I’d been doing it for years.
“You ready to have some fun tonight, Jeege?” he asked as he scooped me up and spun me around before setting my feet back down on the ground.
“Damn straight. It’s Friday night. We don’t have to wake up in the morning. I’m ready to let loose and have a good time.”
He flipped off the lights in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“Well, being the prettiest girl there means I’m going to have to be watching out for you.” He kissed my cheek.
“Don’t be scaring off my potential lovers,” I said over my laughter, and he just stared at me for a beat, not responding, before he cleared his throat and nodded.
Why is he being so serious now? He knows what my plan is.
I cocked my head to the side, trying to figure out what was going on with him.
As if he could read the questioning look on my face, he shook his head, lips turning up in the corners, though it appeared forced, and he pushed the door open.
“Let’s go, lover girl.”
I was ready.
It was going to be a good night.
nine
. . .
Cutler
It wasone of those nights when the stars just aligned and we were all having a great time. Gracie brought an energy with her that we’d clearly all missed.
Hell, even Phoenix was having a good time, and he rarely had a good time.
We were drinking and dancing and laughing.
It was a warm night, but the breeze off the lake provided enough relief to make it comfortable.
“I missed this girl so much!” Tatum shouted as she and Gracie returned from the dance floor, with Jovi right behind them.
Tatum had grown up next door to Brody and Phoenix, and I’d known her for years. She and Gracie had met many times, and they’d always hit it off.
Throw in some tequila and Michelob Ultras, and it was even more magnified.
Jovi was Bass’s little sister, and we all loved her. She was officially twenty-one years old now, so it was her first time coming out with us. She was home from school, and Bass was quite possibly the most protective brother on the planet.
“I think this calls for another shot,” Jovi said, wriggling her eyebrows at everyone at the table.
“Hey, let’s slow things down. You’re barely legal,” Bass chuckled as we all sat around the high-top table at Four Clovers.
The center of the container park, which was normally turf, had a large wooden dance floor there on Friday nights during the summer months.
“I’ve been twenty-one for six months, brother dearest,” Jovi said. “I’m also going to be a senior in college, so stop being overbearing.” She gave him a look.
Bass rolled his eyes just as Brody walked over with a tray of shot glasses.
“I agree,” Cannon said. “We’ve got our girl Gracie back in town for a few months, and little Jovi is home for the summer and old enough to drink. Does it get any better?” He winked at the girls before joining them with a shot.
“You aren’t taking shots, Bear?” Gracie asked, her words slurring the slightest bit.
