Page 331 of The Sinner: James

The moment we near the table, she pulls closer to me, her hand locked with mine.

My heart almost jumps out of my chest. It pounds so hard.

We pull to a smooth stop in front of them, and then she glances at me. I tip my chin, motioning to her and them.

She shifts her eyes to Lex.

He holds his hand out for her.

She tears her fingers away from mine and meets his touch. Tenderly, he cups her face and places a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Where were you, beautiful girl? We missed you,” he says, his eyes glinting with a smile.

He winks at me.

“But not as badly as he did,” he adds.

“Cut it out, Lex,” I joke.

A grin tugs at her lips.

She glances at me again before she gets buried in Ed’s arms.

He kisses her on her forehead and runs his thumb across her cheek.

“You look great,” he says.

Another smile glows across her lips.

“We’re happy that you’re here,” he adds.

The waitress sets our drinks on the table as we all get seated.

She looks around, taking in the large venue and the people cramming the space.

“It’s good business,” she murmurs before looking at me.

“It’s business,” I say evenly.

“So, how do you like it?” Lex asks.

She moves her gaze to him.

“It’s impressive,” she says.

“And the new projects in town?”

“They look good. My dad was wrong after all,” she adds, shifting her eyes to me. “He was convinced the resort would create a lot of problems.”

“Not everything is good, but most of it is...” I say before tilting my drink against my lips.

“Have you considered moving back?” Ed asks.

She smiles, gazing at me.

“Yes, I have. And I might.”

With that, we talk about other topics.

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