Page 27 of Chasing Sunsets

Her smile turns playful. “Nice?”

I huff a quiet laugh, shaking my head as I put the truck in gear. “You know what I mean.”

She laughs softly, settling in as I pull onto the road, the evening stretching ahead of us. I steal another glance at her, at the way the fading sunlight catches in her hair, at the way she glows without even trying.

Yeah. Nice doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Sebastian’s house is already buzzing by the time we pull up. The scent of smoked chicken and grilled corn drifts through the warm evening air, mingling with the sound of laughter and country music spilling from the backyard.

I cut the engine of my truck and glance over at Tabby. She looks as confident as ever, but I know walking into a group of tight-knit friends for the first time can be intense.

“Last chance to back out,” I tease, draping an arm over the steering wheel. “Once you’re in, you’re in. No refunds.”

Tabby smirks. “I don’t scare that easy, Anson.”

I grin. “We’ll see about that.”

I exit and walk around to open her door. Then I take her hand in mine and lead her beside the house.

The second we step through the back gate, I’m hit with a chorus of greetings.

“Anson!”

“Took you long enough.”

“Ooh, is this her?”

I don’t even have time to respond before Avie beelines toward us.

“You must be Tabby,” she says, immediately looping an arm through hers like they’ve been best friends for years. “I’m Avie. That one over there at the grill is my husband, Sebastian.”

Tabby lifts a brow at me, smirking.

“Told you.”

Before I can say another word, the rest of the girls swarm her.

Amiya crosses her arms, studying Tabby like she’s assessing a new recruit. “Huh. You’re hotter than I expected.”

Tabby snorts. “Uh, thanks?”

Amiya grins. “Don’t mention it. I’m Amiya, Avie’s best friend, and that tall drink of water over there with the little girl on his shoulders is my man, Lennon. He’s Sebastian’s brother.”

Audrey steps up next. “Hi. I’m Audrey, Anson’s roommate and Parker’s girlfriend. Parker ran to the store for a bag of ice, but he’ll be back in a minute.”

Heather raises her hand from the back. “And I’m Heather. No man. Just a hanger-on.”

Audrey looks over her shoulder. “You’re not a hanger-on,” she says and then looks back at me. “She works with me, and she’s my best friend.”

I nod.

“I hope you got all that because there will be a pop quiz after we eat,” Amiya says.

“I, um …” Tabby stutters.

“She’s joking,” I say, and Tabby’s eyes snap to mine.

Amiya shrugs. “Listen, I just want to make sure you’ve got the range to handle this disaster,” she says, jerking her thumb toward me.

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