“Oh yeah, he’s definitely getting lucky tonight.”
That made me laugh. “What are you on about? He gets lucky every night.”
Mia chuckled. “True. I’ll just make sure it’s extra memorable.”
The bell above the door jingled and moments later, Hannah and Maya slid into the booth.
“What did we miss?” Hannah grabbed a menu even though it was way past lunch and we weren’t ordering food.
And Maya looked… well, like she’d stuck a fork in a toaster. Her usually neat brown hair frizzled at the temples, and her eyes held a lost, frightened look. “Maya? You okay? You look like you got chased by a bear.”
“I wish,” Maya muttered, dropping her head onto her folded arms on the table. “Bears I can handle. Bears have predictable negotiation tactics.”
Mia bumped Maya with her shoulder. “Okay, you’re freaking us out.”
“Uh huh,” I agreed.
Maya let out a long breath and lifted her head. “I just got a text from my brother.”
“And?” Hannah looked like she was about to burst from curiosity.
“Nate’s coming back.”
The name landed like a grenade in the middle of the table. Hannah’s eyebrows shot up and Mia’s mouth fell open. I just stared, as color rose in Maya’s cheeks.
“Wait.” Hannah leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with the kind of delight that meant trouble. “Nate O’Hara? Who was your brother’s best friend since they were six years old? Who accidentally saw you naked right after your eighteenth birthday?”
Maya groaned, her color deepening.
Hannah wasn’t done. “The guy you had the biggest crush on from age twelve until he left to join the army, never to be heard from again?” She paused for dramatic effect. “That Nate O’Hara?”
Maya’s expression flattened. “Gee, thanks, Hannah. You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself.”
“I try.”
“And yes.” Maya dragged both hands down her face. “It’s that Nate O’Hara. And I am completely fine. Not spiraling at all.” Her voice pitched higher on the last sentence, betraying the lie. “Mom’s throwing a big homecoming party at Lacey’s and you all need to come because I am not facing that alone.”
“We’ll be there,” I said immediately.
“Obviously,” Mia added.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Hannah’s grin was downright predatory. “This is going to be amazing.”
Maya slumped back against the booth.
Before I could offer more comfort, the bell jingled again. Poppy, Cassidy, Annie, and Samara filed in, squeezing into the booth until we were packed in like sardines.
“Alright, we’re here.” Cassidy sat next to Hannah. “Before we get started, what was with the cryptic text, Mia?”
Mia just smiled and gestured toward me. “Tell them your big news.”
Six pairs of eyes swung in my direction.
“There was a mix-up with the scholarship.” I took a breath, still hardly believing the words coming out of my mouth. “Turns out I actually won it.”
The booth exploded. Poppy shrieked. Annie grabbed my arm. Samara clapped. Questions flew at me from every direction until Mia held up a hand.
“Long story short. There was some fraud involved, Jack sniffed it out, and Emily is officially a scholarship recipient.” She beamed at me. “Our girl’s going to art school.”
