AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Nineteen
Blue
––––––––
Idon’t know if it’sthe wine or if it’s really hot in the restaurant, but I suddenly feel flushed with heat. Harris is looking at me in a way that makes me squirm in my seat and causes the little hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.
Averting my gaze, I turn back toward the table, refocusing on Everett who’s telling Hannah all about life in Hawaii while she listens, completely enraptured. If I was a betting woman, which clearly I am, I’d put money on them going home together tonight.
“We should go next door after this,” Hannah announces as Harris slips his credit card to the waitress without her bringing the bill.
“What’s next door?” Everett drapes his arm over the back of Hannah’s chair.
“The White Orchid.” She leans back and I don’t miss the way his thumb briefly grazes her shoulder. Yep, they’re definitely hooking up tonight.
I can’t fault her for her obvious interest in Everett. He’s almost as good looking as Harris...almost. And he definitely seems to have mastered the same womanizing charm as his older brother. He had her eating out of the palm of his hand before they even brought the salad.
“What’sThe White Orchid?” he asks.
“It’s kind of like a dance club. Well, I guess it technicallyisa dance club, but it’s not your typical ‘young people grinding all over each other’ dance club.”
“So it’s a dance club with class?”
“Pretty much.”
“It’s also way overpriced,” I chime in. “But if you don’t mind paying fifteen dollars for a martini then you’ll probably like it.”
“I take it you’ve been?” Harris asks, pulling my attention to him.
“A couple of times.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, even though inside I’m a little annoyed with my friend.
I can’t believe Hannah even suggestedThe White Orchid, considering the last time we went there I caught my fiancé with his tongue down another woman’s throat. Then again, it was so long ago she probably didn’t even think about it. And while the thought of James no longer bothers me the way it used to, that doesn’t mean I want to go rubbing salt in old wounds either.
“Well, I’m in,” Everett announces.
Hannah throws him a smile that I know all too well. She must really like him because she’s pulling out all the stops tonight.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about my best friend hooking up with Harris’ brother. On one hand, I don’t see the issue. It’s not like they are going to get married. He does live in Hawaii, after all. On the other, it’s a little weird. Like what happens if they do end up as an item? It might be strange, considering the history Harris and I will soon share. Notice I said history? Because one week from tonight that’s exactly what we will be—history.
“What do you think?” Harris leans in, speaking low so only I can hear. “Do you want to go?”
“That’s up to you. I don’t mind going for a little bit if you want to.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, of course. If Everett is going then you should go. You only have a couple days left with him before he leaves.”
“Something tells me he wouldn’t miss me.” He smiles, nodding his head in the direction of his brother who seems just as enamored by Hannah as she does by him.
“Well, you might be right there.” I giggle. “We should probably go just to keep an eye on them.”
“Not sure my eyes will be on them, but okay. Blue and I are game,” he announces to his brother and Hannah.
“Yay!” Hannah’s smile is so wide it’s a wonder her face doesn’t split apart.
Once the waitress reappears, and Harris has signed the bill and retrieved his credit card, the four of us make our way next door. Per usual,The White Orchidis packed. There’s hardly room to stand, let alone sit. Harris weaves me through the crowd toward the bar, holding my hand the entire time.
As I let my gaze travel around the dimly lit room, from the decorative lights that hang from the ceiling to the shiny floors that look like they’re made of glass, I see that not much has changed in the three years since I’ve been here.
