Larry loves the guys so much that even he’s been having sleepovers at their apartment without me around. He’s always in a good mood whenever he returns—not surprising since they feed him all his favorite treats.
“Come on, Kady!” Sabs bellows from downstairs. “Time to party!”
I quickly check my reflection. I smooth down my sophisticated, periwinkle blue dress and adjust my hair that’s swept up into an elegant half-up half-down do. “Coming!”
Waiting with Delilah by the door, Sabs points at a purple light-up ball that Larry is pushing around the floor with his paw. “I nearly broke my neck on that thing!”
Larry swishes his fluffy tail and meows up at her with innocent wide eyes.
“See?” Sabs scowls. “I swear, he did it on purpose when he saw the size of my heels.”
Although the guys have been true to their word about not lavishing me with gifts, they have been spoiling Larry. They bought him a huge kitty condo for my bedroom in the shape of a castle, which he loves. Calder got him a new plush bed that’s as soft as a cloud. Ezra grew him some high grade catnip, which I had to limit his intake of as I’m seriously worried about him becoming addicted. Riven got him an adorable set of sweaters for the winter—the jury’s still out on whether he’ll wear them, but there’s a photo opportunity there if nothing else. Hale even set up a subscription to a premium cat food supplier who customizes the food to Larry’s needs.
I check out Sabs’s micro purple sequin dress. “You know this is a low-key work event, right?”
“I needed an excuse to wear this dress.” She fluffs her red curls to give them extra volume. She looks gorgeous, as usual. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up in Club Knotty after.”
“I won’t.” That’s a definite no for me. “I have an assignment due next week, and I’m only halfway through it.”
“Those Valen alphas must be distracting you if you’re that behind.” Delilah links her arm through mine. She’s wearing a wide-leg leopard print jumpsuit with giant heart dangling earrings that sway amid her ringlets. “Remind me, why is this such a big deal again?”
“This is the celebration ofTheValley Voice’s fiftieth birthday.” I smile proudly. “It’s a huge milestone for the paper.”
To celebrate, Calder invited everyone who works for the paper and their friends to celebrate in the office. It’s going to be a tight squeeze to fit in so many people, but Calder assured me that he has it handled, refusing my offers to help with planning.
“I hope there are plenty of snacks.” Sabs pats her stomach. “I’m starving.”
Sabs’s eyes light up when she sees the flashing lights and speakers on the waiting party golf cart I rented for the evening. She loves any excuse to belt out a song.
I drive us through campus, turning up the music loud while the girls sing. They had a few cocktails earlier, so they’re already a little merry.
When we pull up outside the office, an army of blue and gold balloons surround the entrance doorway.
“Drax!” Sabs runs over to greet the ripped, inked security guard on the door, who I assume Calder hired. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since...” She leaves the sentence unfinished.
Delilah and I hang back, assuming she’s talking about the time they made out.
Drax’s cheeks turn pink. “I guess I’ve been busy.” He puts his hands in his pockets, but his eyes glitter when he meets her gaze. “It’s good to see you, Sabs.”
“You too. I’m glad there’s no awkwardness between us.” She punches him playfully in the shoulder. “Back to being friends?”
“Yeah.” The sparkle in his eyes extinguishes. “Just friends.”
“We better go inside,” I cut in, unable to stand any more of the tension. “Calder will be mad if we’re late. He’s a stickler for punctuality.” I smile apologetically at Drax, whose shoulders hunch. “Thanks for your help with the party.”
He clears his throat. “No problem.”
“Poor Drax,” Delilah mutters as we climb the stairs.
“What?” Sabs looks at her incredulous expression as her heels creak on the stairs. “We’re friends now. You heard him.”
Delilah shakes her head, deciding not to disagree as we approach the loud voices and music coming from inside the office.
“This is so exciting!” Delilah perks up as I push the door open. She eyeballs the towering shelves spanning the walls, stuffed with books and previous paper issues. “I can almost hear the SVU secrets whispering in the air.”
Sabs winks. “Maybe we’ll find some juicy gossip if we dig around?”
“There will be nothing lying around for you to find.” I tug them away from the entrance. “I gave Calder strict instructions to make sure all electronic devices were locked away.”
