“I’m the DD,” Grayson reminded his cousin.
Remi waved him off. “I’ll drink yours.”
Wren glanced at Lark, who shoulder-bumped her.
“I’ll drink yours,” Lark said, softly enough that only Wren could hear her.
Well…Wren and Grayson, because he looked at Lark with concern.
“You might want to take it easy, Lark,” he said quietly. “Trying to keep up with Remi at the bar is a dangerous proposition.”
Lark laughed, unconcerned. “Relax, Grayson. I’m a professional.” She and Remi then launched into a game of one-upmanship, telling tales of their partying stamina.
Nora soon put a stop to it, declaring both Remi and Lark lunatics who really shouldn’t be bragging about their alcohol consumption.
“Almost finished that last book you gave me,” Grayson said. “Reserving judgment on my feelings about it until I hit the end, but just know that as of right now, I’m pissed off.”
Wren snickered. “Because the author killed off the detective?”
“He was two weeks from retirement!” Grayson exclaimed.
Wren shrugged. “That’s practically a contractual obligation in crime fiction.”
“It’s rude.”
She nodded sympathetically. “Incredibly rude.”
They quietly debated books for nearly twenty minutes, while everyone else drifted into side conversations around them. Grayson argued that thrillers relied too heavily on stupid decisions, while Wren defended flawed protagonists.
His grin widened. “I’m going to try to stop in tomorrow or Friday for another book, so start thinking of suggestions.”
“I’ll be ready.” Wren grinned back, not admitting she’d already spent the better part of one afternoon creating a list of books she was certain Grayson would love.
“Hey,” Nora said, leaning forward to talk around Lark. “Do you read romance?”
Wren nodded. “I read all genres.”
“When you read twenty-four-seven and do nothing else, it’s easy to cover all the bases,” Lark snarked, acting like Wren was some sort of oddity because she enjoyed relaxing with a good book.
“Edith and Theo’s girlfriend, Gretchen, have started a romance book club,” Nora continued. “Right now, there are only a handful of us in it, but you should join.”
Wren perked up. The idea of a book club sounded wonderful.
Nora picked up her phone, searching for something as she continued to speak. “We meet once a month at Edith’s. It’s a lot of fun.”
“It also includes mandatory snacks and very aggressive opinions about fictional men,” Remi chimed in.
Lark made a face. “That sounds horrifying.”
“Says the girl who never reads,” Wren quipped, her excitement instantly sparked. “I would love to join if there’s room.”
Nora chuckled. “Edith’s house is huge, and it would be cool to add a librarian to the mix. Might help us deepen our discussions if we find someone willing to defend emotionally constipated heroes.”
Everett frowned. “I feel attacked. Gray?”
“Definitely attacked,” he agreed.
Everyone laughed.
