It really can’t be too hard to figure it out. He already knows who Brea is, so that’s off the table. There is Ellie, who is standing next to Callum who has his arm permanently glued to her side. Then, there’s Kinsley who’s running through the bachelor/bachelorette party games with Halle seated, looking somewhat relaxed as she laughs with Brannon about something. I grit my teeth watching as Halle brushes her hand against Brannon’s arm, as her eyes flash over to mine. She knows I’m watching her and her obvious display of flirting with my friend.
The sound of glass shattering at the bar next to us has both Craig and I turning our attention to where Lissa is rounding up the order of drinks. Lissa raises her hand to her mouth as she mutters “ouch” repeatedly, spurring Craig and me into action.
“Are you okay?” I mutter, helping clean up the spilled vodka on the bar being careful as I pick up the shards of glass.
“Just great,” she responds. There is a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“You sure about that?” I ask, raising my eyebrow at her not buying it at all.
“Are they, like, together?”
She motions with her head over to the table and it dawns on me that she’s asking about Brannon and Halle. I’m surprised she asks, honestly. The first time she met Brannon was when she was dating her ex-boyfriend, Adam, and he didn’t shy away from hitting on her immediately.
Lissa wasn’t at all interested, or so we thought, at his obvious advances. In fact, she denied him and any attempts of even talking to her every time.
Now here she is asking if he’s dating Halle, not realizing she’s never met Halle or who she is to me.
“If they were, would it bother you?”
“No,” she replies sharply, rolling her eyes as she kneels on the floor to wipe up the mess.
She’s as bothered by their flirting as I am. I want to laugh at how stubborn she can be.
She doesn’t look at me as she continues to busy herself with remaking the spilled drink and lining them all onto her tray.
“Lissa,” I say, interrupting her. She huffs out a breath, blowing a strand of hair in front of her face as she looks up at me. The same moment she does that, we hear another round of laughs behind us, drawing our attention back to Halle and Brannon.
Flexing my jaw, I shake my head wanting to yell at Brannon to lay off when I think about his words from earlier tonight about how it’s my fault she’s on the market anyway. It’s true and I can’t exactly go around telling Halle who she can’t be with.
Turning my attention back to Lissa, she plasters a fake smile on her face as she moves the tray into her hands.
“What’s up?”
“For the record, they aren’t together,” I say, pausing to make sure she hears me. “Remember Halle, the girl from back home I told you about?”
When Lissa and Adam broke up, she was upset. She tried to hide it, she can play it off well, but when I found her broken down in the cooler one night after a text message he had sent her, I opened up to her about the one that got away.
It takes her a minute, but her eyes widen as she remembers who that is as she looks back over at them and then back to me.
“That’s her?”
“Yep,” I say. “If I had to guess, they are both trying to get under our skin. Trust me, I know because even though they keep talking, he hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you.”
“Of course, he can’t,” she mocks, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “God, he is such a pain in the ass,” she curses, adjusting the tray on her arm as she saunters over to the table.
I want to laugh as Brannon eyes her the entire way over. She knows it, too, as she adds an extra swing to her hips.
Stubborn woman.
11
Halle
* * *
“Is Graham going to come to his senses someday and realize what a great catch he let go of?” Brannon says, leaning in close as he whispers low enough so only I can hear him.
I’m not stupid and neither is he. I don’t know who the girl is that Graham has been chatting it up with, but whoever it is, she’s someone Brannon doesn’t want him talking to either.
“Probably not,” I joke, just as she walks away from Graham toward our table with a tray full of our drinks.
“Well, if it isn’t the firecracker herself.”
For a second, I think she didn’t hear him, as she begins serving the drinks to everyone around the table. I take a sip of my martini, feeling the warmth from the alcohol rush through me.
Once she finishes unloading the drinks, she slides the tray under her arm as she focuses her attention back on Brannon. I know that look, she’s letting him know now she’s not at all amused by him and I want to laugh.
“Did you decide what you wanted to order?”
Brannon leans forward with his elbows on the table. Graham pulls out a chair next to me, taking a seat at the end, flashing me a wink as he leans back getting comfortable.
“Hmm,” Brannon says, knowing how much his prolonged response is driving her crazy.
“I’ll let you continue to think on it,” she says, as Brannon holds his hand up to stop her.
Her eyes narrow at him as she lets out a heavy sigh.
“I’ll let you surprise me.” He smiles.
I don’t know whether to laugh or hold my breath at the grin that takes over her face.
“Sure thing,” she says, dropping her smile as she turns and walks away.
“Well, that was interesting,” I say, looking over at Brannon and back to Graham. “I don’t think your friend likes Brannon much.”
Brannon laughs. “She can play it off all she wants, but I think I’m breaking her down a little. Sooner or later, she’ll fall in love with me.”
“Good luck,” Graham responds.
I want to be annoyed, I should be annoyed. Once again, I’m reminded of what he was doing when he left me, or maybe who he was doing.
I feel jealous and, honestly, I hate it. I don’t get jealous, but when it comes to Graham Shaw, nothing is off limits.
I take a large gulp of my martini, not wanting to feel the way I’m feeling right now. As much as I hate turning to alcohol, I just want to numb everything and if I’m going to have to sit through the reminders of him walking away from me, I’d rather not feel a damn thing.
I take one last drink before setting the glass down. A shiver races over my body, the effects of the alcohol surging through me.
“You trying to get drunk?”
Graham looks at me, concern in his eyes. I know he hates when I drink but tonight, I don’t really care.
“Not necessarily,” I lie.
“Well, take it easy.”
I want to tell him not to worry about me, but I see Lissa approaching with Brannon’s drink, and all I care about is putting in another order.
“Your drink, sir.” She smiles, setting the drink on the table.
Brannon looks down, then back up at her. “What is it?”
Lissa perches her hand on her hip before smiling smugly back at him. “That is an Adios Motherfucker!”
I cover my mouth to contain my laughter. This girl is my spirit animal.
“You’re kidding me,” Brannon deadpans.