Page 83

Kristi’s eyebrows rose. What?

“Why’d you have to bring up the spreadsheet tonight?” Of all nights?

Something that may have been guilt flickered across Kristi’s face, but she didn’t respond right away, instead skimming her fingers down Riley’s arm and interlocking their fingers. “I just want you to be careful.”

Kristi’s French tips were bright in the dark.

“You should delete it,” Riley said, and the heat built between their palms. She raised her eyes to Kristi’s, looking for answers that weren’t there.

She didn’t recognize the dark expression on her best friend’s face.

“What is going on with you? I thought you were having fun tonight.”

Kristi’s lip tipped up in a smile. “I was.” Her gaze darted to Saint and back. “Until I wasn’t.”

Riley stared at her. “What the hell does—”

A shadow fell over them as Aaron appeared at the top of the stairs. Kristi disentangled their hands and smoothed her cocky smile into place.

“Just me tonight, as it turns out. Lucky you.” Kristi winked at him.

Aaron’s eyes flickered over Riley and found Saint. Something passed between them, and Aaron nodded. “Lucky me,” he agreed and brought his gaze back to Kristi’s.

Riley looked between them, a black cloud growing in her chest. She didn’t want Kristi to go with Aaron. She didn’t want her to stay either.

Is this jealousy?

Riley didn’t have the mental faculties to deal with this after the amount of beer she’d consumed. The guys had stopped drinking ages ago, and she should have too.

Just more mistakes.

Saint stopped close enough to warm her back, and she leaned back into him.

“Bye, babe.” Kristi gave her a soft smile, and Riley forced herself to return it.

“Bye, K.”

Aaron’s hand was light on Kristi’s back, and he walked her out of the shop, nodding to Riley as he passed her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Riley said on a huff of breath.

Wheeler thundered down the stairs and clapped Saint on the shoulder. He gave Riley a quick kiss on the cheek as he left the shop in a rush.

Riley followed them to the door, waving as both sets of headlights disappeared down the road. Once they were gone, she turned to Saint and buried her face in his chest.

“Why does it feel like I want to cry?” she mumbled against his shirt. “Again.”

He wrapped his arms around her back and didn’t respond.

Chapter 26

Riley

“Five thousand, two hundred. That’s not even that much,” Riley muttered at the student loan balance on the screen. She sighed and placed the phone facedown on her desk. Numbers marched through her brain to the beat of techno that was too loud for her earbuds. Four months. She could do four. That was only about fifteen more Mondays. After today.

The white and chrome of the office seemed garish instead of sophisticated. Papers shuffled and low voices bled through the boardroom door while she pretended to look busy.

Sounds suspicious. The voice in her head sounded like Kristi, and Riley rolled her eyes. Paper can’t sound suspicious.