Rachel shrugged and smiled. “It was all the OGs.”
They stared at each other for a long while. “You look beautiful,” he said in almost a whisper.
“You clean up well yourself. Happy birthday, Sheriff.”
Oh God, he couldn’t stand this. He lowered his gaze, shuffled his feet. “Thanks.” He looked up again and lost himself in her big caramel eyes. “Listen, I…”
He didn’t even know where to begin. Thank fuck she came to his rescue. “Maybe we should talk?” She seemed nervous now too, her smile faltering. “Unless you don’t want to—”
“Yes, please,” he hurried to say. “I want to.” So fucking badly, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Here you are, cutie pie,” he heard from behind him, as Jade clutched his arm. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Aren’t you going to introduce us?” She turned to Rachel. “I’m Jade. I came to celebrate his birthday with him.”
Rachel’s caramel eyes turned stone cold. She smiled at Jade, though. “Nice to meet you. I’m Rachel.”
What the fuck was Jade doing there? She probably noticed the fury brewing under his stunned facade because she blinked a couple of times, trying to feign innocence. “They said I could come in without an invitation. That I didn’t have to wait for you outside. I saw Amantis’s members walking in. You didn’t tell me it was that kind of party.”
He had no clue which kind of a party Jade was referring to. He disentangled himself, his eyes never leaving Rachel’s, pleading with her. “Let’s talk.”
“I’ll mingle in the meantime,” Jade offered, patting his arm. “We brought champagne, Rachel. Where should I leave it?”
“I’ll take care of it. You can mingle together.” Grabbing the bottle, Rachel briskly walked away.
Adrian caught up with her. “Wait, please. Let’s talk.”
“No need. It’s all clear,” she answered matter-of-factly. “I see you didn’t waste much time running back to her.”
“I didn’t run—”
“Save it,” Rachel interrupted. “It’s good you already have someone less… problematic to make you the focus of the afterparty. And she suits you.” She lifted the bottle of champagne. “Expensive booze, expensive clothes. The visuals are all there, cutie pie. I’m not sure about the substance, but that’s secondary, right? Happy mingling.”
Jesus fucking Christ. How had shit derailed this badly? He’d done nothing wrong, damn it. He’d been ready to talk things out, and yet he hadn’t been allowed to utter one full sentence. He went after Rachel, fuming, only to see her go into the kitchen with Josh. Always that damn Josh.
Adrian stormed out.
Jade was already making herself seen, with a crowd around her. She did know how to work a party. XL, Ash, and Monti were giving him the evil eye, probably assuming he’d brought her. Which he hadn’t. What should he have done? Left her at his place? Jade could smell a gathering a mile away. She would have found her way to Wilma’s. And where the fuck was the taxi he’d called for her? FUBAR, the whole damn thing. Fantastic way to uncork age thirty-five.
The following Monday, Rachel was in the garage when the geofence beeped on the tracking app she’d installed on her grandmother’s cell. It looked like the OGs weren’t in Alden or its immediate surroundings.
Ladies, you cruising?
There was no answer to her message, but the map showed they weren’t far away. They always had trouble hearing while they were cruising in the pickup, so she let it slide. Let them have some fun.
Until the geofence alarm sounded again and again. If they were cruising, they weren’t going in a straight line, but going in and out of the perimeter.
“What’s that sound?” XL asked.
She showed the map to him. “Wilma’s and Rebecca’s cells have a tracking app, and Mike added a geofence alarm.”
XL frowned. “And the old ladies agreed to that?”
“They don’t know,” Rachel admitted.
“That makes more sense,” he said, watching the map. “They’re west from here, but there’s only a straight road there. Why would the alarm beep?”
She sent a message to Mike. Yo, what’s up with the geofence alarm?
Malfunction? was the answer.
Maybe. The OGs hadn’t yet responded, so she texted them again, Ladies, forgot your phones?
The answer came: Greta died
Rachel froze. XL did too. Then another message arrived
***DID
***Greta did forget her phone. Why?
Shit, fuck, crap. Too shocked to type, Rachel called. It took a while before her grandma answered.
“Yes, dear?”
“Jesus Christ, Grandma. You want to kill us?” There was so much sound and interference, she could barely hear anything. “Where are you?”
“Hmm, not sure. Around?”
“What do you mean, around?” Rachel asked, but she couldn’t understand much of the response before the call was dropped.
She was ready to head to Mike’s gym when he called her. “Sheriff’s been here. There have been several calls about a manned hot-air balloon flying rather low, west from Alden. Trajectory is a bit erratic, but it seems like it’s going to land at the park.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” she muttered.
“Exactly my sentiment,” Mike replied. “See you there?”
“You bet.” Rachel ran outside and looked up.
XL followed her. “What’s up?”
She pointed at a hot-air balloon in the colors of the rainbow flag. “The damn OGs.”
XL’s eyes opened wide. “No shit.”
“Yes shit.”
Without bothering to change clothes, she rushed to her car and drove to the park, keeping an eye on the hot-air balloon in case it flew too low and got stuck on someone’s rooftop.
When she made it to the park, Mike was already there, with Adrian by his side. Paramedics and the fire department were on standby.
She looked up. The OGs were in the basket, smiling and waving and taking pictures. Man, she should have figured something like this was going to happen. Rachel waved back. Thank God there was someone else with them up there, manning the fire and directing the balloon. Without much success, it had to be said.
“What’s he doing here?” she asked Mike, gesturing toward the sheriff.
After XL’s party, the last person in the world she wanted to see was Adrian. She’d had enough of watching as that monument of a woman with curves in spades and legs up to her ears smiled at him and touched him and all but ate him alive. He’d seemed more interested in downing booze, but still. They’d left together.
He’d been so damn lucky Rachel had felt magnanimous and downplayed the whole situation to T-Bone. The OGs keeping her brother busy had helped too.
“This is an unauthorized hot-air balloon flying dangerously low over my town,” Adrian replied. “Of course I’m here.”
Mike tried to alleviate the tension. “We called the company that handles the rides. The instructor is a newbie and got lost.” The OGs were terrible at giving directions. If he’d relied on them, it was a miracle they weren’t headed to Alaska.