The Black Bear Saloon is filled to capacity, and the waitresses are slow to come by any table, let alone ours.
“I’m fucking starving.” Piper has been in a pissy mood ever since I stepped into our room this evening. Apparently, she had an altercation with someone she is loosely referring to as “that wench,” but refuses to extrapolate on the subject out of respect for the people involved. “Finally—here’s Baya,” she snarls as the cute bubbly girl comes over and takes our order.
“Excuse me!” I pull Baya aside before she bops off. “I didn’t notice a sign out front, but I’m really hoping for a summer position. Any chance the bar will have an opening by then?”
She grimaces before glancing back at the registers. “Not really, but since you’re Piper’s friend, I’ll give a special recommendation to the owner.” She gives a little wink. “I’m sleeping with him, so I have a little pull.”
We share a tiny laugh. “Thank you! I really appreciate that!”
I can’t believe this. I’m in love, and I’ve practically got a job squared away for the summer. If my luck persists, maybe they’ll let me stay on for the fall. I feel bad letting Caila help me out with food and books. Momma sends what she can, but my scholarship only covers the bare bones of this ride.
Baya takes off, and I listen in as Daisy shows off her latest antique find, a vintage cameo ring she bought at an estate sale. Daisy is here on scholarship like me, but she always manages to have a few dollars tucked away for a rainy day estate sale. I more than admire her shopping superpowers.
“Love it.” I land my finger over the soft porcelain silhouette. “I’ve never owned something so beautiful in all my life.”
“You should totally come with me the next time I go!” Her entire face lights up at the idea. I’ve been shopping with Daisy a time or two—window shopping on my end. Daisy is more or less a professional negotiator at this point.
“I will go. I’m sort of stretching my dimes, but I like to see you wield your haggling prowess.”
“Funny you should say that. Scarlett and I were sort of thinking the same thing.”
“Scarlett?” I turn to my redheaded bestie. I’m so craving me some Scarlett time. I just want to dive in and tell her all about Cade and how he makes me feel. Daisy, too. The only one at this table I wouldn’t dare gush to is sweet Perpetually Pissed Piper. There’s no way I’m telling her about what a great big trio her brother is packing, and that he’s not afraid to use any one of them.
Scarlett tosses her hands up. “I’ve been trying to nail down a major, and I think I finally have. I’m following Daisy’s footsteps—pre-law!”
“Pre-law!” Piper and I sing in unison.
“This calls for a drink. Virgin daiquiris all around?” Not one of us at this table is quite the lush, so each time we go out we usually make it fun and fruity.
“Bring on the virgins!” Daisy whoops. Scarlett offers me a knowing wink because I happen to be in on her little secret that she’s still holding her cherry close to the vest. As she should. There’s no point in losing it to some idiot who’s too drunk to complete the task—that was the exact way this girl dropped her cherry bomb. For months, I wandered around asking hypothetical questions—sometimes even classified under the hideous umbrella of “just asking for a friend,” but are you still a virgin if the guy doesn’t quite get there? I even went as far as calling an anonymous doctor’s sex line and ended up on the air on some popular punk rock station that lends its airwaves to dirty talk once a week. The long and the short of it is no. I was no more a virgin than Madonna once she sang those infamous lyrics. This was a done deal. My V-card had been unceremoniously revoked. Sealed and in the annals of my vajayjay. But sweet Scarlett should wait for that special someone. Had I waited for Cade… My entire face heats with fire.
Piper kicks my foot out from under me. “You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
Baya arrives with an arm full of nachos just in time, and we dive straight in, stuffing our faces until just a few broken tortilla chips lie strewn in our wake.
But as glad as I am not to have the spotlight shining over my love life, I’m just bursting at the seams to tell my friends how happy I am—how absolutely out of my mind deliriously in love I am with the kindest, most gorgeous man on this planet.
I glance over at Piper with enough guilt coating me on the inside to drown in. Once she hears how I feel about her brother, of course, she’ll be a little steamed that I didn’t tell her, but she’ll understand. Knowing Piper, she’ll throw a world-class fit, but I’m betting no one will be happier than she’ll be for us. I can’t wait to see Cade tonight. I want to tell him everything, put my heart out on the line, and see what he does with it.
Piper glances at her phone. “I’d better get going. I sort of had it out with my brother today, and I need to stick my tail between my legs and apologize.”
“Which brother?” Please, say Wyatt. Please, say Wyatt.