Page 20 of Alive At Night

Her lips grew taut, and I knew she was about to buckle down on her tactics because that was what Juniper did when she didn’t get her way.

“I know it’s really hard for you to even consider doing something nice—”

“Don’t come at me with that shit,” I interrupted, feeling heat rise to the forefront. “Stop pretending that I’m an asshole just because I don’t want to go to a last-minute football game with you.”

Juniper pursed her lips. “I wasn’t going to say you’re an asshole.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, just that I never do anything nice, then?”

“Forme,” she emphasized, speaking through gritted teeth now, the anger evident in her bright irises. “You didn’t let me finish. Believe me, I know you have the capacity to be nice to other people.” Something as outrageous as hurt briefly shone in her eyes. But then it vanished, her face becoming a tight mask again as she continued. “So I was going to ask why you wouldn’t want to support your friends.”

Her flash of anger momentarily stunned me, and it took me a second to respond. “Friends?”

“Gemma said you have a friend who is a wide receiver for LA. That’s who the Knights are playing, isn’t it?”

Shit, she was right. I forgot Grayson would be taking the field tonight. I could see Noah play pretty much whenever I wanted, but Gray…

After what a shitty mood he was in yesterday, it would be nice to be there for him tonight. And watching two of my old teammates and roommates face off could make for a hell of a good time.

So to my complete and utter dislike, I gave Juniper what she wanted.

“Okay.” I lifted my foot off hers. “But I’m driving, and you’re not paying for me.”

Juniper shrugged, her satisfaction barely contained. “Fine by me.”

* * *

Ever since thefirst day of work, I’d been trying to get back on Tyler’s good side. Well, not even his good side, because I wasn’t sure I hadeverbeen there, so at least his neutral side. But the receptionist couldn’t want less to do with me after our first awkward encounter. Not that I really blamed him.

“Any plans tonight?” I asked, leaning on the heightened part of his desk designed for visitor sign-in logs and one too many candy bowls.

He shook his head, leaving it at that.

This was going great.

I blamed this on Juni. If she just hadn’t been in my goddamn office…

“You?” Tyler reluctantly asked the return question with all the enthusiasm of someone being asked to work overtime on a holiday weekend.

“Thursday night football,” I said. “Just waiting for some—ah, there she is.”

Juniper burst through the double doors coming from the office, and Tyler lowered his voice.

“I thought you guys didn’t get along,” he muttered.

It crossed my mind to lie to him, wash the whole thing over like a bad joke. But I didn’t really do schmoozing, and I didn’t do lying.

So instead, I tossed him a smile and chuckled. “We don’t.”

Leaving a baffled Tyler behind, I fell in stride with Juniper as she marched to the elevator.

“I need to stop at home to change. I assume you have other clothes?” I looked her up and down. “Since you planned this and all.”

She barely spared me a glance while punching the down button. “No?”

I caught her by the arm. “You look like a walking Kate Spade billboard ad, Lily. Not like you’re going to a football stadium.”

Juniper smirked as the elevator doors opened, and we both stepped inside. The air stilled as the doors slid shut again.

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