Page 58 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

“I thought he was with you,” Jenny said, glancing around the immediate area as if he was hiding in my purse.

“Why would he be with me? I was with you.”

“When I came back without you he wondered where you were, so I explained about everyone mobbing you. He said he was going to go get them off your back.”

I smiled at that. Good old Andrew. “Well, I never saw him,” I told her. “But guess who I did see?”

I told her all about Chase, and she was a very good audience, widening her eyes and gasping at all his best lines.

“So we’re going to have dinner tomorrow,” I finished. “And you can feel free to spread that little fact to everyone who thought I needed help getting fixed up with a guy.”

She covered her mouth, laughing. Then her eyes widened again, with much less humor this time. I turned in the direction she was gaping to see Andrew leaning up against the far wall, near the bathrooms. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t alone.

“Well,” I said, reaching for my beer. “I guess we know why he didn’t come after me.”

I gulped my beer, feeling a pang of disappointment that he had gone on the hunt so early in the evening. I’d been having fun with him tonight. And considering the fact that he was the one who had been working on this project with me from the beginning, he was the one I wanted to celebrate with. He couldn’t have had a few more beers with the table before indulging in his ever-present need to hook up?

“Typical,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. But Jenny didn’t look as unsurprised by his antics. She was still watching him, wide-eyed, her expression distinctly disappointed.

“I don’t get it,” she finally said.

“What don’t you get? He’s super slutty and that girl is hot and clearly interested.”

She shook her head. “But he was flirting withyou.”

Oh, God, not this nonsense from her again. “He wasn’t flirting, Jenny. He was being Andrew.”

“He was whispering in your ear, Riley!” she argued. “Making you laugh, making you blush—”

“Hey!” I cried, offended by that. “I was blushing from Libby’s toast, not from anything Andrew did. Geez.” Like Andrew Powell could make me blush.

A movement by the door caught my eye. A man—red hair, broad shoulders—ducking through the door. Andrew. And no doubt the adoring woman was right in front of him.

“I just think—”

“Enough, Jenny,” I snapped; my voice was sharper than I intended it. I sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly tired, as if all the stress of the last few weeks had finally caught up to me. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she squeaked, but I could tell I’d hurt her feelings. And just like that I knew I was going to be shitty company for the rest of the night.

“Look, I’m going to go home,” I told her, reaching out to place my hand over hers on the table. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk. I just think this is all hitting me, you know?”

Her face softened. “You’ve been working so hard.”

“And it all paid off.” I somehow managed to smile brightly at her. “But now I just want my bed.”

“I’ll walk with you,” she said, moving to stand, but I shook my head.

“No, you’re having a good time. Stay with Libby and Posey, have another drink. I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind walking alone?”

I rolled my eyes, gesturing at the TV behind me, where the voting website was still flashing. “Didn’t you see that footage? We live in a goddamn storybook town.”

She giggled. “Storybook or not, text me when you get home.”

“I will.” I bent to hug her, then shouted out a quick goodbye to the rest of the table. Making my way to the door was a lot less tricky this time—I had a feeling my neighbors were well on their way to getting tipsy, and as such were probably not so eager to get up out of their chairs.

The cool air of the spring night felt great after being in the crowded pub for so long. I took a deep breath, looking up at the stars.

We should make sure they get some footage of that, I thought to myself. You don’t see a night sky like that just anywhere. From somewhere nearby, a cat mewled. I thought of Gordie with a little pang. He’d been alone for hours. I sighed, pulling my cardigan tighter, and began the short walk home.

I should have been on the top of the world. The first episode had been a success. My friends and neighbors had been sweetly appreciative of my hard work. And I had a date with one of the cutest guys I’d had the good fortune of coming across in ages. In a place like Lilac Bay, half of that excitement would have qualified as a banner night.

So why did I feel like I had missed out on something big?