Page 116 of The Trade

The beer-soaked bottle lies forgotten on the ground between us. “You planning on picking that up?”

“Why?” Her smirk is all too familiar. “You want me down on my knees again?”

I resist the urge to grind my teeth. “Jesus, Cass,” I growl, getting up to snatch the empty bottle from the ground. “Give me a break.”

She feigns innocence, her hand finding its way onto my forearm. “I heard you and your little girlfriend broke up anyway.”

I pull away from her. “That’s none of your damn business.”

A malicious glint sparks in her eyes. “What happened? Did she find out you actually just wanted to sleep with her roommate? God, West. History does have a way of repeating itself.”

I can practically taste the anger on my tongue. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hmm,” she hums, the smugness in her voice making my blood boil. “Really? Because I saw your ex earlier tonight.”

My heart skips a beat. “Here?” I demand. “At the bonfire?”

She nods, confirming my worst fear. “If I remember right ... she was all over Remi Miller.”

I snap my mouth shut, shoving the bottle back into her hand with more force than necessary. “Why don’t you stop trying to start shit?”

She just shrugs. “Fine, don’t believe me, then.”

“I won’t,” I spit, turning to walk away.

But the seeds of doubt she’s planted are already sprouting, and my heart is pounding like a war drum in my chest. Should I try to find Jade? If she’s actually here tonight, then maybe I should ...go the fuck home. The knowledge of our meetup tomorrow urges me to stay away, to keep a clear head for the conversation we need to have.

But if Miller’s actually after her, then maybe I have an actual reason to seek her out. The guy’s a fucking dick, and right now, he’s probably pissed at me.

Who knows what sort of stunt he might attempt?

34

JADE

Tonight,I’m having a surprisingly good time. It’s a welcome reprieve, given how emotionally heavy this past week has been.

Since West left me that first note, declaring his intentions, I’ve been thinking about him nonstop. I’ve been toying with the idea of giving him another chance, wrestling with it, the pros and cons dancing in my mind like some twisted ballet.

To forgive him means setting aside all the white lies, swallowing down the jealousy, and stepping past the fear of being played again. And all of this needs to happen within a single week before summer. Seven days to unravel the tangled mess of insecurities and doubts that lay between us.

How could that ever be enough?

But maybe it’s something we can navigate together tomorrow. Tonight, however, I plan to have some fun.

While Shannon’s busy running the show, I steal away toward the coolers, tucked away in the shadow of an outdoor awning. It’s quieter over here. But still, the bonfire’s blazing, casting a glow over the enormous crowd, and I can feel the heat radiating from a distance.

“Hey, gorgeous.” A familiar voice slides into my ears, the grin evident in his tone. I know without looking who it is. Miller has an uncanny knack for being in the same place as me, like a bee to honey. “We just keep finding each other, don’t we?”

Turning from the cooler, I offer him a tired smile. This is our second “accidental” encounter tonight, the first being when he collided into me by the fire about an hour ago.

“You know what, Miller?” I say, pulling a cold bottle out of the ice. “You’re giving me some creepy vibes tonight.”

“It’s Remi,” he corrects, a playful glint in his eye. “But damnnn, my bad. Didn’t mean to come on too strong.”

“Just . . . tone that shit down.”

“Hmm, thanks for the flirting advice.” He chuckles, tugging at my hair. “You have any more tips?”

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