Page 39 of Return To You

“Nipples, really?” Haley says.

“I had beautiful breasts,” Cheryl declares.

“She did,” Ms. Angela says.

“Still does,” Cassandra corrects her. Suzy is now shaking her arms around her head like she’s going to explode or something.

Cheryl laughs hysterically. “Except now the nipples are below the surface no matter what!”

Everyone is laughing so hard, Damian finds refuge behind the bar.

When the laughter dies down, Haley says, “I’ll get naked to save the spa, but can we explore other options first?”

My heart swells at my friend’s suggestion. Even if she is joking, and I’d never let her do that if she weren’t, the fact that it crossed her mind and that she wants to help means the world to me.

“Can anyone talk to Georgie?” Cassandra interjects.

“Good luck with that,” Autumn answers. “He’s… not the most pleasant person.”

Alex wets her lips. “You got that right. We need a different angle.” I glance at Alex. Did she try to talk to my landlord? The way she’s ignoring my gaze, she totally did.

“We’ll think of something,” Cassandra says. “Right now, let’s give Grace some space to relax and think about other things.” Murmurs of approval meet her suggestion, and the din of conversation resumes.

What am I going to do? Scenarios build in my mind, each one bleaker than the other.

“Grace! Gracie?” Ms. Angela is touching my arm gently. She’s holding a small plate of appetizers Alex brought, and her friends are waiting for her to come back to their table.

“Sorry—you were saying?”

“I was asking about the massage business. How’s it going, dear?”

“Oh… uh… Picking up. You know. Slow and steady. Thank you.”

“I heard you have a young client?”

Um? “Oh—yes. Tracy.”

“She’s on the hockey team?”

“That’s right. And she was injured. I’m treating her right after practice.”

Kiara’s eyes widen. “At the Arena?”

“Yep.”

Haley eyes widen. “You never said!”

Kiara makes a show of whining and rolling her eyes. “Ohmygod, please don’t break Ethan’s heart again.”

I know she’s making a joke, but I don’t know where the punch line is. “Pardon?” My tone comes out more curt than I intended. My gaze involuntarily flits to Lynn and Mom, but they’re deep into their card game, and too far to hear us now that everyone is cackling again.

“Just kidding. Last time he was here he spent three days drunk. The running joke is it was because you got married.”

“What?”

She nods enthusiastically. “He was so plastered he had to leave before the end of the ceremony.” Plopping an appetizer in her mouth before Ms. Angela returns to her game, she lifts her shoulders, seeming to defy Haley to contradict her.

Haley glares daggers at Kiara but says nothing.

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