylan says as he approaches, holding his hand out for me to fist bump. “Which question should he answer first?”
Summer’s face crinkles in concern as she drops her hands and looks between Dylan and me. But when he taps her on the nose, she smiles and turns back to me.
“I’m sorry. I’ve kind of been freaking out about you. You’re my always smiling, carefree best friend. The one I’ve never had to worry about, other than when you had to drop out of the pros. I hated seeing you depressed then, and I hate it now. You’ve been hit with so much this year.”
Reaching out, I give her arm a squeeze and smile, praying it comes across as sincere. “It’s just a rough patch, but I’m still that guy. I promise.”
“Then why don’t we see you anymore?”
She pouts, and I have to laugh at that. As does Dylan.
“Summer, I used to live hundreds of miles away. We’d go months without seeing each other. It’s been two weeks. And if we’re being specific, since moving back here, this isn’t the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other. You were in Denver a few weekends, and then you and Dylan went away for a week.”
Summer’s shoulders drop, and she sighs. “You’re right, I’m just worried.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine.”
I’m not fucking fine. I’ve been at Lucy’s for an hour and can’t stop my gaze from flashing to the door every few minutes, waiting for Dani to arrive. I wish I could blame it all on emotions. Tell myself that she’s only in my head because she was there for me when my dad died. But I know that’s not true. On reflection, I’ve been falling for her for months.
So, while the room around me is full of laughter, with everyone off in different conversations, I’m trying to participate, but until she’s here, I’m going to be on edge.
“Looking for Dani?” Lucy asks, dropping down onto the seat beside me.
I internally cringe at how obvious I must look and then laugh off her comment. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just keeping my promise to be the guy not having fun.”
Lucy giggles, but it comes across about as real as my grin.
“Uh, I hope I’m faking it better than you.” I pout.
“You’re not. Trust me. Everyone can see through it. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to worry. You can relax and have fun. She’s not coming.”
“What?” My back straightens as I go from joking to being downright pissed off. “What do you mean, she’s not coming?”
Lucy sighs. “She thought it would be better if she stayed away. She said this is your group, and she didn’t want to cause any tension.”
“Are you kidding me with that?” I grunt, my voice getting louder, drawing the attention of others. “I thought you were supposed to be close friends.”
Lucy’s eyebrow shoots up into her hairline, her attitude out in full force. “We are, but come on, do you really want her here?”
