Page 50 of Only for Love

He smiles because he knows, with one look, I’m not interested. My mind drifts back to Grayson. Sipping drinks all night has made my cheeks tingly and my heart crave his call.

“Emma,” Sarah snaps at me. “Forget Grayson. At least for tonight.”

“Right. And what should I focus on instead?”

“Hmm.” She scans the room.

Between listening to Grayson growl into my ear earlier and having a few fruity-tooty drinks in my system, I’m slow to control my emotions. I check my phone again. It’s seven. Grayson said he’d call back. Will he? I mean, come on, why, after all this time, should I trust him to do anything he says? Then again, he called today.

“Ugh.” Groaning and leaning against Sarah’s shoulder, I chew on my lip. “Why isn’t he calling me back? And why do I want him to?”

She pats my head. “I’d be shocked if you didn’t want him to. Be mad and all, but you’re messed up over him.”

“Messed up? That’s one way to put it.”

“Well… Grayson’s alive. Around, maybe… have you thought about how you’re going to mention Cally?”

“Shhh,” I hiss, as if maybe saying Cally and Grayson in the same sentence will cosmically notify him of his unknown offspring. “No, I haven’t. It’s only been a couple hours.”

She takes a pull off her drink. “Talk about a game changer.”

“No kidding.” I keep checking my phone. The closer I get to the bottom of another empty glass, the more my attention focuses on Grayson’s lack of a return call.

“You could always call him, ya know.” Sarah bobs an eyebrow then stares at my phone that I’m unsuccessfully trying to covertly check. “Yeah, you’re totally busted.”

Hmm, I should have better phone-checking skills. I’m pretty sure my happy-birthday happy hour is messing with my stealth moves. Can’t help it though; his number is waiting for me. “It’s all I can think about.”

Sarah finishes the last of her drink. “All you have to do is hit send.”

I nod. We shouldn’t be strategizing while drinking. “I could call him.”

“You could,” her voice trills.

“But I won’t. Right?”

I’ve had one too many pink-purple-and-green things bought for me by birthday wishers. Sarah too, just because she’s cute. If I drink one more, then I totally will call him. I look at Sarah, my voice of reason, and see she’s a notch past tipsy. I gotta get out of here.

“I think I’m done.”

She frowns. “But it’s your birthday!”

“It’s happy hour. And that’s probably over by now.”

“Party pooper.”

Story of my life. But there are cabs outside, and my house needs to be unpacked. I can’t afford a hangover or a drunk dial to Gray. Or could I?

I lean into Sarah, squeezing my eyes shut. “I’m going to call him.”

“I know, sweetheart.” She kisses my head. “I can’t believe you lasted this long.”

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