“Mara, you look lovely,” I told her and then cringed at the word. “Beautiful, I mean.” Both women laughed, and I let out a low, embarrassed groan.
“Thanks,” she said, taking pity on me, probably in hopes I’d tell her what the hell I was thinking showing up with Babs on my arm.
“Well hello beautiful ladies. And Stone.” Xander showed up looking dapper in a gray suit and with a smoldering look for Mara. “What did I miss?”
“We just got here,” I told him, a warning in my voice.
Xander barked out a laugh that drew a few stares, and I glared harder at him, which only produced more laughter. “I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.” He clapped his hands together excitedly just as Olive and Liam joined our little group.
“Me either,” Olive agreed, a gleam in her eyes.
I narrowed a gaze at her, ignoring Liam’s warning look. “You’re supposed to be the nice one.”
She shrugged, unapologetic as she rubbed her growing belly. “I’m pregnant, I can be whatever I want to be until this baby comes out of me.”
“I guess we better go find our seats,” I said out of nowhere, eager to get away from questioning gazes. Collective laughter sounded behind me and Babs but I refused to engage.
“That was really mature,” she said, amusement in her voice. “But they’re right, you know.”
“They’re not,” I insisted. “They’re the ones who encouraged me to tell her how I felt because they were so sure she felt the same way. She didn’t, so what do they know?” I found our table, groaning when I realized the other seats belonged to the group I’d just abandoned. “Of course.”
“I could use some champagne,” Babs said sympathetically and put a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be all right.”
I shrugged. “It can’t be any worse, right? And like I said earlier, I’m determined to move on, and I’ve got the hottest date in town.”
“If only you meant it,” she sighed and took a seat, crossing long, shapely legs and drawing stares from nearly every man in attendance. “Hurry, please.”
“Champagne emergency, I’m on my way!” I saluted her and made my way to the bar, not at all surprised that Eva and Oliver had decided for an upscale affair. The whole town had shown up in their Sunday best to wish them well, or maybe to enjoy the open bar. “Two champagnes. And a shot of tequila, please.”
“Stone. Hey.” Sophie’s soft voice managed to come through loud and clear despite the fact that at least twenty different conversations took place around us, some at a tipsy decibel.
“Hey Soph.” I tried for casual and friendly, but even I heard the snarkiness in my tone. “How’s it going?”
“Well. You?” She stood taller, squaring her shoulders the way she did when she needed to gather up her confidence.
“I’m fine. You look nice.”
“Thanks,” she said, sounding a little deflated. “You and Babs, huh?”
I shrugged. “I needed a date and we get along well.”
“I’ll just bet you do.”
My lips curled into a bitter smile and I knocked the tequila back to take the sting off her words. “You have a problem with that?”
“No, of course not.”
“Good, because if you did, that would be a real dick move Soph.”
She huffed in surprise and took a step back. “I hope you two have a good time tonight.”
“No doubt we will. See you around, Soph.” I walked away before either of said something we couldn’t take back, ignoring the little fractures in my heart that this was where things stood between us, and wondering how long it would be until things returned to normal.
Could they return to normal?
“Fifty cc’s of champagne for the lady.”
Babs accepted the champagne flute with a soft smile. “Thanks. That looked intense over there,” she nodded towards the spot where Sophie still stood, and I could practically see her seething even from twenty feet away.
“It was fine. She was just surprised to see us here together.”
“She’s jealous,” Babs said with a wide, satisfied smile. “Totally jealous.”
“She’s not jealous, at least now how you mean. Sophie probably thought I’d come to my senses and take her, the same as I always did.” I couldn’t even be mad at her about it, because I’d done it to myself. I put myself in that situation, having all the obligations of a romantic relationship without the advantages.
“Trust me, she’s jealous. Watch, but don’t be obvious about it.” Before I could ask what was going on, Babs tossed her head back and laughed, her delicate fingers of one hand at her chest, the other gripping my bicep in amusement. “Look. Carefully.”
My head swiveled oh so gently to the righ,t to see Sophie with her arms folded, and fire shooting out of her brown eyes.
“She is.”
“Told you. Never doubt Babs.” She flashed a smug smile and leaned forward. “Now what shall we do about it?”