“Xander and I are over. It will never be. Let’s just drop it, okay?”
Quinn sighs. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” But it’s the farthest thing fromwhat I want.
Quinnand I get to the restaurant, and Piper and Vivian are already there. They have drinks waiting for us on the table, and as soon as I sit down, I chug half of mine back.
“Jeez, Charlotte. Thirsty?” Vivian teases.
“Yep.” I motion for the waitress to send me another drink.
Quinn glances at me, and I know she is dying to spill my Xander news. I give her a look that tells her I’m going to kill her if she says a word.
I do not want to talk about it.
Unfortunately, like my luck has been all day, that isn’t in the cards.
Piper clears her throat. “Since you’ve got a drink in you now, I need to tell you something.”
I know what’s coming. I don’t know why I thought I would get away with avoiding the Xander topic tonight.
“Xander is moving here, and he started at the hospital you work at,” Piper blurts out.
I sarcastically laugh. “Yeah, I figured that out after the seven-hour surgery I had to endure with him today.”
“Seven hours!” Vivian shrieks.
I throw back the rest of my drink then glare at Piper. Suddenly, I’m mad. She could have prepared me for my run-in with Xander. “Thanks for having my back on that one.”
Piper winces. “You said you didn’t want to know anything about how he was doing. I wanted to tell you in person. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I don’t think Xander working at the same hospital I do is in the same classification as status updates on him,” I throw back at her.
“I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Vivian puts her hand on mine. “What happened?”
The waitress sets down another martini, and I take a sip. I tell the girls everything that happened, including how Xander said he dreams of me.
“What does that mean?” Vivian asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. He doesn’t remember me, but he dreams of me. How does that even make sense?”
I don’t get any answers, just confused stares. I can’t say I blame my friends.
“What did he say you are doing in these dreams?” Quinn asks.
I shrug. “We didn’t get that far. But it doesn’t matter. He is still searching for and in love with Billie.”
After finishing my second martini, I pop the green olive in my mouth and ask the waitress for water. I rarely drink a lot, and it’s already going to my head.
I tap my fingers on the table and stare at Piper. “I assume Xander is staying with you and Noah?”
She shakes her head. “The hospital is paying for his accommodations until he finds a place. It’s part of his relocation package, and he said he didn’t want to be in our hair. We told him that was silly, but he chose to stay at the hotel.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her which one, but I don’t. I’m afraid I might use my liquid courage and end up beating on his door tonight.
Quinn says, “I told Charlotte I think they just need to hang out, and he will remember her.”
