Page 109 of Hound Dog
“Whereismy brother, anyway? I left him at Beefcakes just a couple hours ago.”
My spine stiffened. “You saw Finn?”
Addy nodded from behind the bar where she and Enzo stood side by side.
I gulped and started to ask, “Was he oka—”
“Forget about my brother for a second! We have to give you our gift now. The people are getting restless.”
I scrunched my nose and looked around at the sad crowd of strangers milling around the bar. “People? What people?”
“Haylee.” From behind me, a deep voice said my name.
Ice slid through my veins as I spun slowly around.
“Ben,” I whispered.
Horrified, I looked back to Addy and Enzo. “Isthisyour gift to me?”
Addy and Enzo stared at Ben in almost as much shock as me. Shaking their heads, Addy said, “No.”
Enzo released Simon’s hand and stepped forward and added, “Thiswas our gift to you.”
They stepped aside, hands spread with half-assed spirit fingers and simultaneously murmured, “Happy birthday.”
From behind the bar, Maisie stood up, shouting, “Surprise!”
I screamed.
Actuallyscreamedout loud.
It’d been six months since we’d seen each other in person. Not even the shock of seeing Ben here could take away my excitement over my best friend showing up.
Laughing, she launched herself over the top of the bar and crushed me in a hug. Her silky, straight black hair shrouded us like a curtain.
From behind me, I heard Ben’s snort. “Well, I guess I know where I stand. She gets a scream and a hug, and I get nothing.”
I felt Maisie freeze like a wall of muscle in our hug. She pulled back, glaring over my shoulder at Ben.
“What the hell areyoudoing here?” she asked.
Obviously, Maisie had never liked Ben, but she’d managed to keep her contempt for him on a leash… until I texted her that I broke up with him. Since then, she’d begun unloading her hatred of him onto me, day and night, in every text message.
Ben glared back at Maisie. “I’m visiting my girlfriend on her birthday.” His gaze shifted to me. “Don’tIget a hug?”
There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm or anything in his tone. He extended his arms toward me as if he expected me to run to him with the same sort of welcome I’d given Maisie.
“Girlfriend?” I took a slow step toward Ben but didn’t accept the invitation of his hug.
Ben gave me the sort of look you give an untrained dog who can’t even master the command,sit. “Yeah. You gave me an ultimatum. Show up tonight or we’re no longer together. So… here I am.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs making my memory so fuzzy. “No. That’s not what I said.”
“Um, itiswhat you said,” he countered.
Shit,wasthat what I’d said? I squeezed my eyes shut and looked at the lights for a quick second. “We broke up.”
He snorted and slid his hands into his pockets. “Uh, babe, I think I’d remember if I broke up with you.”
