She’s still in my arms when the door swings open.
Music and voices explode out onto the deck.
“Well, there you two are!”
Harleigh jerks slightly in my arms.
I glance over her shoulder and see Charli stepping onto the patio with one hand braced on the doorframe, squinting through the dim light until she spots us at the railing.
Her grin spreads immediately.
“Oh good,” she says, strolling toward us like she’s discovered exactly what she expected to find. “You didn’t take off on us.”
Harleigh clears her throat and hops down from the railing.
The loss of her warmth hits immediately.
Charli stops a few feet away and plants her hands on her hips. “So, here’s the situation,” she announces.
I fold my arms.
“Cabe got a mysterious text and bailed.”
Harleigh blinks. “What?”
She shrugs. “Phone buzzed. He read it. Then, suddenly, he had somewhere to be. So,” she continues brightly, “it looks like you’re everyone’s ride home, handsome.”
I stare at her for a second.
Then I nod once. “All right.”
Honestly …
That’s probably a good thing.
Because if Harleigh and I were left alone out here much longer, I’m not entirely convinced I’d have the willpower to keep my hands to myself.
Not after that kiss.
So, I step away from the railing and gesture toward the door. “Lead the way.”
Charli spins around triumphantly. “Excellent.”
I wait for Harleigh to walk ahead, then follow the two of them.
When we step back inside, the noise of the bar crashes over us again—music thumping, glasses clinking, people shouting over darts.
Bryce is standing at the bar, tucking his card in his wallet while the bartender prints the receipt.
Waylon is standing behind him with his arm around Shelby’s waist, who is very unsteady.
I jog over to our abandoned table, scoop Harleigh’s jacket off the back of the chair, and carry it to her.
She slips it on without a word. Her eyes avoiding mine.
Bryce signs the receipt and slides it back to the bartender.
“All good,” he says, turning toward us.
