Page 27 of I Choose You

She wags her brows at me. “What do you think, babe?”

“I think I don’t know what you’re doing at Jessie’s.”

She places her glass on the scratched bar top. The song changes. So do the flickering lights that keep the crowd alive. “I'm at Jessie’s for you.”

I smirk, the neck of the bottle in my hand. “That’s not true, though I would be quite upset if you left me. You help keep that place running. Sometimes I wonder why you didn’t apply for my position.”

“The animals deserve the soft spot in my heart, that’s why. I would hate sitting at a desk all day not getting to interact with them.”

I clink my bottle against her glass on the bar top. “To the animals!”

She pins me with an unsatisfied stare. “Are you really toasting abandoned and abused animals? They deserve better, but we’re in a bar filled with sexy people, and that’s the best you can come up with?” She brings her drink to her lips. “Girl, you need a stronger drink or to get laid.”

My shoulders slump, and my excitement dwindles. My best friend is leaving. I might have feelings for him. What else is there for me to toast?

“You could have picked anything else,” Nelly says, sipping at her drink. “Literally anything else.”

“My life isn’t as miraculous as yours.” I glance away and lift my beer to my mouth. It doesn’t taste that great going down, but I know it’ll loosen me up soon, and won’t make me as tired as what Nelly is drinking. “I’m not over here falling in fresh sheets every weekend like you. Speaking of, shouldn’t you be with…what’s his name?”

“We’re still wading through the waters,” she says, shifting back to me quickly. “And that’s because you don’t put yourself out there! You’d rather work late than say hi to a guy.” She sweeps her arm out. “I led you to the waters, but you gotta get down and drink up.”

I huff out a breath after swallowing down the bitterness of my beer.

“I’m here and willing to try, aren’t I?”

“I’d be happier if you were happy,” she admits, a hopeful look in her eyes.

This doesn’t come as easily to me as it does for her. I’m hooked to a bungee cord, about to dive off a skyscraper, and I’m terrified of heights. She would hop off the Eiffel Tower beaming with a grin as wide as the Great Wall of China.

“Mason leaves in a month and a half,” I tell her, yelling over the DJ’s newest creation.

“Even more reason for you to enjoy yourself! You can’t waste your entire life waiting to live because big things are happening. Smell the roses, Mackenzie. You’re missing out on the beauty of them. If they’re willing to take chances and live their lives, then so should you.”

Her words crowd me in, giving me the last push that I need to act. What if I am passing up so much because of what I went through? The thought is unsettling—I’ve allowed him to have so much control over me all these years.

I nod and swallow. “You know what, let’s do this!”

“Let’s hope you really mean that because I’m ready to get out there and dance with some hotties!” The second she hops off her stool and brushes a hand through her dark curls, I know there’s no turning back.

Sweat wets my pits and collects between my boobs. I want out of my clothing as much as I would like a hot shower. An hour ago, we found “friends” to dance with, friends who are attractive in a beefy-muscled kind of way and have slicked back hair.

I excused myself to head to the restroom a minute ago. The freedom I didn’t have when we got here loosens my tense muscles. Goosebumps cover my arms at the thought of gliding against someone else’s body, and a blush covers my flushed cheeks. I shake the embarrassment aside and think about Nelly’s advice about missing out on the beauty of life earlier.

I wait in line for the restroom. When I’m done, I wash my hands, noting my rosy cheeks in the mirror. I squeeze out the door behind another club-goer to head back toward Nelly. I’m shoved to the side when a girl in a vibrant plastic crown and Bride-to-Be sash pummels into me. She’s yelling, though I can’t make out her slurred words. It doesn’t register to her that she hits me. Pain sears into my shoulder, causing me to wheeze out a groan and back against the wall to collect myself.

I’m ready to head back to the dance floor when a hand falls on my arm, and a deep voice yells out behind me. “I’m so sorry!”

I turn on my heel to respond, only to find a familiar face. “Owen?” His clear blue eyes warm me like the sea on a calm, sunny day. The pain in my shoulder fades, and I’m left wondering why I’m staring at him, of all people. “What are you doing here?” I raise my voice so he can hear me over the rumbling music.

“That girl that ran into you…” He scratches the back of his neck. “That was one of my friend’s fiancées. I’m here for a joint bachelor, bachelorette party.” I lean into him to hear him clearer, and he tips a closed hand up to mimic drinking from a cup. “She’s a bit wasted.”

A shy smile coats my lips. When people try to push past us to get to the restrooms, Owen guides us away from the hallway that divides it from the rest of the club. We find a clearing on the other side to continue our conversation.

“How long are you in town for? You said you work in Philadelphia, right?” I recall him mentioning something about working in a different city and coming to Quaint when his grandmother needs him.

“Pittsburgh,” he corrects.

“That’s right. You’re a fancy lawyer.”

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