Page 148 of A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty

I see it. The looks in their eyes as they bounce between Joel, Key and me. The slightly forced smile on everyone’s face, except . . . the blond’s. She walks right up to me, her green eyes bright and her short hair swinging, and hugs me tight. My muscles relax as I sink into her hug before she pulls back and grabs my free hand.

“Dusty,” she says breathlessly. “You’re every bit as wonderful as I knew you would be. We’re going to be great friends.”

My heart swells. Friends?

“I’m Becks, James’s wife,” she says, tucking herself into my side so she can introduce the others more thoroughly. “That dark-haired stud muffin there.” She points and giggles, and I smile at the way James blushes.

He reaches out his hand and I have to let go of Joel to take it.

“It’s nice to meet you,” James says, and while a moment ago there had been judgement in his eyes, there’s nothing but kindness now.

“And this is Isabella, or . . . we call her Izzy,” Becks explains, pulling me away from Key and Joel.

I nod. “Yes, we . . . uh, we talked briefly already,” I admit. “At the hospital. And prior to that, apparently.”

“Oh! That’s right,” Becks says.

“To be fair,” Izzy intercedes, “at the hospital, it was a crazy night. I’d totally understand if you’ve blocked all memory of me.”

My jaw twitches as I recall what I can of that night. How horrible it all was. I must have looked like a lunatic to them.

“And this is Dave,” Izzy continues.

The blond man looks at me with piercing blue eyes. Eyes that aren’t judgmental but aren’t friendly. He nods almost imperceptibly, then stands up straighter. “I’m going to go outside for a smoke,” he says, then turns toward the door, the sunlight cascading across the floor for a moment as the door swings shut behind him.

I blink. Did he—does he not like me? My suspicions are confirmed when I see the look that transpires between Becks and Izzy. Well . . . I guess as far as success goes, three out of four isn’t bad. Maybe he just needs time to warm up to me. Or, maybe he’ll be the person to remind everyone I’m trash and that I’m not worthy of being part of their group. Their band. Their family.

“I think I need a drink,” I say, and pull my arm away from Becks. “I’ll be right back.”

I weave my way toward the bar and take a deep breath, trying to will the blood out of my cheeks. As I wait for my whiskey and soda, warm fingers slide along the back of my neck.

“Why so tense, sweetheart,” Key whispers in my ear as he comes around to face me and leans on the bar. “I told you everyone was going to love you.”

My fingernails click on the bar surface. “Not sure everyone does,” I mutter.

I see Key frown out of the corner of my eye. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing.”

I grasp my drink and take a long sip, nearly draining it down. When I try to walk away, Key grabs my wrist. “It’s not nothing. Did someone say something?”

My eyes flick to the window where I can see Dave standing outside smoking alone. I shrug. “I just don’t think some people are as excited for me to be here as you think.”

Key glances at the window and I can tell he’s fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “So it’s a Dave problem.”

I open my mouth to say no, but there’s only four of them. He would’ve figured it out eventually. “Maybe.”

“Just talk to him,” Key says with a soft smile. “If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you can talk anyone into doing whatever you want.”

“There’s a big difference between getting a guy off over the phone and trying to get this guy to be my friend. Or at the very least, not my enemy.”

Key leans forward to kiss my temple. “I’m sure you can figure it out.” He pats me on the bum then heads back over to his friends. Rolling my shoulders back, I take the last sip of my drink then head outside to find Dave smoking his cigarette and staring out at the road.

“Hey,” I say, trying to sound casual and failing.

He glances over at me, then back out to the road. “Hey.”

“Think I could bum one of those?” I ask.

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