Page 62 of Without Regret

Trevor’s dad winked at me in true politician form. “It was wonderful to meet you, Emma. If you’ll excuse me, I need to steal my son away to say hello to some people.”

“Certainly. In fact, I’m off to get another drink.” I wasn’t about to stay alone in Tom’s company. As I walked away, I noticed the resemblance between father and son was obvious. And now I knew where Trevor got his values when it came to how to treat people.

***

Simon was ready to go an hour later and agreed he would have time to drop me off at my hotel. Not that I couldn’t get an Uber, but I knew if I tried, Trevor would insist on giving me a ride instead.

I found Avery and made an excuse for why I couldn’t go out tonight. I was tired, I was traveling back to Dallas tomorrow after needing to finish packing up the office, and last but not least, I wasn’t really feeling the club scene tonight.

But then Adrienne came up and put her arm around her as if they were BFFs. It was obvious she’d had a few too many cocktails. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go. We have friends waiting at Club Pink.”

My eyes narrowed. Adrienne didn’t seem like such a good friend. And Avery’s pretty face had fallen when I’d said I couldn’t go.

“It’s okay, Emma. I understand. It was nice to see you again, though. Maybe once I visit Trevor in Dallas again, we can get together.”

Bloody hell. Unfamiliar guilt surged up. See? This was why I didn’t do friends. Because they came with expectations. “Are you sure you want to go out?”

Avery might be in her early twenties, but she didn’t seem to be a party girl. But Adrienne definitely was. And there was an agenda there.

Proving it, she answered. “Of course she does. Come on, Avery. I’m getting the Uber now.”

Adrienne was already on her phone, typing for one.

Trevor came up, his gaze flicking between me and his sister. “You going out, Avery?”

She sighed. “It’s what single people should do, right?”

I shook my head. “Not always. Especially if you don’t want to.”

Adrienne’s annoying voice chimed in. “Totes booooring. Come on. You need to get out and dance and be young. No offense.” She flashed a fake smile, making me want to drop the bitch. “Trevor, you sure you don’t want to come? I’d save a dance for you.”

She looked as if she’d hump his leg if he’d let her.

Simon joined us, and Adrienne’s face lit up. “Oooh, who are you?”

His quirked brow showed exactly what he thought of Ms. Barbie. “My name is Simon. You ready to go, Emma?”

But Trevor intervened. “Since you brought your bag with you, I can drop Emma off at the hotel, and you can go straight to the airport. Never know how long the security line will be.”

Damn. Simon appeared grateful. “Terrific. You don’t mind, do you, Emma?”

I felt guilty for even suggesting he take the time to drive me. “No. Not at all. But I may just go out with Avery for a drink or two, after all.”

Because I wasn’t ready to get in a car with Trevor and talk. And I didn’t trust Adrienne. And evidently I was out to prove I wasn’t all that old.

***

Although I’d spent my fair share of time in clubs over the years, it was normally when I was trolling for men. Despite Trevor’s worry, that was not my intention tonight. So I was already regretting my decision to come along once the three of us stepped inside of Club Pink. It was, as its name implied, very pink. I found it a tad Pepto for my taste, but to be fair, I wasn’t a pink kind of girl. The chandeliers and diamond-looking walls were a nice touch, though. All of it screamed money.

The solitary bright spot was how very grateful Avery was I’d come along. Which begged the question—why was she hanging out with this group of friends if she seemed relieved I was with her?

As soon as we walked to the upstairs of the club, Adrienne went up and hugged two carbon copies of herself. They introduced themselves over the music, but I simply referred to them as Barbie two and Barbie three in my head. Avery appeared to know them as well, giving them hugs. All thought my accent was adorbs, which was enough to warrant the shot of whatever had been placed in front of me.

Three shots in, I finally started to relax in the booth with the other girls. But then Adrienne started talking about how hot Trevor was. Leave it to drunk girls not to realize how loud they sounded. I honed in on the conversation when I heard Adrienne ask Barbie two, “Is he here yet?” Even as she spoke, Adrienne appeared completely immersed in her phone.

“No. On his way. Get her to go to the ladies’ room.”

My eyes narrowed. What were they up to? Surely Adrienne wasn’t asking about Trevor. He wouldn’t let these girls know he was coming and not me. So when Adrienne suggested Avery come with her to the loo, I got up, too. Guess this was the good part about girls going in packs. Nobody thought anything of it. But the wink she gave the other Barbie made me uneasy. What were they setting up? Perhaps this was how girlfriends were—wasn’t like I actually knew. Maybe it was simply a surprise for Avery, and I was letting my suspicious nature get the best of me.

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