Page 58 of Between the Boards
“Just like that,” I confirm.
Eliana winces. “God, I forgot how exhausting men can be.”
“I’d be lying if I said I was surprised.”
I turn at the familiar voice and nearly choke on my drink. Maliah stands beside the booth holding three shot glasses between her fingers, one perfectly groomed brow arched as she studies me carefully.
“You came,” I breathe, my throat instantly tightening with emotion.
Her face softens. “Of course I came.” She slides into the booth beside me and sets the shots down on the sticky table. “You said you needed me. But if you ever keep something this big from us again, I swear I’m blocking your number for real this time.”
I laugh weakly, tearing up as she pulls me into a hug.
“Please tell me those aren’t tequila shots,” Eliana mutters, eyeing the glasses.
Maliah and I break into snort-laughs, Eliana joining in.
“Grab a glass, ladies,” Maliah says, wiping happy tears from the corner of her eyes as she pushes a glass toward each of us. “Tonight we’re yapping until we forget how to speak.”
Eliana groans but she grabs her shot anyway and we clink the glasses together.
“To emotionally unstable women,” Maliah says.
“And bad decisions,” I add.
We throw back the shots and Eliana coughs so hard her whole body jerks forward. “You forgot the salt and lime,” she rasps in the voice of a lifelong chain smoker.
Maliah gasps. “Oh my God, you’re right.”
“It’s a little late now!” Eliana wheezes as Maliah disappears toward the bar.
I laugh so hard tears blur my vision by the time she returns, not only with salt and lime, but an entire new round of shots balanced expertly in her hands.
Eliana stares at them in horror. “You two are drinking all of those yourself, right?”
“Relax,” Maliah says, sliding back into the booth. “We’ll pace ourselves.”
She does not sound convincing though, and Eliana groans before throwing herself back against the backrest.
“Now,” Maliah says, folding one leg beneath her. “Tell us everything.”
So I take a deep breath and fill them in on everything starting from the love coach agreement, the tension with Zale, the fight, the weird sponsor situation, and ending with Colton storming out tonight.
By the end of it, Eliana lets out a low whistle while Maliah stares thoughtfully at the shot glass.
“So,” Maliah says slowly, “what I’m hearing is that both Zale and Colton are into you.”
I nearly choke on my beer. “That’s not?—”
“And,” she continues over me, “they’re both being idiots about it.”
“Eliana?” I ask desperately.
She shrugs apologetically. “I fear she may be correct.”
“No,” I argue. “Colton literally told me from the beginning nothing could happen between us.”
“And yet you two fooled around after you got stood up,” Maliah points out.
