Page 66 of Hearts Like Hers

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“Are there more people here than a minuteago?” Autumn asked, scanning the bar as it approached midnight. Her visionblurred slightly, and she blinked to clear it. The music was loud in a reallygood way and the bass pulsed its way through her body.

“I think that’s called seeing double,” Giasaid loudly, over the eighties cover band playing across the room. She grinnedas the song shifted, tossing both arms into the air. “Madonna!” she exclaimed,and commenced her perfectly timed lip-sync to “Like a Virgin,” something Giawould never in a million years do sober. Autumn, who was not a giggler,giggled. Life was happier with alcohol. She should have more of it. All thetime. The world exploded with fun, and seemed noticeably easy and interesting,and look at all the colors! She’d probably stay up all night just enjoying thelights, the people. Hadley was right. This had been a fantastic idea. She wasnever leaving.

“No, no,” Autumn said to Gia with a grin,gesturing at the room in general. “Not seeing double. I see all the people andthey’re just…people. Pretty, pretty people out for a party.”

“Bonus points for alliteration,” Isabel said,and took a pull of her bourbon and Coke that looked so dapper with that fancylittle cherry on a stick. Isabel seemed to be taking it slower than the rest ofthem, which was not as exciting.

Autumn leaned across the table. “C’mon,Baby-Izzy. Catch up. It’ll be a blast. Join me in drunk Neverland.”

“Less of a blast tomorrow,” Isabel said. “ButBaby-Izzy is a new one from you.”

“I’m super creative tonight.”

“Unfortunately for you, I’m seeing Taylorafter this and do not plan to be sloppy drunk.”

“Sounds like a booty call to me,” Gia said,still performing all the Madonna choreography in perfect rhythm.

Isabel stared at her. “Do I look in any way,shape, or form like someone who has a problem with that? Have you met mygirlfriend?”

Gia grinned. “Good point. Haul your bootyover there.”

“You guys,” Drunk-Hadley said, rushing totheir table from the dance floor, where she’d been bopping the night away.“There’s a really swoon-worthy woman on the dance floor and I got to sway nearher.”

“Introduce yourself,” Isabel said. “Youalways think everyone’s out of your league, and you’re one of the mostattractive women in this damn bar. Act like it.”

“Nah. Not in the mood,” Hadley said, bouncingin place. “I’m too tipsy. I just want to dance.”

Autumn narrowed her gaze, and then gave herhead a little shake so Hadley would drift back into focus. She opened her mouthto offer her own advice, but had to pivot at the much more importantdistraction. “Your hair is soblond.Like, look at it.” She reached out and stroked the air near Hadley’s head.“It’s like the blondest of blonds, and I want to brush it.”

“Okay,” Isabel said, sliding Autumn’s drinkacross the table. “And with that, I think it’s time to cut somebody off.”

“Yep. Do it.” Autumn nodded and looked aroundthe room. “Who?”

“Not important,” Gia said, and carriedAutumn’s drink to the bar.

“She’s got our drinks confused. She tookmine.” Autumn pointed after Gia in confusion. “S’okay. I can share!” she yelledloudly across the room. She turned back to see Hadley heading to the smalldance floor. “I’ma dance now.”

“I’ma?” Isabel asked. “We’re going withI’ma?”

Autumn kissed Isabel’s cheek and headed offafter Hadley, racing to her so as not to miss another moment of fun. Only thearms she fell into on the dance floor weren’t Had’s, but they were super toned.Whoa. She squeezed the arms and glanced up into dreamy eyes. Not hazel, though.Not even close, which was a damn shame.

“Hi,” the woman said. “Sorry about that. Youokay?”

Autumn nodded, intrigued by the stranger.

“I’m Cooper.”

She saw Hadley leap into the air behind thewoman and point at her excitedly.

“Like the car? They named you after the car?”Autumn asked, her alcohol-influenced brain trying to understand why anyonewould do that.

“Not exactly.”

Autumn blinked and caught another glimpse ofHadley’s face rising behind Cooper’s. She gave Autumn the thumbs-up sign,before her feet returned to the floor, causing her to disappear again like ahuman Whac-A-Mole. “You’re ahotcar, though, Cooper Cooperson. Wanna dance?”

“I was hoping you’d ask,” Cooper purred inher ear. Autumn didn’t care for the purring. Who did that? Made her ears tingleweirdly, and her shoulders scrunch. To distract herself, she commenced bobbingaround next to Cooper, which was all she really felt like doing anyway, nowthat she was here.

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