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I’d also seen Shiloh around town—a gorgeous dark-haired guy with stunning green eyes—who taught at the elementary school. I’d heard he was dating Holden Cross, who ran Forrester Bros Auto, but we’d never met personally.

“Hey, everyone, this is Dakota,” I said.

“Hi, Dakota,” Shiloh said. “Nice to meet you. I’m kind of new in town, so I don’t know everybody yet.”

“You look amazing,” Emory said. “I can’t believe we haven’t gotten together before now.”

“Well, your family bank helped my brother get a house in a hurry back in the day, so thank you for that.”

“Oh, of course.” Emory smiled. “Dad is great about community needs. But I’m not in the banking business anymore.”

“No?”

“I’m a tattoo artist now. You should come in and let me work some magic on you.”

She laughed. “I don’t know. All the places I’d want a tattoo, I’d actually have to feel the pain.”

“Most of my clients say it gives them a rush of endorphins,” Emory said. “Not all pain is bad.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“You should get a cute little anklet done,” Allison said. “That’s what I’ve got.”

She slid her chair out and displayed her leg for Dakota to see. Allison wore snug fuchsia tights and a dress that was designed to look like a men’s button-down shirt that hit her at the upper thigh.

A ringlet of delicate tattooed daisies encircled her ankle.

“That’s so cute!” Dakota exclaimed.

“Emory did it,” Allison said. “This isn’t really the most impressive example of his work, though. He’s an incredible artist. He did an Alice in Wonderland scene for this lady, and oh my god, it was just incredible. Like this warped landscape, with the whole tea party from the book, and that Cheshire cat with his crazy grin. I loved it.”

Emory blushed and ducked his head, looking pleased.

“I’ll think about it,” Dakota said. “I noticed you have some tattoos, Joey.”

“Yeah, nothing so interesting as that.”

I’d gotten a tiger face on my chest when I was a teenager and wanted to look badass. Just before I’d gone to prison, I’d had a Latin phrase added that roughly translated to: “The pain you feel today is the strength you’ll feel tomorrow.”

It was the hope I’d needed to get me through prison, but I didn’t feel strong. Pain still plagued me. Maybe I hadn’t yet reached my tomorrow.

A server stopped by to take our orders.

I requested a Glitterbomb, which included vodka, an energy drink, and edible glitter to give it a shimmery effect.

Allison got a Rum Job, and Shiloh and Aiden both ordered a Pink Banana, which was a strawberry daiquiri.

“Just a virgin banana for me.” Dakota grimaced at the rest of us after the server walked away. “Alcohol messes with too many of the meds I take.”

“Virgins are welcome here too,” Shiloh said with a wink.

“Yeah, the last time we all got together, I was drinking virgins, too,” Bailey said. “It’s so nice to finally be twenty-one.”

“Aw, you’re just a baby,” Dakota said, and everyone laughed.

“Hey, Joey isn’t that much older than me,” he protested.

We continued to chat, everybody teasing me and Bailey for being so damn young, until the first drag queen took the stage.