Page 90 of Drunk on Love

“Welcome to the Barrel! Can I interest you in some wine? We have plenty of local Napa Valley vintages. Are you visiting the area?”

Margot pursed her lips.

“Come off it, Syd.”

Sydney opened her eyes wide.

“Oh! It’s you! Margot Noble, as I live and breathe! It’s been so long, I barely recognized you. How have you been?”

Margot just stared at her and did her best not to smile as Sydney’s grin got wider.

“Don’t even remember how you’ve been? The sex is that good, huh?”

“Sydney!”

Sydney laughed, and Margot couldn’t help herself from laughing, too. Sydney pulled out a bottle of sparkling wine, poured a glass, and set it in front of Margot.

“There. My penance, for making fun of you.”

Margot picked up the glass.

“Thank you. And the answer to your question is yes.”

Sydney grinned.

“I thought so. Where is lover boy tonight? Is he joining you here soon?”

Margot shook her head.

“No. And I don’t know where he is. I decided we needed a little break from each other tonight.”

She fought herself not to pull her phone out to see if he’d texted.

What if he hadn’t texted? Or what if he had, and was waiting outside her house for her? She should check, just to make sure.

“Why?” Sydney asked.

Margot looked up at Sydney.

“What?”

“Why?” Sydney repeated. “Why did you decide you needed to have a break from each other tonight? Did you have a fight?”

Margot shook her head.

“No, nothing like that. It’s just... we’ve been together everynight all week. It’s good to have breaks, right? I don’t want to get too...” She couldn’t sayattached; Sydney would think she was already attached, which she wasn’t. “Too overexposed.”

Sydney raised her eyebrows as a salad of little gem lettuces and fresh peas landed in front of Margot.

“Overexposed? This isn’t business, Margot. What does that even mean?”

Margot turned her attention to her salad.

“You don’t have to parse all of my words. Can’t I just come to my friend’s restaurant to hang out with her? I don’t have to spend every night with Luke.”

Sydney didn’t say anything to that. Finally, Margot looked up from her salad—it was delicious; she should tell Charlie that—to find Sydney smiling at her.

“Thank you for coming to your friend’s restaurant to hang out with her,” Sydney said. “As you can see, Charlie has missed you.”

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