Page 60 of Tag

Her dark green hair made her stand out. There was a server apron slung low around her waist, and she moved like she didn’t want to be noticed—quiet, efficient, invisible.

“When did that happen?”

Rook shrugged, keeping his eyes on her. “Your guess is as good as ours.”

“Have her come over,” I said, already lowering my passenger window further.

“Yo, Zoe!” Nick called, his voice cutting clean through the low hum of parking lot chatter and distant music spilling from the pub.

She paused, head turning toward the truck. For a beat, she didn’t move, just stood there, sizing us up in the shadows. Then recognition clicked in, and she smiled, changing course to head our way. Cade sat up a little straighter, both arms now resting on the back of my seat. Rook exhaled another lazy plume of smoke,tracking Lindsey’s retreat into the pub, then sliding his attention to Zoe as she approached.

She leaned slightly into the open window on the passenger side, bracing herself on the frame. “Jesus,” she swore with a scrunched nose, “it stinks like straight skunk in here.”

Rook grinned, lifting the blunt toward her in offering. “You want a hit?”

Zoe gestured to the apron tied around her waist. “I’m working.”

“Even more reason to take one,” Cade prompted.

She waved the smoke away with a small laugh, then leaned in further, taking in each of us. “Why are you guys lurking out here like you’re about to jump someone?”

“We’re sightseeing. Nice necklace, by the way.” Nick gestured.

Zoe glanced down, fingers brushing against the dainty birthstone resting against her chest. “Thanks? Where’s the blonde? Bailey or…?”

“Brooke,” I corrected with a chuckle. “And it’s guys’ night.”

“On a Tuesday? How’s that going for you?”

“It’ll go a lot better if you do me a favor.”

Zoe narrowed her eyes. “What kind of favor?”

“Get Kyle Anderson outside,” I said, watching her reaction closely.

“The chess club kid?” she questioned, her expression caught between confusion and amusement.

“We all call him that?” Rook chuckled.

Zoe looked at each of us again, something sharp behind her curiosity now. I could practically see her weighing up who we were, what this might mean, and how much she cared. She sighed, turning toward the pub. “Alright, I can do that, but you guys owe me.”

Nick grinned. “We got you.”

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “Just don’t do anything stupid. At least not in the parking lot,” she added, already walking away.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Cade called after her. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

We waited, minutes dragging by like hours. Cade went back to flipping through music. Rook was silent as usual, tracking every person who walked past the pub’s entrance.

Nick, of course, kept tossing out random commentary, observations about people’s outfits, or wild speculations about who might be secretly dating whom. When the pub door burst open with a loud slam that echoed across the lot, it summoned all of our attention.

Whatever Zoe had gone inside to do, it worked.

Kyle Anderson was practically thrown out, arms flailing and stumbling like a newborn deer. Behind him, a towering bouncer filled the doorway. An actual bouncer. I didn’t know places like this had those.

Laughter rippled through the truck.

The door opened again, and out came Deandre, followed by none other than Lindsey.

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