Page 25 of The Red-Hot Stakes

He lifted a shoulder. “Forget I said anything.”

Derek and Avery frowned in confusion as he stood up, then Derek asked, “Aren’t you staying?”

“Nah, I’m not hungry.” Liam shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged out of the diner.

As one, Derek and Avery turned to look at me, the unspoken question in their eyes.

I shifted in my seat. “Um, Liam just…asked me out.”

“Oh, shit.” Derek exchanged a glance with Avery then ran after his friend.

Avery plopped across from me, excitement brimming in her eyes. “Tell me everything.”

As I repeated word for word what Liam had said, her smile grew.

She was clapping by the end. “I knew it! I knew he liked you. This is so perfect. You and Liam, me and Derek—”

“Hold it!” I glared. “There is no me and anybody, particularly not me and Liam. Sure, we’ve been getting along better lately, but dating?” His words echoed in my mind, and again I wrinkled my nose. “He compared me to a pair of nasty, stinking sports shoes, for crying out loud. Who does that?”

Avery folded her arms, assessing me long enough that I began to squirm. “Nothing he does will ever be good enough for you, will it?”

Chagrin washed over me, and I stared at the table.

“What happened in the limo after you guys dropped me off to meet Derek’s parents? You never did tell me.”

My mind flashed back to when Avery had been trying to learn more about Derek’s ex-girlfriend, Princess. Liam and I had helped Avery rush to meet Derek at his parents’ house for dinner, then I’d tried to pry the information out of Liam on the way home.

He’d shut me down, told me he was Derek’s friend first and foremost. It had more than bothered me because I knew just how vulnerable Avery was at the time, but he didn’t seem to care.

I muttered, “I wanted him to tell me about Princess, and he wouldn’t.”

“I get that. Plus, he was late to the coffee shop, which I know pissed you off.” She sighed. “Gina, I know you don’t like to be told you’re wrong.” Her soft tone reminded me just how much she cared. “But you’re going to hear me right now. Every word.”

I tried to shut down my automatic bristling because I owed it to Avery to listen. She’d done so much for me.

“Liam is an amazing guy. He’s one of my best friends. Period. When I found out Derek had helped condemn the apartment and left, Liam found me a place to stay. Liam told Derek what happened, without telling Derek where I was. Liam coordinated getting my stuff.” She paused, and her next question was quiet, a hint of hurt seeping through. “Do you know who didn’t call me? Not once, to see if I was okay?”

I flinched.

“My best friend. I didn’t hear from you until days later, when you gave me the hard love I needed to get my head out of my ass. You didn’t check on me once, because you knew I was wrong.” Her voice was thick. “Gina, I needed you to be my friend when I was wrong too. I needed a shoulder to cry on because I was hurting. I went through all that alone.” She swallowed, sounding like she was fighting tears. “All because you knew you were right.”

“Avery…” I reached for her, but she shifted away. Guilt racked me, making my stomach clench. I’d known I hurt her, but I thought she understood, thought we were okay.

She shook her head, taking several deep breaths before looking at me again, this time with understanding in her gaze. “It was frustrating for Liam to withhold information about Princess from me, but he was protecting Derek. We were still new. And it was almost a year ago.” Avery gave me a small smile. “You need to let that go and open your eyes to the kind of guy Liam really is, because he is absolutely perfect for you. If you do that, maybe you could see that Liam was trying to tell you something today. In his own way.”

I frowned. My head hurt, trying to make sense of everything.

She stood up, placing her palms on the table. “At least think about giving him a chance. Please, for all our sakes.” Then she walked away, leaving me alone to process her words.

Wrapping my hands around my coffee, I tried to do as Avery asked and replayed my time with Liam while keeping an open mind. But the pieces wouldn’t quite go together. I was still missing something, and it frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t grasp what. I sat there until it was time to leave for my shift, then threw down enough money for my coffee plus a hefty tip.

Thoughts of Liam continued to plague me for the rest of the night.

* * * *

A week passed. A week of me dwelling on Avery’s advice and Liam’s words, but I didn’t see him again. Not once. Not at the apartment, not at the bar. Every time I caught myself scanning for him, I got annoyed.

When had he become such a part of my life?

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