Page 43 of Sloane

Fate was a fickle bitch, wasn’t she?

Maddie replied, “No plans. You should go. I’m sure Grace and I can find something to do.”

“Or, you two could come along,” Ryan suggested with a hopeful tone.

The corner of Maddie’s mouth turned up. “We’ll see.”

Ryan didn’t let her noncommittal response deter him.

“Speaking of Grace… I thought you said she was coming tonight.”

“She is.”

“When?”

I had a sudden new respect for what Ryan was going through. I couldn’t imagine Ashley refusing to date me.

“She’ll be here,” Maddie assured him. “She was scheduled at the hospital until six.”

“He’s got it bad,” I murmured in Ashley’s ear.

“I know. It’s sweet.”

Just then a cute blonde woman with pink streaks in her hair appeared at our table, and Ashley jumped up and hugged her.

“You made it!”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it.”

Ashley turned to me and said, “This is Sloane,” then went on to introduce Ryan, Craig, and Maddie. She hugged the woman around the shoulders and announced, “This is my best friend, Tammy.”

The group offered up various forms of greetings, but I stood and offered my hand. “Hi. It’s great to meet you.”

Her eyes twinkled when she shook my hand. “Likewise. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Stealing a glance at Ashley, I quipped, “Should I be nervous?”

“She only told me good things.”

Ashley wrapped her arm around my waist and looked up at me with a smile. There was no disguising the adoration in her eyes. I knew the feeling.

“There’s only good things to tell.”

“Ha!” Ryan scoffed and patted the empty chair next to him. “Come sit next to me. I’ll fill you in.”

“You’re fucking hilarious,” I deadpanned.

The funny thing was, other than telling her about all the women I’d been with over the years, there was nothing he could tell her that she didn’t already know.

And the only reasons I hadn’t told her about the women were A) it would just be bad form to do so, and B) none of them had mattered to me anyway.

“Come on,” Ashley said to her friend. “Let’s get you a drink.” Before she headed to the bar, she looked around and asked, “Does anyone need another?”

She was so goddamn thoughtful.

No one took her up on the offer, and she and Tammy disappeared into the crowd at the same time Craig and Maddie left to talk with another officer from their department.

I turned the chair next to Ryan around, and sat down backward on it, resting my forearm along the back while I watched to make sure Ashley made it to the bar without any problems.

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