Reese.
I swallowed my latest sip of coffee, determined to pull myself back to the present. Reese was gone. Had been for a while. So was everything to do with my past life. I’d cried about it enough times to realize crying didn’t change a single fucking thing. No amount of tears would put things back the way they were. Not after what happened.
Instead, I decided to stay true to my own little vow: to stay focused on the here and now. After my fifth beer at the bar last night, I’d finally managed to come to a decision. It was a little unorthodox, a little crazy, but it was the only thing to do considering our unique set of circumstances.
And now apparently the guys had come to a decision as well.
“So we’re all going out, huh?”
Roderick crunched down on his toast and nodded.
“What time?”
“We figured we’ll head out around six, grab something to eat,” said Camden.
Hmmm. It seemed they were on the same page, suddenly.
“Should I dress up?”
“Probably,” smiled Bryce. “Besides, wouldn’t you want to? You have to be tired of wearing jeans all day.”
“My jeans are comfortable,” I countered. “But… okay. I’ll dress nice.”
I could only imagine what was going on in their minds. They probably thought my entire wardrobe consisted of jeans and workboots.
And thongs.
Yeah. That too.
“Then we’re all set,” Roderick declared, clapping his hands together. He pushed back from the table and dropped his napkin. “We’ll meet you downstairs later at six, all three of us.”
“So a triple date,” I smiled.
“Quadruple date,” Camden corrected. “Sort of.”
“Whatever,” I shrugged, smiling as I picked up one of Roderick’s uneaten pieces of toast. I wrinkled my nose at it. “As long as you guys are buying.”
Twenty-Six
CAMDEN
She was an absolute knockout, wrapped snugly in her tight red dress. It criss-crossed her midsection and hugged her incredible hips. It crept down those two shapely legs to about mid-thigh… still dressy, still elegant, but leaving just enough skin for the imagination.
Not that I needed my imagination to envision what was under there.
Karissa had blown her hair out and layered on some makeup, which was something we’d never seen before. It enhanced her natural beauty but it also changed her look. She seemed more sophisticated somehow. More feminine and refined.
But damn if it didn’t make her even hotter.
“So… where are you boys taking me?”
Karissa posed the question as she got into the car, scissoring one long leg after the other. She sat in the back with Bryce, while I drove. Beside me, Roderick leaned back over the passenger seat and smiled.
“Where are we not taking you?”
The ride was actually relaxing. Conversation wandered from standard work stuff down more personal avenues, as Karissa asked more in-depth questions about our shared pasts. She knew we’d grown up together, but she never knew details. One by one we regaled her with stories from our youth — the funny ones, the ones you could tell over and over again and still laugh at them, and her laugh was as charming as she was.
“So where exactly were you a cop?”