Page 19 of Perfect Playbook

“Is that the story where the boys get stranded on an island and turn all wild and violent? With the poor kid named Piggy?”

“Yeah. Piggy. Well, Finchley, who by the look of his bloodshot eyes tonight still smokes, decided it would be good immersive work if the kids had aLord of the Fliesexperience in the woods behind his school.”

“No…” She braces herself to hear the result of his very bad idea.

“Apparently, these private school kids brought spray perfume and pillowcases filled with sand and flour to throw at each other’s eyes.” I let out a low chuckle at the thought. “It got dirty…”

Shay throws her hands over her mouth, trying to stop herself laughing at something so inappropriate. “No way… I shouldn’t be laughing…” But she does anyway, and the sound dances in my heart.

“I hope nobody got hurt.”

“Just Finch. Got fired, and some kid took the chance to pants him.”

She giggles again. “Oh my God. Stoner Finchley…”

She shakes her head, imagining it, but as the image fades, so too does her enchanting smile. My story is a temporary fix. The only thing that would truly help her right now would be to get things off her chest, but maybe she thinks too many years have passed for that. Maybe it’s about another man; I guess it would be weird for her to confide in me if it was. My stomach twists.

I offer another bandage and point to her drink. “Can I get you a…?”

Amusement puffs out of her nose and lifts her shoulders. She tips her drink and nods. “Gin and tonic.”

I call the bartender over. “Two Sapphire and tonics.”

She rolls her eyes and stops shy of smirking, the way she used to in college when she thought I was being cute but worked hard not to let me know. I must be seeing this all through rose-tinted specs, but once my beer goggles are on, they typically don’t come off till morning. So Shay is looking more attractive than ever. I’d love to lean in closer and get a whiff of that frosting smudge on her thigh.

I have a lot more restraint than people think I do, but Shay’s personality is my kryptonite. When a tempered and in-control woman like Shay offers you any sort of approval, it’s like oil slipping into the dry cracks of life.

I crave more because it’s massaging the ache of Reggie’s news. So when the bartender brings our drinks,I sip alcohol I do not need. I watch her lips on the glass and stare at the faint coral stain they leave behind, then raise my eyes to hers, firmly fixed on my gaze.

We’re drunk. We’re not in good places. I’m reminiscing.

The cobwebs are very sticky tonight.

We get to talking more about mutual classmates and things going on back in the Canyon. I should make sure she gets to her room safely and then find that dark nightclub I intended to lose myself in. I should not cave in to the soothing feeling of being next to Shay and having an actual conversation like we did in the old days. I should not let my mind wander to the stretched AC/DC logo hanging on for dear life to either side of her voluptuous breasts. I shouldn’t wonder what kind of advice she’d give me about my Ashton dilemma or how good it would feel for her to pull my head against those soft, sexy pillows, run her fingers through my hair, and tell me I’ve got thislike she used to.

My cell interrupts my train of thought. I pull it out of my pocket and swipe.

Krista Vegas Taj

Hey! Toby told me you’re in Vegas, handsome. Are you down for a little mayhem?

I stare at the invitation IthoughtI was waiting for, and when I glance up, Shay’s beautiful round eyes are half-mast, just like her bedroom eyes years ago. Peaceful. Relaxed… but that’s not what she’s feeling right now. These areget drunk and forget iteyes.

She flicks her gaze to my phone and back up, and her cocked eyebrow says she knows I’ve been summoned. It’s like a goodbye. “Thanks for the drink, Logan.”

I give my cell one last glance but don’t reply and slip it in my pocket.

It’s a greedy thought that I might be able to go out with Shay tonight instead, but we can’t help the ones that come to us, especially after countless shots into a Vegas evening. I’m not surprised I’m sitting here still feeling attracted to the only woman I ever loved. I’m not surprised by the urge commanding me to whisk this raven-haired beauty from that stool and off for a night drowning our sorrows in a town that makes drowning feel like the best way in the world to go down. I’ve had whimsical impulses to ask Shay out again even when I was sober.

Shay traces the rim of her glass. She’s written me off and expects me to leave. Her eyelashes flutter, delicate and pretty like a moth’s wings. If she needs a light to make her flicker and fly again, well, why not me? Am I really going to leave her with dubious backpack man? It’s an act of chivalryand friendship to make sure she’s safe and has a damn good time tonight.

She can read her email tomorrow.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it.

“Are you planning on staying here all night?” I ask, gesturing to the bar.

She shakes her head, staring at her drink. “I really don’t know.”

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