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A flicker of excitement moved over his face and he bounced slightly on his heels, looking like a child on Christmas.
“What’s your favorite movie of all time?”
“Casino Royale,” I said.
“We’re doing a themed party at the Bach’s mansion,” he said. “So make sure to get your best Bond girl outfit before Saturday.”
He loved James Bond. I just liked watching movies with sexy older men in them, but I’d never had the heart to inform him I’d told him it was my favorite only because he liked it so much. And I was glad right now that I hadn’t. He looked so pleased with himself.
“That sounds amazing,” I said.
There was a scuffle behind him and Candice appeared, wrapped in a blanket. Her blonde hair was wild, her messy bun falling out, and her eyes were puffy. She stared up at Merrick for a long moment, seemingly stunned by having to reenter the world.
“Can I have coffee?” she rasped.
“I can make it,” I volunteered.
She blinked around the room. “Merrick’s coffee is better, no offense.”
I rolled my eyes, pulling out a stool. Merrick graciously set his keys and wallet back down and made her a cup of coffee. It only took a few sips for her to start looking less pale.
“Thanks,” she sighed. “I really need to drag my ass back to my parents soon. They’re going to be pissed I’m hungover.”
“I already texted Yale to come pick you up and take you home,” Merrick said.
She bristled at the mere mention of his name. “I’d rather walk.”
“Your father would have my head if I let you walk home, still drunk from last night. Yale will take you home. Understood?”
Merrick sent her that stern look that always shut me up, his mouth pressed together and his right brow lifted. She pushed out her lower lip and scowled.
“You’re being misogynistic,” she muttered.
“No, I’m being responsible.”
She snorted.
“I am all for the liberation of women,” said Merrick. “But not for the liberation of Candice Roberts. The world did nothing to deserve that.”
The front door buzzed and I heard heavy boots on the polished floors. They moved down the center hallway and Yale appeared in the kitchen doorway. His crystal blue eyes lit up as they fell on Candice and a grin flashed up his square jaw.
“Look at you, Miss Roberts,” he drawled. “Gift wrapped and everything.”
She lifted her middle finger and flounced past him and down the hall toward my bedroom, leaving Yale laughing in her wake. Merrick shook his head and picked up his keys and wallet again.
“I’m headed out,” he said. “See you tonight, Clara.”
“Alright,” I said. “Have a good day.”
Yale followed him up the hall to the foyer and I took the other way back to my bedroom. Candice was furiously searching for the tiny, yellow dress she’d worn out to the club last night to no avail. I shut the door and went to the bathroom to turn the shower on for her.
There was a frustrated groan and Candice burst into the bathroom, unfastening her shirt and pulling it off.
“You already showered?”
“Yeah, my hair is still wet.”
We were incredibly close, maybe in a co-dependent way sometimes, and we did everything together. Ate, slept, dressed, showered, and shared our darkest, dirtiest secrets. There was nothing Candice didn’t know about me,
