Page 109 of Hard To Leave

She set her Cosmo martini glass down and wiped her lips. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

I bumped her shoulder. “That’s what friends are for, but remember this isn’t Sutter’s Mill. And we aren’t in college anymore.”

“It was your fault,” she accused, and we both started to laugh at the memories of playing Give or Take in her dorm before we would hit the bars on Marshall Street. Give or Take was a card game where you had to do a truth, a dare, or take a drink.

College life was simpler days filled with cheap booze, great friends, and doing stupid shit whenever you got the chance. Why did being a grown-up have to be so damn difficult?

“Well, if it isn’t Jack Jenson,” a voice said from behind me. I titled my head to the side to see Rachel Reynolds swirling her hips toward our booth. She leaned in, making sure I got an eyeful of what she was putting on display.

I scrambled out of the booth to greet her. “Hey, gorgeous.”

Rachel was blonde, with big tits and an easy vagina. I should know because I was quite familiar with it. Her office used to be three floors down from mine, but then she got engaged and changed jobs. Our afternoon copy room fuck sessions came to a screeching halt.

“How are you?” I asked, pulling her in for a hug. She was unquestionably hot in all the right places, not to mention she knew exactly what to do with her assets.

She ran her pink painted nail down the length of my chest; I noticed her ring finger was now bare. “I’ve missed you, Jack. I’ve had a lot of photocopying to do and no one to help me with it.”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I’ve been busy,” I said, easing back slightly. In another place and another time, I would have been all in, but I just wasn’t there yet. “What happened to what’s his name?” I asked in an attempt to halt her flirting.

She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Who the hell cares, but last time I saw him he was banging his sister’s best friend over our bathroom sink.”

Cassie snorted behind me. “Must have decided it was time for an upgrade.”

Rachel folded her arms across her chest and glared at my friend. Apparently, motherhood hadn’t supplied her with a filter for her mouth yet. “What did you just say?”

I turned Rachel away from Cassie, directing her gaze on me and hoping to prevent a cat fight. “Don’t mind her, she’s a little buzzed at the moment. Sorry to hear about your ex.”

She grinned over the top of her glass while looking me over. “I’m not.” She licked her lips in a move that I guessed was supposed to be a turn on. “I just wanted to pop over and say hi,” she purred with a suggestive tone that was so obvious I wanted to laugh. This little encounter made me realize how shallow and meaningless my life had been before Chloe. Was this really how I spent all those years? They felt wasted now. Meaningless.

I spotted Nick getting closer to our table.

“Well, thanks for stopping over. It was great seeing you.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek, not wanting to be a complete asshole. She looked disappointed when I slid back into the booth next to Cassie.

“Sure.” She took a step back. “I’ll be over there.” She gestured to the small table on the opposite end of the room. “Come find me later if you feel up to hanging out.” And with that, she sashayed out of my line of vision.

Nick dropped into his seat and peered at me over the rim of his glass. “Not in the mood tonight?”

He was fishing for a reaction, but I wasn’t taking the bait. “Why, do you want her number? She’s got a hot friend that likes to join in on the action sometimes.”

He barked out a laugh and tilted his head to steal a glance of Rachel’s ass. “I might take you up on that.”

Cassie pushed her drink toward the middle of the table. “You guys are so gross.” She picked up her phone and started typing away. “My husband better hurry up and get here. I’m not sure how long I’m going to last with you two.”

I shifted in my seat and stared off into the distance.

For the next half hour, I pretended to focus on the wannabe rock stars who were butchering some of the best eighties music that ever existed.

It felt good to sit back and pretend that my life wasn’t a complete mess.

I was in the middle of listening to the worst version of Sweet Home Alabama I ever heard when I spotted Liam making his way toward our table. I scooted out of the booth so he could slide in next to Cassie.

“Thanks for keeping my seat warm,” he said, placing his arm along his wife’s shoulder. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. When I looked at him, he tried to hide it like he was guilty for some reason. Cassie picked up on it and glared at him. She shook her head in a silent warning.

I caught a number of odd exchanges between my friends. They appeared to be doing some nonverbal communication like they were all in on a big secret and I was completely out of the loop.

“What the hell is going on with you guys?” They were all acting weirder than normal. I knew I had a few drinks, but I wasn’t that drunk.

Liam held up his phone to show us all a picture his mother just sent him of the sleeping newborns. “This is what’s going on.” He passed the phone around so we could all get a better look at the photo. “I get my wife all to myself tonight.”

---