Page 97 of His Secret Gift

We click them together before downing them, the liquor burning my throat with each centimeter it travels down.

After that, she pulls me back out into the courtyard, and we dance some more. The song playing has a heavy bass.

Within a few moments, she stops flailing around. “Wait for it!”

“For what?” I yell.

“The drop! It’s about to—”

The tempo picks up even more, and everyone around us starts jumping up and down like crazy.

Later, I feel like some water would do me some good. So, I go into the bathroom and fill up a small glass.

I was too thirsty to realize I wasn’t alone at first, but the rustling coming from behind the curtain is a pretty dead giveaway.

I know it’s none of my business who is back there, but I’m still curious.

After tip toeing closer, I pull it back a little and see that it’s two crew members I don’t know that well.

Huh.Besides Jack and me, the only people I’d seen people associated withThe Marinathat I’d seen messing around with were outsiders.

“Kayla!” I soon hear Callie yelling for me, so I sneak away again and leave them to do their thing.

When I meet up with her again, I explain I just needed a water break.

“Break’s over. Let’s go.”

Eventually, a slower song starts playing, and she and I sway to it just like all of the couples around us.

I want to tell her so bad about what happened with Jack that I feel like I might burst.

“He kissed me,” I whisper in her ear.

“I was going to ask you how your little cactus date went.” She might be tipsy, but she remembered that.

“No, not then. Just now. Well, before. Out in the hallway.”

She stops and lightly hits my arm. “Is that where you disappeared to?”

I nod. “He wanted to make sure that I knew he didn’t want me hooking up with anyone tonight.”

“Oooh. So, does that mean you two are official?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. But it doesn’tnotmean that, right?”

“Right.” Then her face twists up. “I think.”

We both laugh.

However, the entire mood of the party changes when Jenkins walks through the door.

“He fired me!” he yells, clearly intoxicated.

The music cuts out, and Denver approaches him. “Who? Jack?”

“Yes.”

Callie’s eyes meet mine.

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