I try to laugh to make my outburst a little less insane, but she’s laughing for real. “This is seriously the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Welcome to the weird,” I tell her.
“Yeah, I’m sticking around to see this thing out. I need entertainment, like no one else.”
“Oh, you’ll get entertainment,” Jim says. He’s quiet, but the humor of the conversation seems to have brightened him up a little.
“How are you two getting away with all this?” Olivia asks them. I wasn’t going to ask. It’s none of my business, but I’m curious to know if the rules apply.
“We’re just friends,” Jim replies quicker than I anticipated.
“Yeah, friends,” Theo says.
I squint at them both. “Hmm.”
Theo swallows hard and, I get the hint and change the subject. “Well, all I can say is, if you choose to mingle tonight, stay away from Max if he shows up. He’s insane.”
“Max was given the ax,” Theo says. He says it as if I should have known he was sent packing.
“He’s gone?”
“He crossed the line and ignored the fine print, so yeah, he’s gone.”
It’s that easy to get booted. Interesting.
“Are they all in suits at a bonfire?” Olivia whispers as we watch them throw firewood into the licking flames.
“Yup, yes they are.”
“Interesting,” she continues.
I spot Noah walking slowly down the path, his hands in his pockets, wearing a blue sports coat and light-gray slacks. He looks like a steel teddy bear. My heart flutters at the sight of him.
I’ve decided to let him come to me, so I don’t push. He never responded to my text message when I was checking on him after work, so I don’t know what frame of mind he’s currently in.
I wonder if he’s required to be here tonight.
I stay focused on my wine cooler. “I’m going to go grab another drink from the cooler on your porch. Do you want another one?” Olivia asks.
“Oh, yeah, that’d be great.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just avoiding eye contact with them,” I tell her, trying to seem unaffected by my thoughts, all of which are revolving around Noah.
“I don’t blame you. Your eyes might start to burn after staring at so much hotness for so long.”
She has a good sense of humor. I’ll give her that.
“Was that Olivia from the carnival?” Noah’s voice pulls my focus from my empty bottle.
“Hey,” I say, trying to force a smile. “Yeah, I messaged her earlier and invited her over for a few drinks. She wanted to stay for the bonfire to see what the craziness was all about.”
“That was sweet of you to reach out to her,” Noah says.
“I felt kind of helpless after you got that call earlier, and it seemed like something I should do.”
Noah smiles genuinely, but his lips only pull to one corner. “My buddy is going to be okay. He might lose his leg, but he’s going to live. I spent hours on the phone today, trying to reach people to find out more information.”
