“Relax,” I say. “No one could find that sex club if they tried. And besides…I’m not going.”
“Oh, come on, you wuss,” Ty groans. “You’recurious.And everyone wears masks—you don’t even know who you’re talking to.”
“Unless you know the sound of their voice,” I say with a grin.
Right then, Faith appears.
She sets down our food, calling out dishes with a soft, easy rhythm.
That voice—sweet, sing-songy, nothing like my ex’s smoky rasp.
I’d recognize it anywhere.
“Can I get y’all anything else right now?” she asks.
My chest tightens. I don’t knowwhyher tone gets under my skin like this—but it does.
Visceral. Immediate.
“We’re great, thanks,” Ty says.
I feel her eyes on me. I finally meet them.
“You’re Hunter Holloway, aren’t you?” she says.
I nod.
She smiles—tight and polite. “Been a while. Congrats on, uh… everything. I’ll leave y’all to eat. Let me know if you need anything else.”
She’s gone before I can even think of what to say.
Our table goes quiet for a second, until Dave’s voice bleeds in from the next booth.
“D.C. is hook-up central, man,” he’s saying. “College interns everywhere. You’re gonna be swimming in pussy.”
Keith laughs. “Sounds like paradise.”
“You did the right thing, telling her what’s up,” Dave continues. “This way, you’re not cheating. You get to have your cake and eat it too. She’ll always be here. I mean, come on—Faith? She’s faithful. Her dad’s best friends with yours. She won’t hook up with anyone. She’s too old-fashioned for that.”
Keith grunts. “Fucking right. Without me, her family’s got nothing.”
I calmly cut into my steak. My table’s moved on to football talk, but I’m locked in, my ears burning.
Then Keith and Dave stand, heading out with a bottle of wine.
What happens next is... up for debate.
Do I have long legs? Yes.
Did Ineedto stretch them into the aisle just as Keith walked by?
...Debatable.
His foot clips mine. He stumbles.
The wine bottle goes flying.
It crashes to the floor—glass everywhere.
