Page 93 of Rock On

“You didn’t have to walk me out,” she said once we were outside.

“Of course, I did.” I leaned against her car and pulled her into my chest. “What are you doing the rest of the afternoon?”

“Believe it or not, I’m meeting the girls from Harmony Place for lunch. And get this—Freya is meeting us too!”

“I thought she was kind of the outlier?”

“She was, but we didn’t want to exclude her when we started our group text chat, and when we brought up lunch, she said she wanted to join us.”

“Cool.” I lightly kissed her. “Have fun. I’ll see you for dinner tonight?”

“Yup. River’s so excited. I told him you were going to grill burgers for us and he thinks that’s the coolest thing ever.”

“How come?” I asked curiously.

“Because Wynter and I never use the grill,” she said. “We usually make burgers in the air fryer. So, he thinks it’s going to be something exciting to see you lighting a fire or some shit.”

I pretended to grimace. “That feels like a lot of pressure.”

She laughed. “Nah. If you burn them, they take about twelve minutes in the air fryer. He won’t know the difference.”

I leaned in and kissed her. “Then I’ll see you tonight.”

Her lips lingered on mine and our eyes met longingly.

“Tonight,” she whispered. “River and Wynter both go to bed early.”

“I’m really looking forward to that.”

“Me too.” She started to get into her SUV and then paused. “And don’t overdo it on the knee today!”

“You’re kind of bossy, you know that?”

“That’s why you love me.”

She flashed me a smile, turned over the engine, and pulled out of Z’s driveway.

I walked back into the house whistling.

THIRTY-SIX

Harley

I was looking forward to seeing the ladies from Harmony Place. We’d spent enough time together in the month I’d been there to feel like they were my friends, and that was one of many things I intended to continue working on now that I was home. River had preschool and his nanny to watch him so I could get away for a few hours now and then, and I’d enjoyed their company enough to want to see more of them.

We were all different ages, with different careers and at different points in our lives, but we all had the shared element of grief. Out of the whole group, I was probably closest to Mina, but maybe that would change now that we were meeting up outside of Harmony Place.

“Sorry I’m late.” Freya was the last to arrive, dropping into the empty chair across from me with a harried look. “Last-minute emergencies have become the rule instead of the exception.”

“I don’t envy your job,” Mina said, shaking her head. “You couldn’t pay me to be in politics.”

For a moment Freya looked thoughtful. “Sometimes I feel the same way, but if everyone says that, who would be out there fighting for us?”

“I guess it depends on what side of the aisle you sit on,” Harriett said pointedly. She’d expressed concern about keeping Freya in the group, but we’d decided to give her a chance based on our shared experiences.

“Let’s not talk politics,” Betty said amiably. “I just want some good old-fashioned girl talk today.” She turned to me with a teasing gleam in her eyes. “And I’m thinking most of that is going to come from you, little Miss-I’m-Hooking-Up-With-A-Hot-Rock-Star-Who-Happens-To-Be-My-Ex.”

I chuckled. “There hasn’t been any hooking up since we left,” I admitted. “But hopefully tonight.”

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