Page 13 of Meet Me in the Valley
Isabel takes her drink back and sets it on the bar behind me, her eyes dancing with mischief. I swallow the golf ball–sized lump in my throat, bracing myself for whatever she’s about to say.
“Listen, I’m on a dry spell, sister. Logan’s the perfect hook-up, right? He doesn’t live here, which is a plus. I’m just looking for a wham-bam-thank-you-Sam situation. He’d be down, right?”
I’m pretty sure my mouth is bobbing like a fish out of water. Isabel can be brazen, but it still throws me for a loop half of the time. She’s right, though. Logan would absolutely be down. Isabel is hot, and definitely his type. His type being a woman. Any woman. I inwardly laugh at my own quip.
But a sinking feeling drops in my stomach. I can’t let Isabel see me falter, so I curl my lips into a smile and roll my shoulders back.
“Sure, Iz. Totally go for it. I’m not one to stop you.”
Well, that tasted like battery acid leaving my mouth.
“And besides, why would it matter what I think, anyway? He’s not my boyfriend.”
No, he is not.
Isabel narrows her eyes at me, gauging my reaction and contemplating my response with careful observation. I don’t let her see my nerves, only beaming back a smile in return.
Once satisfied, she shrugs her shoulder as if it’s no big deal.
Because it’s not a big deal. She can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants. That includes Logan.
“Okay, then. It’s settled. I’m going to shoot my shot.” Isabel reaches around me, grabbing her drink and winking before sauntering over to Logan.
I force myself to watch when she approaches him, wrapping her perfectly manicured fingers around his elbow to steal his attention. Logan looks down at her, charm oozing out of him with ease, smile stretching a mile wide. He slings his arm around her shoulder as he whispers something in her ear, causing her to laugh and place her hand on his chest. I can’t stomach it. Frustration simmers, and the next thing I know, I’m flagging Jackson down the bar to pour me another shot. Or two.
This is going to be a long night.
The party gets more lively and rowdy as the drinks keep flowing and the sun dips lower in the sky. Audrey is no longer wearing the tiara veil that Isabel and I got her, but now it’s perched on Logan’s head as we face off with each other in a game of flip cup. The round is about to start as Logan and I glare at eachother with one hand behind our back while Kerry drunkenly announces the rules of the game.
“Since the old people are playing, everyone, listen up!”
Kerry gets a jab to the ribs by his dad, which sets off a chain of laughter down the long table. Somehow, Logan convinced all our parents to join in on our game. I look down the length of the table to see my mom standing behind my dad. I don’t look into it too much, but my mom doesn’t seem annoyed she’s not playing. She also hasn’t had a drink all evening.
Maybe she’s on a new juice cleanse I don’t know about or something.
My inner ramblings jolt when I hear Kerry yell, “Go!”
Audrey and Donovan face off first, both of them hastily chugging their beer then flipping their cup at the same time. No good. Logan and I are at the very end of the table, making us the last ones to go if this game gets close.
Audrey and Donovan are still struggling to flip their red Solo cups, so I shout, “Auds! Distract him! Distract the groom!” She squeals in laughter and squeezes her boobs together while jumping up and down. Donovan is close to wasted at this point and stops flipping as he watches Audrey’s cleavage taunt him.
“Focus, D!” Logan shouts alongside Wyatt and Kerry, who are covering their eyes at their future sister-in-law’s deviant strategy. Audrey finds a gap and flips her cup, shrieking with glee as it lands perfectly on its brim. Our side cheers loudly as the next round goes to Isabel.
“Fucking shit,” Donovan mutters as he struggles to flip his cup. When he finally gets it, he grins at Audrey and shakes his head.
“Way to distract him, Audrey!” I yell out, getting the middle finger from Donovan as he leans across the table to his fiancé and plants a passionate kiss on her mouth.
Our side is winning and are only ahead by three people. Then Donovan’s mom gets stuck and starts panicking as Wyatt and Kerry easily flip their cups. She’s now facing off with her husband, laughing uncontrollably as he taunts his wife.
“Almost our turn, T. This is just like college. Think you still got it after all this time?” Logan wears a stupid grin on his face with the small train of the tiara veil draping down one shoulder. I can’t take him seriously. I’ve lost count of the amount of eye rolls I’ve cast his way tonight.
“I remember clearly how much better I am at this game than you.”
“Wanna bet?”
I squint my eyes at him before looking down the line. The game is neck and neck now, our turn coming up fast. Hell, I’m not one to back down from a challenge, and the asshole knows it. We’ve been playing this game for years. No time to chicken out now.
“Fine.” I state. “Name your bet.”
