I tipped my head at Piper and walked away. I didn’t know why I was so mad. Of course she hadn’t told her friends that we’d slept together. Why would she? She had been adamantly against it up until the moment it’d happened last night. I shouldn’t even fucking care. I did shit like that all the time. It wasn’t even the first time it had happened to me. It just had felt…different.
Piper was different.
And I had no idea how to reconcile that.
“Could you be more obvious?” she demanded as she reached for a banana at the buffet.
“I didn’t know we were hiding it.”
“I fell on my ass? Jesus, Hollin.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What did you want me to say?”
“Like normal, I’d prefer you said nothing,” she snapped.
“So, this never happened.”
“Sure, it happened. It was a one-night stand. I’ve come to my senses now that I’m not pumped full of alcohol.”
“That wasn’t the only thing you were pumped full of.”
She made a disgusted look. “And this is why this never should have happened.”
“And what about after? What about the ride home and the kiss at your door?”
“What do you want me to say?” She met my eyes with a dark gaze. “I was drunk.”
“Fine,” I said with the hedonistic smirk that she despised. “If you say so. How is your ass anyway? Still have my handprints on it, babe?”
“Fuck you, Hollin.”
Then, she strode away.
And I cursed myself for being a perpetual dick as I watched her walk away.
15
Piper
Hollin and I had gone from zero to a hundred. It had been a fucking master class in whiplash.
But what we’d done was a mistake. An incredible, soul-shattering mistake. I never, ever should have had sex with him, and he shouldn’t have asked about it in front of all of our friends the next morning.
What had happened on the tour bus should have stayed on the tour bus.
So, I’d done the very mature thing—antagonized him and then avoided him entirely.
I had no idea what I was doing. I wanted more of what he’d offered. I wanted to feel the way I’d felt at the show, but I didn’t even know how I’d gotten to that point. How I’d let my guard down enough to get there.
Hollin Abbey was the last person on the planet I wanted to be with. After what had happened with Quinn and Khloe, I’d written him off as the scum of the universe. We’d had mind-blowing sex, and I was just going to what? Forgive him? Forget about who he was? Not likely.
Not that he’d reached out. No texts. No calls. No stopping by. He wasn’t exactly the pining type. After all, he was the guy who loved the chase and got over it once he got what he wanted. This wasn’t any different.
“Mija, did you want to get lunch?” my dad asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I glanced at the time. “I’m supposed to meet Peyton. She wants to talk wedding arrangements.”
Dad chuckled. “Does she know that you don’t care?”
“She’s Peyton. She knows.” I pecked him on the cheek. “But also, I care that her wedding day is perfect.”
“You’re a good sister.”
“I try. It’s good to have Peyton back in town.”
“We all feel like that. Go. Have fun.”
“I will, Papa.”
“Remember to pencil us in for Easter.”
I squeezed his hand as I passed. “Always.”
Easter was a big deal in my family. It always had been. Abuelita always talked about what it had been like in Mexico. Carnival before Lent and then all the amazing traditions leading up to Easter Sunday. I’d always wanted to go to her home in Mexico and experience it, but we’d never had the funds to make it happen. One day, I’d do it.
I jumped into my Jeep, glad that I’d taken the top off this morning when I drove into work. The weather was warming up, and I lived with my top off all summer. Rain or shine, it was the Jeep way.
I parked outside of Thai Pepper. They’d closed for a few months, and everyone had feared that they were going to close forever. It was the best Thai in town. It would have been a real travesty, but they had opened back up and were busier than ever.
Peyton had on a little skirt and cardigan over her leotard and tights when she met me at the door. A tall blonde trailed behind her in a burgundy dress and chunky heels.
“Pipes!” Peyton said with a Miss America wave. “Hope you don’t mind that I invited Tori. She didn’t have plans.”
“The famous Tori,” I said, holding my hand out. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Tori shook my hand with a wide smile. She was gorgeous in that dancer sort of way. Lean muscle mass on a narrow frame. Her legs were toned almost as much as Peyton’s were. Though it was nearly impossible to be as fit as my sister. Her blonde hair was down in loose waves around her shoulders, and she had an easy smile that met her soft green eyes.
“Piper! God, it’s so good to finally meet you.”
Tori had been hired as the costume coordinator for Lubbock Ballet Company right before The Nutcracker season. She and Peyton had hit it off, and Peyton had insisted that we’d be fast friends.
We stepped inside the busy restaurant, put in our orders, and took a seat. Peyton pulled out a notepad filled with to-do lists.
“I have so many things left,” she said with a sigh.
“You’ll get through it,” Tori said confidently.
Peyton smiled at her. “Thanks. I’m glad Nora is doing so much.”
We talked through the cake choices and agreed on a half-dozen for her to taste-test with Isaac later that week. I’d agreed to watch Aly that afternoon so they could have some time together. His daughter was a dancer as well and quite a joy. I couldn’t wait for her to be my niece for real. My mom and Isaac’s parents had been doing double duty, watching her while they wedding-planned.
Our food came, and I ate the pad thai with gusto. Even if I hadn’t been starved, I’d have scarfed down the noodles like they were my life force. Sometimes, I wondered if they put something in them to make them taste this delicious. To make me always crave them.
“How was your concert, Pipes?” Peyton asked. “You never mentioned it.”
I swallowed hard. “It was good. I went backstage with the band.” I hesitated a moment. “Saw the tour bus.”
“Really?” Tori asked. “That sounds so much fun. What band?”
“Cosmere.”
Tori arched an eyebrow. “Wow. They’re pretty huge.”
“The lead singer is local,” Peyton filled her in.
“I’d heard that.”
“Why are you fidgeting?” Peyton asked. She pointed her chopsticks at me. “What happened? You’re only like this when you’re hiding something.”
When I’d gotten home from the show, I’d confided in Blaire what had happened. She hadn’t been that surprised, which I found mildly insulting, but she’d laughed it off. I’d begged her not to tell anyone else, but this was just Peyton. I could tell her. And I didn’t know this Tori girl from anything. Made it easier.