Page 110 of Bad For A Weekend

“How about we skip lunch and do dinner on Friday?”

His grin spreads to a smile. “Even better. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Perfect.”

“See ya then.” He gives me a wave as he walks away.

As I gather my things and walk to my car, I pump myself up. This is good. It’s how it should be. Maybe it took me a long time to move on, but I think I’m ready. Even if Grayson turns out to be more pussycat than lion, there are plenty of guys out there. Surely, I can find one.

God, I hope I’m right.

Ten minutes later, I’m walking through the front door of the condo to find Ziggy and his on-again, off-again boyfriend, Knate, playing a video game in the living room.

“Hey, bestie,” Ziggy calls out, his gaze fixed on the TV.

“Hey, guys.” I flop down on an oversized chair, needing a mental break before I dive back into my article.

“What’s going on?” Knate asks.

“I couldn’t get anything done at school, so I decided to come home and work.” The scent of tomatoes, garlic, and onion hits my nose. “Is Brandy cooking?”

“I am,” she calls out from behind the pantry door. I hadn’t noticed the steaming pot on the stove or the flour-dusted counter.

“What are you making?” I shout over the sound of guns and torment coming from the surround sound speakers. Julien, who was sitting between the guys, jumps ship and hops onto my lap.

“The guys were going to order pizza, but you know how much that chain pizza offends me, so I offered to make a couple.”

“It smells amazing.”

She breezes into the living room, curls bouncing and wearing a cute crew neck sweatshirt and bike shorts. Bending down, she kisses the top of my head. “How are you?”

“Good. Stressed. What else is new?” I stroke down Julien’s back.

Her head tilts, and she runs a finger between my eyebrows. “You need to have more fun. You’re twenty-two and in college. You shouldn’t have worry lines already.”

I bat her hand away. “I don’t have wrinkles, and I have fun.”

“No, you don’t,” Ziggy says.

I scowl. “For your information, I have a date with Grayson on Friday. That’s fun.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ziggy pauses the game and angles his body to face me. “Baylor Giles is going on a date?”

“Don’t act like that’s front-page worthy.”

“It is, babe.” Brandy sits on the arm of my chair.

“I go on dates.”

“Grayson’s hot.” Knate sets the controller on the coffee table.

“You’ve been on two dates since we started college,” Ziggy says. “And both ended poorly.”

He’s right. I came home from those dates crying because I felt like I was cheating on Owen. It was irrational and stupid.

“I’m ready to move on,” I say with zero confidence. But maybe if I say it out loud enough times, I’ll believe it. Manifestation and all that.

“That’s good. I think it’s the right choice.” Brandy puts an arm over my shoulders. “You’re young, smart, and beautiful. There’s no reason you shouldn’t go out and have some fun.”

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