“What a creep. Can’t a girl ask for a photo without the risk of being touched?” She screams excitedly as Jake trips over his own shoelaces and stumbles.
“You okay?”
“Very okay,” Mallory smiles sweetly, which makes my scowl vanish.
A few more people from the party are finally out, but none seem to be paying attention to the list.
I place a hand on Mallory’s back, guiding her through the busy sidewalk as she sends a warning text to the soccer team about the leprechaun.
“Hey,” I say, patting her shoulder. In line for a new club, Jane waits with a green beer in each hand and matching hair. “Jane’s outfit fulfills number two.”
I stick my arm out for her before she can take off, which makes her lips tick upward. “Wow, Gray. I’m starting to think you like being pulled around.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say as nonchalantly as possible, but it’s pointless. She knows just as well as I do that I’m loving every second of this.
Jane squeals when she spots us, wrapping her arms around Mallory without spilling a drop of beer. “Sweetie! Goodness, you look gorgeous. I remember when I had a body like this. I was too hot to trot.”
For the first time ever, I hear an accent when she speaks. Scottish maybe?
“And Kenneth!” Her eyes dart to Mallory’s hand gripping my wrist, but she doesn’t let me go. “I like that green on you, kiddo. How’s Karla?”
“Thanks, Ms. Jane. And Karla is getting on my nerves, as usual. How are Jaxon and Julie?”
“They’re good. Dropped them off with my parents since my favorite babysitter is out having some fun, which makes me one happy lady.” Intrigued eyes shift between us. “How nice to see you together and not trying to strangle each other.”
“It’s a new development we’re working on,” I chuckle. “There’s still a fifty-fifty chance.”
Mallory checks her watch. “I’m sorry to cut this short, Jane, but can we take a picture? It’s for the scavenger hunt.”
Jane laughs. “Get over here and kiss my cheek already!”
I snap the photo of Jane grinning like she won the lottery and tuck my phone away to give Jane a hug, but her grip on my arms tightens when she pulls back.
“You better not drop green beer on my girl this year. You hear me?”
I nod silently. Of course Mallory told her about that. It wasn’t one of my finer moments.
“She’s pretty scary,” I shiver, as Jane disappears into the club.
“And Irish, so we knocked off numbers two and five.”
I click my tongue, finally able to place the accent. After sending the photo to Cade, I jog to catch up to Mallory who is already on the hunt.
“You’re really good at this, Eddie. Now I know why you demolished me during the scavenger hunt freshman year. How did I beat you last year?”
“The green beer challenge got me. One turned into five with Adri, which took me out. Then you dropped your beer on me, and I called it a night.”
I grab her wrist and pull us to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “Hey, I’m sorry for spilling beer on you. And I’m sorry for waiting anentire year to say that. There are so many times I wanted to apologize. I’m an idiot for not doing it sooner.”
Mallory looks up and her eyes flitter with something I thought I’d never see when she looks at me.
Trust. She believes the words I say.
“Apology accepted, but not needed. And I’m sorry for calling you a spoiled brat living off daddy’s money.”
My brows knit together. “You never said that.”
“Not to your face,” she sings.
