“Morning.”
Lifting my head, I made eye contact with Quinn. “Hi. You went for a run?”
Quinn grimaced. “Well, I ran around in circles in the backyard, because I know Gray will strangle me if I go out running unattended.”
“Also,” Ava piped up as she placed bacon and a small white omelet in front of me, “it’s afternoon.”
“Oh.”
Quinn sat as Ava gave her the same and handed her a glass of the green juice Ash drank.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked Ava as I tackled my food.
“I did, that’s why you’re awake.”
“Oh.” Ava plated herself some food, and the three of us ate at different speeds in silence.
“You have a beautiful voice,” Quinn said to me as she pushed her empty plate away.
“Thanks. I only remember half of it,” I confessed. Drinking the coffee Ava gave me, I looked at Quinn. “I think it was the frozen margaritas that pushed us over.”
Quinn nodded, but her wince caused her to stop. “Yeah, I think we definitely overdid it.” She looked over at me almost . . . tentatively. “But hopefully, we can move on?”
“Huh?” I considered her and then Ava, whose head was down as she stared into her coffee cup. “Did something happen my brain hasn’t caught up to yet?” Memory loss wasn’t something I suffered from after drinking.
“You don’t remember?” Quinn asked, and I could see her assessing me as she waited.
“I remember singing, I remember tequila, and not much else. I’m a little bit fuzzy after ‘Beautiful.’” Again, I looked at Ava. “Why?”
“No reason.” Quinn brushed it off as she stood. “I’m going to shower and hopefully catch Gray before the game,” she said to us both.
“Is he playing?” I asked in surprise.
“Um, no. His hand’s still in a splint.” Quinn gave me a tight smile and left the kitchen.
Turning to Ava, I raised my hands. “What happened?”
“I thought blackouts were my thing?”
“Ava, come on, just tell me what I did.”
“Well, you sang,” she started. “Really well. You’re so much better every time I hear you.”
“You’re trying to soften me up,” I realized as I took another drink of coffee. “Just tell me, we were having a good time, no?”
“You were kind of mean to Quinn.”
“How?” I asked her in bewilderment.
“Well, you said some unpleasant things about Gray.” She looked away from my widening eyes. “And some kind of, well, harsh things about Quinn and Ash.”
“Ava?” I looked over my shoulder to where Quinn had left. “No! Why?”
“Look, I know you’re not usually like this, and it’s really unusual for you to be outright aggressive—”
“Aggressive?” I knew my eyes were wide with shock. “I’m not aggressive.”
“Well, you weren’t kind,” Ava said grimly.
