Hera.
Shaun barely had to weave through the crowd. It parted for him. I wondered what it felt like to walk around like you had the entire world in the palm of your hand, ready to bend backwards at the snap of your fingers.
“Hey, girls,” he greeted us smoothly, giving me a customary hug first. Then he enveloped Hera in a lingering one, going as far as kissing her cheek too. “Incredible job tonight, sweetheart.”
Hera’s green eyes widened, her face pinkening slightly.
“Thank you.” She squeezed his shoulders before pulling away slightly, keeping her hands on him. “We’ve sold out every ticket tonight. I’m optimistic that this buzz will help for our next event as well.”
“I’m sure it will.” Shaun tucked one of her dark strands behind her ear, eyeing her gold dress and black heels with a deft gaze. He fingered the chain of riviera diamonds around her neck. “Nice necklace.”
Hera was the definition of elegance and grace, but her usually polished composure slipped the slightest bit, alongsidean almost shy chuckle, at Shaun’s flirty tone. “I wonder who gave it to me.”
Shaun smirked, a deeply satisfied noise rumbling in his throat. “Must be someone who likes you a lot.”
Just then, Cade—Josh’s brother and Shaun’s best friend—entered our fold, towing along Ella, his girlfriend, and Darla and Dacia, all besties of Hera. The group exploded in lively greetings. They were a tight-knit crew and I knew them because we ran in the same circles since Hera and Layla were cousins.
As per usual, the girls and I gushed over each other’s outfits and took an innumerable number of selfies. I hoped Anna and Layla would reach us soon. They texted me half an hour ago that they were on their way. I didn’t want them to miss out on all the fun.
I’d just bought another virgin mojito when Ella sidled up next to me. “As your friend, I feel the need to tell you there’s a particular girl in this room who keeps giving you the stink eye.”
I stopped sipping my drink, my brows going high. “What?”
“On your left. Ten o’clock.”
Discreetly, I cast a glance in that direction.
My entire demeanour turned frosty.
Of course.
Morgan.
I’d done my best to ignore her when the team arrived earlier to set up the venue for our event. The best solution to handle her agitating self was to treat her like a fly in the room, annoying but irrelevant to my existence.
To make it worse, Tom was here tonight too. He was playing billiards with some boys and she hung onto him like arm candy.
“That’s Morgan.” I sighed. “She hates me.”
Ella recoiled back, her unique sectoral heterochromia blue-brown eyes widening. “Why?”
“Jealous that I got the position on the team she was vying for and probably for other reasons unbeknownst to me.”
Ella rolled her shoulders back and adjusted the hemline of her black leather minidress, the chunky gold bracelets stacked on her wrists jingling with the motion. “Want me to set her straight? She’ll never look at you with that crooked sneer ever again.”
I loved Ella. Truly. She was loyal to her core and a bit scary if you got on her bad side. Without hesitation, she’d teach Morgan a lesson, but I didn’t want to cause any drama. “I appreciate you, Ella, but it’s okay. She’s not worth it.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, the offer still stands.”
The rest of the girls announced they were going to join the long queue for the bathrooms. I didn’t need to go, but Ella said to them, “I’ll be there in a minute.”
She walked over to Cade. He was sitting on a bar stool, a drink in his hand, and just admiring Ella with this intense look. Kissing him, she murmured, “Be back soon.”
“Don’t take too long,mo chuisle,” he murmured back, squeezing her hip.
Ella and Cade had been dating since they were sixteen years old. They’d briefly experienced a separation but remained strong as ever after getting back together last year. They were the kind of couple that gave off ride-or-die energy, like their entire universe started and ended with each other.
Once the girls were gone, Cade and I chatted in their wait. He was a fellow bookworm, so we started exchanging book recommendations. He urged me to add two new mystery thrillers to my to-be-read list and I was in the midst of turning him into a paranormal romance convert when a shadow fell over us.
