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“Hanging in there, thanks.”
“And Preston?”
I cocked an eyebrow, and the hint of a flush rose to his cheeks above his gray whiskers. Guess he knew. “Better every day.”
“Glad to hear it,” Mason said, entwining his fingers with his husband Jasper, who stood close beside him.
“Thanks for making the trip, Jasper,” I said holding out my hand.
“Of course,” he said, clasping with a firm grip. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
I nodded and turned toward Kellen.
He grabbed me for a tight squeeze before I could say a word, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Get off on a little role-play, do you?” I asked, keeping my voice low, close to his ear.
He huffed a laugh but didn’t release his hold on me. “He told you?”
“In a little too detailed a tale,” I grumbled, surprised by my lack of jealousy.
“I won’t apologize.”
“Just doing your job, right?”
“Whatever the client wants.” Kellen repeated what Sean and Micah had demanded of us often enough. “That kid was so damn hungry for you.”
“Still is,” I said, clasping Kellen’s shoulder when pulling away. Thank fuck those two greetings were behind me. “JJ—thanks for coming,” I said, greeting the next in line.
Kellen’s man nodded, offering condolences before placing his hand on Kellen’s lower back in a possessive touch, which had me glancing over my shoulder.
Preston stood with Nancy and Michael where I’d left him, engrossed in conversation. With him appearing to be okay for the moment, I turned my focus to my group of friends.
Zack greeted me next, then surprisingly EEMM’s secretary BetsyAnne. She hugged me tight, not saying a word, her eyes bright with wetness when we stepped away from each other.
“I appreciate all you coming down here,” I said, my voice slightly choked.
Sean clasped my shoulder tight, squeezing. “We’ll always have your back. I’ve said it a dozen times, but I’m so fucking sorry about your dad.” He swallowed hard, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
Considering how shitty of a relationship he had with his father and had always envied mine, I expected he felt my pain on a deeper level. Dad had treated him like a second son when we’d lived in Boston.
Blinking away tears, I nodded. “Thanks. Come on,” I rasped, motioning toward the bar on the left. “Let me get you all a beer.”
Bottles in hand mere moments later, we created a close-knit circle.
Zack was the one to lift his drink in toast. “To the future and prosperity in every way.”
“And hopefully fulfilling relationships to those of us who want one,” BetsyAnne hastened to add, clinking her bottle to his. “God knows I need to find a good man.”
I appreciated the off-topic thought, since I was more than ready to put grief and sadness behind me.
“Don’t go getting any ideas,” Sean grumbled. “Replacing you guys isn’t as easy as you think it is.”
“Guess that means you’re booked almost every night, huh?” I asked Zack.
A crooked smirk curled one side of his mouth. “Won’t complain about the money, but I’m tired as fuck and need a break.”
“We just had a new client request you for a five-day getaway vacation in paradise,” BetsyAnne said, “so maybe you’ll have some downtime to sit on the beach and get another type of D.”
