A sheepish grin on his face, Blaze held up both hands in surrender, one cradling a tumbler of amber liquid. “Sorry, Jo. Didn’t see you back there.”
Olivia rushed forward to embrace her with an air kiss hug, then swung a scowl at Blaze. “What am I? Invisible?”
He inclined his head. “My most sincere apologies.”
Olivia snubbed the not-so-sincere apology and hooked her arm through Jo’s. “Let’s go find something to do before I die of boredom.”
“I’d love to, but we should say hello to Avery’s family first.” Jo looked up at him for confirmation when what she really wanted was an excuse to stay with him, no matter the company.
Instead, Avery glanced at his friends. “Where’s Linc?”
Blaze motioned toward the crowd. “Huntin’ puss—er, with some girl, but he said if you showed up, to tell you he has something for you.”
“Go ahead. I need to talk to Linc,” he said to her and kissed her cheek in dismissal, his choice cutting deep. “I’ll find you when I’m done.”
Jo extricated her hand from his and turned to Olivia. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here.” Olivia whisked her off without a backward glance at Maverick. Someone was in the doghouse.
Jo offered up an option. “I need to use the restroom?”
“That’ll work.” Olivia veered toward the hall.
“Are you okay?” Jo asked as they turned the corner.
Olivia grimaced. One of those everything hurts grimaces. “Not really.”
Five weeks ago, Jo had felt sorry for Olivia, but that was before she understood, before she felt the sharp blade of unrequited love. “He’s still on the fence?”
“No, he got off on the other side when he chose the Sigmas.” Olivia shoved open the bathroom door in a burst of anger. They were alone. She plowed into an empty stall.
Jo took the one next to her, gathered her dress, and sat. “And how exactly did he do that?”
“It’s—” Olivia’s voice cracked just a little. “He’s fucking going to Greece.”
It took a second to connect the dots. The Sigmas had planned a trip to Greece. Not a few guys. Not several. The Sigmas. “Are all of them going?”
The other side of the stall grew quiet.
“Olivia?”
“Avery hasn’t mentioned it?”
“No, he didn’t tell me. We’re…” The words stuck in Jo’s throat, and she couldn’t swallow them, couldn’t breathe around them. But Olivia knew the truth about their arrangement, andshe’d hear about their breakup sooner or later. “Tonight’s our last night.”
“Oh, Jo, I’m so sorry.”
Jo cleared her throat. “It’s okay. It’s what we agreed to.”
The outer door opened, and someone entered, stalling their conversation. They finished up in silence.
As soon as they left the restroom, Olivia urged Jo toward one of the less populated exhibits. Arm in arm, they stood in front of a display of archeological artifacts. What she was actually looking at, she couldn’t have said.
“You fell in love with him, didn’t you?”
Jo shrugged. She didn’t want to talk about it. She hadn’t even told Brooke, though she suspected her best friend already guessed. “So, this trip. What makes it such a decision maker? Why don’t you want Maverick to go?”
“Have you met these guys? They hunt in a pack on these trips and devour anything in their hedonistic wake. Whiskey. Women. Whatever they dream up, they do.”
