Page 11 of Line of Resistance

Eloise smiled but kept her focus on the ground. Now would be a terrible time to bust her butt. “I wish I was hot. I’m freezing.” She rounded the SUV, grabbed the other rear door’s handle and yanked it open, piling into the seat next to Jen just as her teeth started to chatter. She was suffering now, but it would absolutely be worth it if she managed to catch the attention of one of the burly outdoorsmen who frequented their favorite bar.

It was one of the main reasons she moved back to Alaska. Not only did she make way more money, but the ratio of men to women was heavily skewed in her favor.

And yet here she was, two years later. Still single and—

A pair of baby blue eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Buckle up, Eloise. The roads are slick.”

No. Naomi wouldn’t do this to her again. Not like this.

Eloise targeted her glare on her friend sitting in the front passenger’s seat and Naomi shot her an apologetic look, wincing a little as Nate backed out of the spot. “Tyson had to go out on an assignment at the last minute, but luckily Nate offered to drive us.”

Luckily. Right. Eloise snorted, forgetting who she was for a second as a bitter laugh slipped free. When both her friends’ eyes widened the tiniest bit, she plastered on a smile and smoothed her voice back to the sweet, happy pitch everyone expected from her. “That is lucky.”

Making friends had always been a struggle. She’d never been good at putting herself out there, and even when she did, all of her interests were so far from what most girls her age were into, it was nearly impossible to form any sort of connection or find common ground. So she learned to be agreeable. To be happy. To be positive and uplifting. The cheerleader every friend group needed.

When they wanted to go out, she wanted to go out. Whatever they wanted to do, she wanted to do. If they wanted to complain, she listened. When they celebrated, she made a toast.

Did it feel slightly superficial? Sure. But it was better than being alone and, based on her success rate when it came to relationships, the last thing she should do was rock the boat.

“They’re having trivia tonight.” Jen leaned closer, oblivious that Eloise was seriously considering how scuffed up she would get if she bolted out the door at a stoplight. “Winners get a free round.”

The smile frozen on her face ached, but Eloise kept it in place. “Awesome.”

Jen’s eyes were bright with excitement. “Right? I knew you would be on board. You’re a freaking teacher after all. You probably know all kinds of shit.”

Her eye started to twitch as she counted the people in the SUV. Trivia night required teams of four. “Are we picking Miranda up?” She hoped she sounded more conversationally hopeful than teetering on the edge of a panic attack.

Jen’s lower lip pushed out in a pout. “She couldn’t come. Some excuse about having to work tomorrow.” Her expression brightened. “Luckily Nate said he’ll hang around.”

Now her jaw was throbbing from the exertion required to keep her smile in place. “Sounds like we’re just all kinds of lucky tonight.”

Maybe she should be a little reckless in the parking lot. Find a patch of ice and slide across it. If tonight was as lucky as Jen thought, she might break her neck.

Jen’s focus shifted to Naomi as the two women fell into their normal conversation about nursing and the hospital where they met. It left Eloise plenty of time to sink into the reality that her night would not be going the way she planned. Instead of slinking around the bar feeling sexy and desirable, she would be facing down the proof she was neither of those things.

And she was going to have to do it with a smile.

Too soon they were pulling into the lot at Barney’s. Their favorite bar had burned down about a year ago, but they’d rebuilt quickly and the place was better than ever. Normally she looked forward to spending an evening there, even if it meant staying up past her bedtime and paying for it the next day.

But tonight she was going to be stuck sitting too close to Nate. Too close to the reminder that no matter how hard she tried, she was never a woman men wanted to keep around. A woman who held their interest.

A woman they wanted.

The second the car stopped, Eloise shoved out the door and into the frigid air, ready to get as far away from Nate and as close to the bar as possible. This night was going to require a large amount of alcohol.

She frowned at the cleared parking lot. The blacktop was snow and ice free, stealing one of her possible outs. If she fell now she would just look stupid. Clumsy.

But maybe it was the lesser of two evils. At this point it was a toss-up.

The warmth and volume of the bar hit her like a slap, assaulting her senses with chaos as she stepped inside. She didn’t mind an occasional trip to a bar, but the friend group she was a part of preferred it over anything else—definitely over the kinds of activities she enjoyed—so here she was, sucking it up yet again.

And yet again, it was another thing that was better than the alternative. The alternative being sitting at home alone. Friendless. Boyfriendless. Finally admitting she was the weird, bitchy girl no one wanted around.

Eloise went straight for the bar, offering up the megawatt smile that made people think she was friendly and accommodating. “Can I get a rum and Coke?”

“You can get anything you want, Miss Eloise.” Kirk, the man behind the bar, returned her smile, and for the first time she realized maybe his was just as fake as hers. He was probably sick of being in a bar too. Although it was unlikely he was as unhappy about Nate’s arrival as she was.

Kirk mixed up her drink and slid it across the bar, his smile dimming the tiniest bit as his eyes drifted over her shoulder.

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