Page 10 of The Meeting
Chase sat backand watched as the three friends teased each other during a card game they started. They were playing Rummy, and Kailynn and Abi kept accusing Logan of cheating. As far as Chase could tell, Logan wasn’t cheating. He was just getting lucky with his cards. He sat back as they teased him, and eventually, Chase caught Abi giving Kailynn a wink. Logan was flustered that they were accusing him, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed it.
“For the last time, I am not cheating!” Logan exclaimed, exasperated.
“You totally swapped cards in the stack to get that run,” Kailynn said.
Logan stared, incredulous.
Abi chimed in. “I saw you do it.”
When Logan turned his stare to her, Kailynn cracked a smile and met Chase’s eyes, giving him a wink. Chase laughed loudly, no longer able to refrain. Kailynn and Abi broke their straight faces and laughed along with him. Logan looked between them like they were crazy before realizing they were laughing at his expense. He tossed his cards on the table and stood up.
“You all are awful. This is the first time I’ve ever come close to winning while playing these two competitive crazies.” He gestured between Kailynn and Abi. “Andthisis how I get treated. Unbelievable.”
They all howled with laughter. Soon, Logan couldn’t refrain and laughed along with them. This was the first time since Chase had moved to Modesto that he felt like he belonged to a group.
And it felt amazing.
* * *
The next morning,Chase walked around his apartment, wondering what to do with himself. There were still a few boxes sitting around waiting to be unpacked, so he worked on putting them away. Once everything was organized, he realized only a few hours had passed.
Considering going into work, he immediately dismissed the idea. There wasn’t much left for him to do since the office wasn’t open and he had finished the last of the files left on his desk. Besides, this was his first free weekend in what felt like forever. He couldn’t waste it at work.
Glancing around the place, he sighed. He really needed more friends. Pulling out his cell phone, he created a group text to Logan, Abi, and Kailynn.
Interested in another game night tonight? My place at 5?
Abi was the first to reply.Sounds fun! Logan and I are in.
Kailynn’s response came next.Absolutely!
He smiled. Perfect. It was nearing noon, so he grabbed his wallet and car keys to head to the store. He had a game night to throw.
4
Kailynn walked through Target looking at storage bins. She wasn’t quite ready to buy all the bins, but taking down prices so she could budget for them was ideal.
When she and Drew finally split the business, she would eventually need to haul out her inventory. The office wasn’t a space she cared to keep if it was just her working, especially since she already felt like it was far too small for her to work productively. At that point, she could just get a two-bedroom apartment and turn the second room into her studio.
She considered just using cardboard boxes since it would be cheaper, but the bins would stack better and keep everything a bit more organized. They would also make it easier in the long run for her to keep moving her products around without worrying about ruining them in inclement weather.
Drew had been sending her texts, which she hadn’t felt the need to reply to yet. Abi suggesting that she contact Chase was ideal in more ways than one. She was, of course, attracted to him, but she was glad she could get the business taken care of sooner rather than later. If one thing was certain, she didn’t want to deal with Drew the rest of her life. And each day that passed solidified that realization.
As if on cue, another text came through from Drew.
We really need to discuss this. You won’t succeed without me.
She rolled her eyes. He was a cocky son-of-a-bitch. She was the designer. He did the accounting and some of the marketing that Jessica didn’t have time to do.
“Pretty sure he wouldn’t succeed without me,” she muttered.
She dropped her phone into her purse and sighed.
Finally, she recorded the prices of everything she needed and then wandered through the store to kill time. Abi and Logan were together at the apartment and seemed to be in a lengthy discussion, so she didn’t want to interrupt. It was Abi’s place, after all, and Kailynn didn’t want to overstay her welcome. Killing time in stores was fun for her, though, so she didn’t mind.
Coming across the game aisle, she stopped short when she saw Chase staring at the entire section. She smiled and watched him. His finger was poised on his lip, and his other hand was on his hip. His brows furrowed in concentration as he examined the various games. He wore a green t-shirt that complimented his olive skin. A pair of jeans hugged his hips perfectly and fit nicely along his thighs. She could only imagine the lean muscle beneath them.
Down, girl. He’s your lawyer.
