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I sip my club soda with lime as Gia pours another round of margaritas.

“Giaaaaa, Knox is going to kill me if I drink anymore.” Farrah groans.

She smirks. “Yeah, with that baseball bat he keeps in his pants.”

Farrah’s face flames as she giggles. “He won’t touch me now that I’m drunk, even if I work my hardest to convince him.”

Gia sighs. “He’s such a good guy. I’m so glad you guys worked things out.”

Gwen snorts. “You know she’s drunk when she gets all mushy.”

“Oh, shut up.” Gia throws a pillow at her.

I’ve been back in Pine Creek Falls for a week now. I’d planned to give Gray and Luddy their space back yesterday after Gwen offered to let me stay with her rent-free until I found a job. It was an incredibly generous offer, and I was set to accept it…until Luddy looked at me with those big blue eyes and asked why I had to leave. My determination crumbled.

If I’m being honest with myself, I truly didn’t want to leave them, but I felt like I was imposing. Grayson made it clear he didn’t want me to go anywhere either, and that was all it took to have me fully unpacking my suitcase in Gray’s guest bedroom.

“How are you feeling about the move back to Pine Creek Falls?” Farrah asks me.

“Better than I expected, actually. It’s been oddly freeing not having to worry about Chris every day.”

“Has he said anything more to you since you last talked?” Gia asks.

“No, thank god. He did cut off my access to our credit and bank cards.”

Gwen gasps. “What an asshole.”

“I’m not surprised.” I wish his petty behavior had shocked me, but he’s done similar things before when he was pissed off at me. “I think he believes that taking away the money will get me to come back.”

Little does he know, I’ve been saving small amounts of my monthly allowance in a personal checking account. It should’ve been a red flag, needing to secretly sock away money, but in my head, I justified it as money I didn’t need that month—saving it was the responsible choice.

It’s not much, but it’s enough to keep me afloat for a little while, especially since I don’t have any living expenses. Grayson’s refused to accept payment for anything. He said he’s more than able to afford whatever we need, and he doesn’t want my money.

Farrah raises her eyebrows. “He has no idea the support system you have here, does he?”

“Nope. But then again, he’d never willingly let someone stay at his house for free, so the thought wouldn’t cross his mind that anyone would do that for me.”

Gia sips at her margarita. “What does he think about your friendship with Gray?”

“He hates Grayson. He’s always been threatened by our friendship, but I’ve never understood why. It’s not like I’ve hidden anything from Chris. He has access to all of my conversations with Grayson, and he’s always taken advantage of my openness. He read everything Gray sent me. But I never understood why Chris acted like that. Grayson has never once said or done anything to indicate he loves me as anything more than my best friend. Not even when we were teens.”

Farrah bites her lip while Gia and Gwen share a look.

It puts me on edge. “What?”

Gia sets her glass on the coffee table. “Honey, I think Grayson would jump at the chance to be with you if you ever wanted to explore that option.”

I scoff. “There’s no way. He treats me like a sister.”

Gwen shakes her head. “You’ve been married for years. Of course he’s going to treat you like that.”

“But now that things have shifted…” Gia shrugs.

“And you know this for certain? He’s told you guys that he would date me if I were single?” What they’re saying doesn’t match the way Gray has treated me. I know he loves me, but it can’t be the way they’re saying. It just doesn’t make sense.

Gwen winces. “Not in those specific words, but it’s more than obvious to us every time he talks about you.”

“So then maybe you’re wrong.”