Sin City Baby

“All of us did, Hadley,” I said. “It wasn't just Gabe and Chris. We all had the hots for you.”

She seemed surprised, and she blushed as she quickly averted her gaze.

“I had no idea. I honestly didn't know Chris had feelings for me until – well, until Gabe and I split up,” she said. “After we broke up, Chris came to check on me at college. Just wanted to make sure I was okay. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. For him to come all that way just to check up on me.”

“I had no idea he did that,” I said. “He never mentioned it to any of us.”

We always used to tell each other everything – even things I would have preferred not hearing, honestly. But, judging by this one conversation, I realized I actually knew very little. Gabe potentially cheating on Hadley. Chris visiting her in San Diego. I had no idea whatsoever, that any of that ever happened. It was like she had opened a door and all of these dark secrets just came tumbling out, and I was left standing there in the middle of the debris, trying to figure out what to do with it all.

“Yeah, it was our little secret,” she said, a touch of nostalgia in her voice.

She stared down at the bottle in her hand before giving her head a little shake, as if she'd been lost in memory and was suddenly coming back to herself. The look on her face though, pulled at my heartstrings. She looked so lost. So vulnerable. Yet, through all of that, I also saw her strength and her determination.

“Do your parents still recycle?” she asked, holding the bottle up.

“Of course,” I said, taking it from her. “Would you like another?”

“Nah, I think I should probably get home and get to bed,” she said as she stood up and stretched her legs. “But it was nice talking to you, Evan. I'm glad we had a little time together. And I'm requesting a rain check on the hot tub.”

I stood up too, trying to decide between hugging her or not. She made the choice for me though, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing lips to my cheek that were every bit as soft and luscious as I'd thought.

“And whenever you want to see Grayson, just come on over,” she said. “He'd be thrilled to spend time with you.”

I was left speechless. She pulled away from the embrace and headed back toward the gate. Her ass swished almost flirtatiously, and she smiled at me over her shoulder before she exited the yard. I stood there, two beer bottles in my hands, staring like an idiot, a maelstrom of emotion in my heart.

It was amazing that after all these years, Hadley could still make me feel like an awkward, blubbering idiot. I guess she was right – some things never changed.

CHAPTER FOUR

JARED

Castle Club wasn't really a club, but the name had a nice ring to it. While there were a few bars in Castle Creek, we were by far the nicest. In my opinion, at least. Maybe I was just biased. We served a higher-end clientele – those who owned second and third homes in Castle Creek. A big portion of our clientele were the folks who came to town for skiing every winter and hiking every summer.

We also catered to a good number of celebrities who were growing wary of the larger resort towns, and preferred to be somewhere off the beaten path and away from the paparazzi. Most of Castle Creek's residents were fairly well off anyway, so the mix of people meshed well together.

I liked the job because it was literally just a job to me. There was no heavy mental or emotional investment in it, which suited me perfect. I'd literally clock out at the end of my shift and go home – then, my time would be my time. Gabe and Evan never had that luxury. Gabe was on the clock all day, every day. Sure, he had more money than anyone knew what to do with, but his time was never completely his own. He could vacation, escape to the most isolated island in the world, and still have conference calls and virtual meetings. He was always tethered to his work and couldn't go very long without checking his e-mail or voicemail.

Evan wasn't much better off. Sure, he worked from home, but that only meant he hardly ever clocked off. It was a cushy job, one that you could do in the comfort of your pajamas no doubt, but not one I could do. Not one I wanted to do.

But hey, it worked for them. It just wasn't for me. That wasn't the kind of life I wanted to lead. I wanted to enjoy life – to, suck the marrow out of it, like some dead, dusty poet once said. I wanted to do the things that made me happy. That was where I wanted to put my heaviest mental and emotional investment.

I preferred working with people – especially beautiful women. I got all of that and more with my job at the club. The pay was so-so, but I didn't need the money. None of us did. Our parents were well off enough that none of us had to work if we didn't want to. But, while Gabe and Evan slaved away at their jobs, having it occupy most of their waking – and probably a good chunk of their sleeping – hours, I actually had the luxury of enjoying my life.

We only go around once on this rock, and I intended to make the most of it.

The night after dinner at the Rose's, I was at work. It was a typical Friday night and the bar was already hopping when I got into work that evening. I clocked in and went straight to the counter. A crowd of gorgeous women were clustered in one corner, all of them with full glasses. Another group was waiting behind them as they flirted with Nico, who leaned against the bar and flirted right ack. Lucky bastard, got to them first. That was okay, I'd plant my flag in no time. It was something of a game with us when we worked – we often competed to see who got the most numbers in a given night.

Over the loud buzz of the crowd, I heard my name being called.

A familiar voice called out to me, “Jared? Is that you?”

Two women walked toward us, and I almost couldn't believe my eyes. Hadley walked toward me, her hair swishing side to side, a wide smile on her face, as she rushed toward the bar. She was in a tiny little black dress that hugged her body in all the right places, accentuated her curves, and hugged her waist with a sheer band of lace.

Her lips were cherry red, and she was wearing more makeup that I'd ever seen her wear before. Thick, black lashes surrounded by a carefully applied smoky eye. Damn, she was fine. She was normally gorgeous as it was, but that night, she was extra fine.

“Hadley? What are you doing out here?” I asked.

Her friend Naomi was with her. The two of them had been cheerleaders together at one time. Rivals turned friends turned people who barely knew each other, or so I thought.