Page 113 of Under the Ink

Naomi let out a breath, nodding her head and stepping in the limo before sitting across from the beautiful couple. When she’d told Ginny her plan just a few moments ago, her friend had insisted she ride to the couple’s new home with them. She’d simply wanted to run her idea past Ginny so that her friend could either talk some sense into her or wish her well.

Instead, she offered to help…which led to her riding in the limo with the newly married couple.

Meanwhile, the reception was still going strong with folks dancing and drinking and having a great time.

“Whywouldn’twe let you ride with us when we’re going anyway?”

“Because I’ll get in the way.”

“Stop it. We have to go to the house to get our luggage anyway.” To her new husband, Ginny asked, “When does the plane take off, lovey?”

“We need to be there by midnight.”

“See, Nam? It’s not like you’ll be interrupting us while we’re consummating our marriage or anything.”

“Uh, okay. TMI.”

Ginny giggled. “Well, it’s true! We won’t because we don’t have time.”

Talking about sex with her girlfriend was one thing, but around her friend’s husband was quite another. “Ginny!”

Fortunately, Walker seemed to be of the same mind, making an effort to shift the conversation. “Ginny told me you don’t drive, so it’s not a prob—”

“No, I can drive. I just don’tliketo.” And she still didn’t have a driver’s license…but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Okay. But that’s almost the same thing.” Naomi got ready to argue, but Walker kept going, “It doesn’t matter. If you hurry and change, we can drop you off at the bar on our way out of town.”

“But,” Ginny said, leaning over and grinning, “we’re takingWalker’scar to the airport. You can always take my car if you want. The keys are on the hooks by the side door.”

Did Ginny not remember that she’d never actually gotten her license?

Naomi had spent last night with Ginny and the rest of her bridal party in the nicest hotel in Winchester—and, per Ginny’s request, her brother Garrett had taken both her and Naomi’s items to the new house the bride would be sharing with Walker. They’d closed on the house a week earlier and had already furnished it and moved in some of their things.

And Naomi was shocked that she actually wanted to see it. But she had to admit to herself it was nice seeing her best friend blissfully head over heels. Although she was trying not to mourn what felt like the loss of their friendship, she knew Walker was a good guy and would take immaculate care of sweet Ginny.

“Thanks for the offer…but I think I’m good. I can walk almost anywhere in town. Do you guys want me to housesit while you’re gone?”

“Nah—just make sure you lock the door and set the alarm system every time you leave.”

Ginny turned. “We have cameras around the exterior and at every entrance that we can check on our phones no matter where we are! Isn’t that crazy?”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“We’ll show you how to set it up before we go.”

One thing Naomi hadn’t counted on was that they didn’t actually liveinWinchester—they lived in a new subdivision to the west, nestled against the mountains. Although it was dark, Naomi had been in this area once or twice for church member gatherings—so she knew this was a beautiful area of town. She tried to remember exactly what it was Walker did for a living and all she could recall was that it had something to do with computer programming.

As the limo pulled up to their new home, the building itself confirmed that his job definitely paid well. The exterior was lit up enough that she could see its modern design and beautiful lawn surrounded by native plants, bushes, and young trees.

Naomi didn’t feel envy about the house—or the money or even that Ginny had found the love of her life. A few months ago, Naomi would have sworn she wouldn’t want any of that.

But she did. Sage had shown her what she’d been denying herself. And tonight she was going to ask for his forgiveness. Even if he wanted nothing more to do with her, she wanted to thank him for helping her see how fucking wrong she’d been. No longer could she allow her past to hold her prisoner.

The chauffeur opened the back door and Walker stepped out first. Then he held out a hand to Ginny, a woman who was glowing with so much happiness, Naomi almost swore the woman’s cheeks were shining from the inside. Naomi started sliding down the seat but Walker held out a hand for her as well.

Well…if she hadn’t liked the guy before, that little kindness solidified it. “Thanks.”

After he nodded, he turned to Ginny. “Honey, we’re home!”

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