Page 146 of The Rookie

I take a slow sip of my tequila, narrowing my eyes at him over the rim of my glass. "I’m fine."

"Yeah, sure." Peyton smirks, leaning back in his chair. "Who was that on the phone? Girlfriend trouble?"

I laugh, short and humorless. "Not even close."

"Ohhhh," one of the other rookies, Morris, pipes up, grinning like an idiot. "Was it one of the ladies? You gotta share, man. Don’t hog all the fun. Iknewyou had someone on the back burner. Spill.”

"Nah," Peyton cuts in, grinning like he’s just pieced it together. "It’s not one of the ladies. It’s someone else. Someone special."

I roll my eyes, but my pulse quickens. "Shut up, Peyton.”

"Oh, it’s special," he presses, his smirk widening. "You’ve got that look, man. That ‘I’m about to do something stupid’ look."

The table bursts into laughter, and I force a smirk, leaning back in my chair.

"You guys are hilarious," I say dryly, swirling the tequila in my glass.

But my stomach’s in knots, my mind racing, and all I can think is:

What the hell am I going to say to her?

thirty-seven

. . .

Avery

The Lyft humssoftly as it cruises through the warm Dallas night, the city lights flashing past the windows like tiny, electric stars.

Cassie sits beside me, scrolling through her phone, her manicured nails clicking against the screen. She suddenly glances up, her eyes narrowing slightly as she takes me in. "Damn."

I blink, startled. "What?"

"You. In that dress." She gestures dramatically at me, her grin widening. "That is really something. Are you trying to impress someone tonight?"

My stomach twists as I glance down at the blush pink wrap dress, smoothing the fabric nervously. It’s the same dress I wore that night in Mexico—the night everything with Griffin shifted. I hadn’t thought about that until Cassie pointed it out, but now it feels like my skin is on fire.

"Thanks," I mumble, heat creeping up my neck. “Impress? Me? No.” I laugh awkwardly, the sound too high-pitched to be convincing.

Cassie leans closer, inspecting me like a detective who knows I’ve stolen something. "You seem weird tonight. Are you okay? Like… really okay?"

I swallow hard, my mind flickering back to the last time I wore this dress. The way Griffin’s eyes had roamed over me, dark and heated, like he couldn’t help himself. The way his fingers brushed my waist as he whispered something teasing in my ear, his voice dripping with amusement and something else.

I shake the memory away, forcing a smile. "I’m fine. Totally fine."

Cassie narrows her eyes. "If you say so. But you’ve been acting off lately. Just… know you can talk to me, okay?"

I nod quickly, my pulse hammering as I glance out the window, pretending to admire the skyline.

Because the truth?

I’d worn this dress tonight for one reason, and one reason only.

The possibility of running into Griffin Knox.

And if I’m not careful, I’m going to give myself away.

I’ll never forget Mexico.

---