Gabby had a strong personality from the very beginning. Bold, funny, and thrived under the spotlight. There weren’t many kids in our neighborhood, so Mikayla and I invited her to hang out with us—a massive mistake. I called it from the very beginning, but nobody believed me.
Lucy called me immature. Landon called me paranoid. Dad said I was overreacting. Mom thought I was jealous and needed to learn how to share—that it was okay for Mikayla to have two best friends. Only that never would’ve been good enough for Gabby. She was always trying to weasel her way in between us. She wanted to replace me.
I hate that I gave her the very thing to do it.
“Lily?” Taylor prompts, and it sounds like not for the first time. “Are you okay?”
I shake off her gentle touch to my shoulder and glance down at my cup. “I need a refill.”
“Landon can get it?—”
“I’m already up.” I slip away before she can say anything else. Setting the cup down on the kitchen counter, I bundle my hair into my hand and fan myself. My skin is hot and clammy, and it’s a little hard to breathe.
One of my dad’s friends finishes mixing his drink and offers me the whiskey bottle. I take it gratefully. I pour myself a shot, throw it back, then pour a second.
“Damn, I didn’t know this was that kind of party,” a soft, lilting voice says.
A short brunette with a sly grin stands at my side. Beth something, one of my sister’s friends from work, the principal of a nearby high school. I’ve only met her two times before, but I’ve noticed the way her eyes linger on my body and how often she finds excuses to talk to me. While I find herattractive, I don’t want to make things messy for Lucy—mostly because if she was to so much as catch me flirting with Beth, her brain might explode.
But with my mind reeling from thinking about Mikayla and Gabby and how painfully horny I’ve been all week, I find myself caring less and less about how Lucy might feel about this. Beth and I are both grown women. Things don’t have to be messy.
“It’s that kind of party now.” I flash her my most charming smile and pour her a shot of her own. I offer it to her with a suggestive raise of my eyebrow.
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” she purrs while taking the glass, her finger grazing mine. “To a happy new year?”
“To a happy new year.” I clink my glass to hers and down the shot. The whiskey burns my throat, and I cover my mouth with my fist.
“How long are you in town for?” she asks.
“I leave tomorrow afternoon.”
She edges her hand closer to where mine rests on top of the onyx countertop. Her fingers slip into the spaces between mine, and she looks up at me from under her long eyelashes. “Guess that means you should make tonight count.”
Movement across the room catches my eye, and I startle at the appearance of Harlow. She looks amazing in a black button-down with a dark vest and slacks. Mom pulls her into a hug and says loud enough I can hear her from across the room, “I’m so glad you could make it!”
What is Harlow doing here? My heart races, and I stand a little taller.
“Do you want one?” Beth asks as she reaches for a champagne bottleand flute.
“Sure,” I say and make myself focus on her. It doesn’t matter that Harlow is here. She doesn’t want to hook up again, and neither one of us is looking for a relationship. We can be friendly, but if she’s not going to take care of this ache between my thighs, I might as well find someone who will.
“Are you enjoying your winter break?” I ask, discreetly searching for Harlow out of the corner of my eye, but not finding her.
“I am.” She leans in closer to me, her fingers stroking along my forearm, sending chills up my spine. “And it’s getting better by the second.”
I smirk. “Would you want to get out of here?”
“I’d love that,” she says. “Give me one second, and we can head to my place?”
After I nod, she excuses herself with the promise she’ll be right back. I reach for the whiskey, my gaze scanning the room.
“She seems nice,” a husky voice says, making me jump two feet in the air.
“Shit, Harlow.” I clutch my chest. “What’re you doing sneaking up on me like that?”
She doesn’t say anything, her face serious as she stares straight ahead.
“I thought you’d be at Carlos and Brandon’s party,” I say.
