AllFreeNovel
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I toss my cell into the passenger seat and drive home, belting out every word of Taylor Swift’s “EndGame” on the way.
Cam’s my end game. I’ve never felt surer of anything in my life—or been happier.
Mustang’s is bumping when Gracelyn and I stroll in. Allthe high tops are taken, and the booths flanking the walls are filling up, too.
“The bar!” Gracelyn shouts over the loud country music, something by Kane Brown with a fast beat and a lot of bass.
I link fingers with her and we traverse the crowd, scooting in between tables and various groups of people waiting for a seat. We finally make it to the bar, but the scene’s not much better here.
“Damn, Grace—you should have opened a bar instead of working at the salon. Seems like Thunder Creek needs another hot spot.” I glance up and down the long, wood bar, trying to find at least one empty stool.
Spying an empty barstool at the far end, I drag Gracelyn hard to the left, practically jogging to grab the last two red pleather seats.
“Sit!” I pat the stool and Gracelyn slides up onto the chair, triumphant.
“Good eye, Sloane.” She high-fives me before turning and squinting up at the drink menu scrawled on a chalkboard. “What are you drinking?”
“Not tequila.” My stomach swirls at the mere mention of the liquor.
Gracelyn giggles. “I don’t know, results recommend that drink.”
“Funny. But no, thank you. I’m not sure I’ll ever drink tequila again.”
“What’ll it be, ladies?” A young guy in a tight T-shirt and even tighter jeans saunters up to take our order.
“I’ll have white wine.” I point to an open bottle behind the bar. “That one works.”
“Gotcha. What about you?” The bartender turns his dark eyes on Gracelyn and she gnaws at her lip, debating.
“Oh, what the hell. It’s Friday night. I’ll take a tequila on the rocks, with a lime.” She glances over at me. “Since it worked so well for you.”
“Nice.” The bartender gives Grace an approving nod, his gaze lingering on her ample chest before getting to work on the drinks.
Two minutes later, he slides a tall glass of wine and the tequila across the bar on black cocktail napkins.
“Cheers.” He shoots Grace a smirk and a tip of the chin before moving off to take another order.
I take a sip of wine and sneak a peek at my cell. No messages.
“You waiting on a call from Cam? That’s like the thousandth time you’ve checked your phone tonight.” Grace thumps her fingers on the bar in time with the thumping beat.
“Yeah. He’s probably getting an offer tonight.”
“What? That’s amazing! With Fort Lauderdale?”
I nod. “Yep. Camp’s been going great and the coach really likes him. Said he’ll be an asset for the offense, the missing piece.”
“That’s super, babe!” Gracelyn smiles at me, her eyes bright beneath the neon glow of theDrink Beer Heresign on the wall.
“I know. I’m happy for him.”
“What does that mean for y’all, though? He’s leaving Thunder Creek again then, right?”
“Yes, he’ll be moving down there.” I take another quick sip, the sharp tang burning my throat on the way down. “And he asked me to go with him.”
“Wha-what?” Gracelyn sputters on her drink, tiny droplets of clear liquid splattering the bar. She wipes thecorner of her mouth, then the wooden countertop. “You’re moving with him?”
I bite down on my lip, the bass shaking the stool beneath me. “I think so. I mean, we’re still working out the logistics. He doesn’t have a contract yet. So I haven’t gotten my hopes up or anything.”
