Page 29 of Double or Nothing

Kat

My best friend, Liz, is sitting on the opposite end of the couch from me with her legs crossed and her face contorted. She’s used to my hellish casino stories, but this one? This one takes the cake on all levels.

“You’re kidding, right?”

I’m not exactly sure which part she thinks I’m kidding about, but I assure her every damn detail is true.

“No, no, no.” She shakes her head. “I mean the part about Sutton.”

“Yeah, unfortunately, that’s true.” I take a sip of the wine in my glass.

“Did you tell Jack the two of you have history?” she asks, though I wish she wouldn’t.

“Yep.”

“He didn’t care?”

“He said a lot of women have history with Sutton.”

A queasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach at the mere thought of Sutton with another woman. It’s not like I’ve exactly been celibate the past five years. I’ve had my fair share of fun. Still, the idea that Sutton would want anyone other than me is hard to swallow. The girl I buried away inside me long ago doesn’t want to believe it, and to a degree, neither does the woman I am now.

It hurts too much.

“That they do,” Liz replies, agreeing with my boss, as if that’s helping any.

There’s an unexpected knock on my door.

“Are you expecting someone?” Liz asks.

I shake my head before looking through the peephole.

“It’s Callum.”

The moment I open the door, he steps inside.

“Get dressed. We’re going out.”

“I’m not in the mood.” I plop back down on the couch, the wine in my glass sloshing.

“All the more reason to go.” Callum tugs on my arm.

Liz is already on her feet. Callum always has the “in” to the hottest places in town, and Liz lives for a good party.

“What better way to forget about Sutton than to drown yourself in dick?” Liz suggests, shrugging at what she thinks is the most obvious of choices.

Despite working in a casino, I’m not one for gambling. Even I know two-to-one odds will not land in my favor. That’s why thirty minutes later, I’m sitting at the bar at The Loft, Callum on one side and Liz on the other.

“The best part of all this? He requested me,” I slur, my emphasis on the requested part. “As in, he’s forcing me to be his host. Forcing us to spend time together. Can you believe that?”

“Actually? Yeah, I can. Sutton has always had a weak spot for you. Just like you do for him.” Liz laughs, looking at me as though I’m crazy.

“Thank you,” Callum proclaims, pleased Liz agrees with him.

“Not anymore,” I protest.

“Yeah, okay,” Liz says with a laugh.

I want to be mad at her and Callum, but I know what they’re saying is true. I just hate that it is. Right now, I hate even more that she’s continuously pointing it out to me.

---