Page 55 of On the Rocks

He set her on the floor, then looked up at me. My breath caught a little in my throat. Holy hell, how was I going to spend an afternoon in the car with him? “What time did you want to head out?” he asked.

I sucked in a breath and let it out before responding. When Aiden had offered to drive me back to our hometown, saying yes had been the obvious answer. It really wouldn’t make sense for me to take the train if we were both heading into New Jersey tonight. But I wasn’t able to think about anything other than our kiss even when hewasn’tjust a few feet away from me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to hold it together through the drive.

“I figured we’d head out whenever you were able to get away,” I said. “I’m not sure what your day looks like.”

“I was thinking we should head out a little early—get ahead of the rush hour traffic,” Aiden said. “You brought your bag with you?”

I nodded. I’d hauled my duffle onto the subway this morning so I would be ready to leave whenever he was.

“That makes things easy. We can head out straight from work then,” Aiden said. “We’ll take the Mercedes.”

“What happened to the Ferrari?” I asked teasingly. “Was one ridiculously expensive car not enough for you?”

“It’s in the shop,” he said. “Getting detailed. Someone left powdered donut sugar all over the passenger seat.”

“I suppose I should just be glad we’re not taking the helicopter.”

15

AIDEN

“Idon’t think the gymnasium has ever looked so good,” Cora said.

I snorted, taking a sip of my Old Fashioned. She wasn’t wrong—the high school gym had been transformed. Cora and I had pulled things together in Trish’s absence, sorting out the decorations and the catering, dressing up the space with balloons and streamers and a massive WELCOME BACK sign that had been a health hazard to hang. There were more than a dozen large circular tables with centerpieces in maroon and gold, our school colors, and a station set up with old yearbooks, class photos, and trophies from various sports and activities. A photobooth sat in the corner of the room, and it was a big hit. There’d been a line winding across the gym to use it since people started arriving. Next to that was the buffet and the bar, which also had a near constant line. Across the gym, a DJ had set up, and twinkling lights glittered down on the dance floor.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing…I just think there’s something inherently cheesy about high school reunions.”

Cora laughed. “Absolutely. The cheese is the whole point. Cheese and nostalgia. You’re supposed to feel like you’ve stepped back in time.”

She was right about that too. The longer I’d been back, the more I’d been consumed with memories from the past. Even now the same faded banners, decorated with our jaguar mascot, hung on the walls behind the decorations, and I was pretty sure the same sneaker scuffs marked the floor. I’d popped my head into the locker room earlier, and it even smelled the same.

Terrible.

But the same.

The room buzzed with chatter, but one voice rang out loudest of all. Trish dashed across the gym, slopping her drink over her hand, squealing as she wrapped her arms around some woman.

I took another sip from my Old Fashioned. “Was Trish always so?—”

“Energetic?” Cora supplied.

I’d been about to sayannoying. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Cora smirked at me like she knew exactly what I’d been thinking. “At least she got back from her cruise in time to play hostess. I really wasn’t looking forward to that.”

“Small mercy.”

“Plus, it leaves us time to actually enjoy ourselves.”

“Enjoymight be a strong word.”

“Oh stop. I can’t believe you were going to skip all this,” Cora said as we made our way through the crowd toward the buffet table.

“And I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” I said, nodding to a couple of people who smiled at me.

“No, I’m being sincere. You really didn’t want to come and see all your old friends? You must have been looking forward to seeing the football team, at least.”

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