Page 77 of One More Shot
‘Holy shit.’ Sasha leans back onto her haunches. ‘You like him.’
‘Wasn’t that already known?’
‘No, no, no.’ She wags a finger in my face. ‘I don’t know what you were thinking about just now, but you got this look on your face. And it wasn’t your normal “Dane is hot and I’m horny” look—’
‘I don’t—’
‘It went all soft.’ She leans in and gives my thigh a squeeze. ‘Like Wes’s face whenever he looks at me. Eliott? You. Like. Him.’
I know what she’s implying. There’s an unspoken weight in her words and the implication is as clear as day.
You. Love. Him.
I groan and bury my face in my hands. ‘I think I do.’
Sasha frowns. ‘That’s a good thing, no?’
‘It’s…’ I trail off and settle for giving her a sad little shrug. ‘It’s definitely something.’
Sasha sits upright. Any trace of teasing or smugness on her face is gone. ‘I don’t get it. You like Dane. Danedefinitelylikes you. What’s the problem?’
‘He’s not a long-term kind of guy,’ I explain bitterly. ‘He doesn’t do relationships or love, or anything like that.’
‘People can change, babe.’ She gives me a gentle nudge with her knee. ‘For the right person.’
Why does that sound familiar?
I shake off the creeping sense of déjà vu and force a nonchalant smile. ‘That person probably isn’t me.’
Sasha’s jaw ticks for a moment. There’s something on the tip of her tongue, something she desperately wants to get out, but she changes her mind at the last second. ‘Whatever you say, babe,’ she says, barely concealing a small smile. ‘Whatever you say.’
I spot Bailey and Amber almost as soon as I roll my suitcase into St Pancras station. They’re standing by our departure gate with several of their own suitcases stacked up beside them, both wearing comfortable oversized sweatshirts that have #Team-Bride written across the front.
Bailey’s face, already bright and grinning, lights up as soon as she notices me.
‘Eliott!’ she cries, once again giving me theold friendtreatment instead of treating me like someone she barely knows. She pulls me into a quick, but no less tight, hug. ‘Oh my god. It feels real now.Reallyreal.’
I can’t help but laugh a little. ‘Glad I could help.’
‘It’s just us getting the train,’ Bailey explains as we swipe our tickets against the barriers and start making our way to our seats. ‘Everyone else is flying in. Except the guys. We’remeeting Cash and them in Paris, and then we’ll get the train together the rest of the way.’
‘Cool,’ I say, hoping I sound neutral. Like I don’t know what the plan is already, and that Dane hasn’t been casually updating me on their journey for the last three hours.
I get a pleasant surprise when we search for our seats and discover that Finn’s upgrade didn’t just extend to the guys. We’re all seated in first-class and Bailey and Amber have a cushy four-person seater while I’ve got a row all to myself a few seats down.
‘Come sit with us,’ Amber says when she spots me trying to shuffle down the aisle. ‘I mean, don’t feel like youhaveto, but we’ve got the extra seats spare.’
‘Yeah, come on,’ Bailey says. She’s already planted in her seat and is digging a bottle of Prosecco out of her bag. ‘You can help me with this since—’ She cuts herself off abruptly and shoots Amber an apologetic grimace.
A silent conversation plays out between the two of them, spoken only in tiny gestures and the occasional raise of the brow. It ends with Amber shrugging lightly and Bailey exhaling a small sigh of relief before she turns her attention back to me.
‘Your choice,’ she says. ‘Just know that you are very,verywelcome.’
I’d typically decline an offer like this – I’m here on business.Bailey is my client, and it’s important I keep up at least some pretence of professionalism. But I like Bailey. Amber too. They remind me of Sasha and myself and it’s easy to forget that she’s paying me to be here and we’re not actually longtime friends.
‘Are you sure?’ I ask.
‘One thousand per cent,’ Bailey laughs. She fishes out two plastic wine glasses from her bag and wastes no time in pouring me a healthy amount of Prosecco. ‘Let’s go!’
