but Jessica beat me.
“Oh, she’s not part of our costume,” Jessica said, pointing between herself, Bailey, and Irelyn. “The three of us did this. Morgan just showed up.”
Spencer’s face clouded as a frown tugged at his lips. Brow furrowed, he looked at Jessica like she was something he couldn’t identify and that, alone, lightened my heart.
“I forgot to let Morgan know about the costumes,” Bailey explained as she shot me a smile. “It’s my fault. I’m so damn forgetful lately.”
“That’s all right,” Collin said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I like Morgan’s costume,” Lucas said, slouching in his chair, his eyes on me. “She dresses up just like I do – in something normal.”
I laughed as Jessica scowled; swallowing the remainder of her drink before snatching the fresh one Evan had just delivered.
“I think it’s fun to dress up on Halloween,” Jessica pouted.
“Some people like it, some people don’t,” Spencer said, dropping a kiss on her head. “It’s cool, don’t worry about it.”
My high spirits dropped quicker than a rock in a pond. I turned my head again, toward the bar, searching for Evan. As Spencer and Jessica continued to coo at each other, I mumbled a lame excuse and left my seat.
The crowd around the bar was thicker now that the band was taking a break, so I decided to see if my reserved seat was still available. When I reached the end, I was surprised to see that a cardboard, tented sign was still there, the word RESERVED in huge red letters on either side. With a smile, I slipped into the seat, planted my elbows on the bar, and waited for Evan to notice. It took nearly five minutes and the band to go back on stage for the crowd to clear and Evan to work his way toward me.
“Hey,” he said with lifted brow. “I thought you were sitting with your friends.”
“Well, since you went to so much effort,” I said, holding up the crudely made sign, “I figured I could sit here for a little bit and have a drink.”
He nodded, suppressing a smile. “Would you like something other than diet soda?”
He sipped from a beer glass, wiping the foam off his lip.
“Give me a beer.”
“Seriously?”
I nodded. “It is Halloween.”
“That’s the spirit,” he said as he fetched a clean glass and placed it under the tap. Once it was full, he set it in front of me; refusing the bills I tried to hand him. His eyes wandered over to the table where I’d been sitting. “Why’d you leave your friends?”
“I told you, I thought I’d sit here for a little bit. You did save the seat for me.”
“Jessica gets on your nerves, doesn’t she?”
I choked on the beer I’d just sipped as I looked up into his eyes. “She’s fine.”
He laughed, standing straight and crossing his arms over his chest. “You can’t stand her. I could tell from here.”
I was beginning to regret coming over here but stood my ground.
“Think whatever you like,” I said in a snooty sort of tone I wasn’t particularly fond of – but it proved a point. “Like I said, she’s fine and I only came over because you saved this seat for me.”
“Sure,” he said, nodding with that maddening grin on his face. “Okay, Morgan. I need to get back to work.”
He spun on his heel and faced the thirsty crowd while I watched Jessica moon over Spencer from the corner of my eye. Evan was more right than he ever dreamed.
Finishing my beer, I returned to the table to say goodbye, waved to Evan, and escaped.
Chapter Six
After the sort of disaster of Halloween, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My relationships with Irelyn and Bailey hadn’t reached the level it once was – hadn’t progressed much at all. Sure, we were on speaking terms again, but that closeness was absent.
“Patience,” I muttered as I crossed campus to the parking lot once I’d finished with classes for the day.
“Oh, she’s not part of our costume,” Jessica said, pointing between herself, Bailey, and Irelyn. “The three of us did this. Morgan just showed up.”
Spencer’s face clouded as a frown tugged at his lips. Brow furrowed, he looked at Jessica like she was something he couldn’t identify and that, alone, lightened my heart.
“I forgot to let Morgan know about the costumes,” Bailey explained as she shot me a smile. “It’s my fault. I’m so damn forgetful lately.”
“That’s all right,” Collin said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I like Morgan’s costume,” Lucas said, slouching in his chair, his eyes on me. “She dresses up just like I do – in something normal.”
I laughed as Jessica scowled; swallowing the remainder of her drink before snatching the fresh one Evan had just delivered.
“I think it’s fun to dress up on Halloween,” Jessica pouted.
“Some people like it, some people don’t,” Spencer said, dropping a kiss on her head. “It’s cool, don’t worry about it.”
My high spirits dropped quicker than a rock in a pond. I turned my head again, toward the bar, searching for Evan. As Spencer and Jessica continued to coo at each other, I mumbled a lame excuse and left my seat.
The crowd around the bar was thicker now that the band was taking a break, so I decided to see if my reserved seat was still available. When I reached the end, I was surprised to see that a cardboard, tented sign was still there, the word RESERVED in huge red letters on either side. With a smile, I slipped into the seat, planted my elbows on the bar, and waited for Evan to notice. It took nearly five minutes and the band to go back on stage for the crowd to clear and Evan to work his way toward me.
“Hey,” he said with lifted brow. “I thought you were sitting with your friends.”
“Well, since you went to so much effort,” I said, holding up the crudely made sign, “I figured I could sit here for a little bit and have a drink.”
He nodded, suppressing a smile. “Would you like something other than diet soda?”
He sipped from a beer glass, wiping the foam off his lip.
“Give me a beer.”
“Seriously?”
I nodded. “It is Halloween.”
“That’s the spirit,” he said as he fetched a clean glass and placed it under the tap. Once it was full, he set it in front of me; refusing the bills I tried to hand him. His eyes wandered over to the table where I’d been sitting. “Why’d you leave your friends?”
“I told you, I thought I’d sit here for a little bit. You did save the seat for me.”
“Jessica gets on your nerves, doesn’t she?”
I choked on the beer I’d just sipped as I looked up into his eyes. “She’s fine.”
He laughed, standing straight and crossing his arms over his chest. “You can’t stand her. I could tell from here.”
I was beginning to regret coming over here but stood my ground.
“Think whatever you like,” I said in a snooty sort of tone I wasn’t particularly fond of – but it proved a point. “Like I said, she’s fine and I only came over because you saved this seat for me.”
“Sure,” he said, nodding with that maddening grin on his face. “Okay, Morgan. I need to get back to work.”
He spun on his heel and faced the thirsty crowd while I watched Jessica moon over Spencer from the corner of my eye. Evan was more right than he ever dreamed.
Finishing my beer, I returned to the table to say goodbye, waved to Evan, and escaped.
Chapter Six
After the sort of disaster of Halloween, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My relationships with Irelyn and Bailey hadn’t reached the level it once was – hadn’t progressed much at all. Sure, we were on speaking terms again, but that closeness was absent.
“Patience,” I muttered as I crossed campus to the parking lot once I’d finished with classes for the day.