Page 32 of Hat Trick
It’s supposed to be a good day.
So, as I pull into my parking spot, I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and recenter myself.
Because tonight isn’t about the darkness of my past.
It’s about the light in my present.
And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let those memories tarnish it.
1 fake love don’t last (feat. iann dior) - mgk, iann dior
CHAPTER 20
DOWN BAD X TWO... OR THREE?
LILIANA
I’m on my way home from work after the guys texted me about going to Jack’s. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall bar here in Pensacola, and it may just be my favorite place.
You wouldn’t catch me dead in one of the fancy bars that charge twenty bucks for a watered-down tequila soda.
Gigi had mentioned while we were FaceTiming earlier that her parents were keeping Charlie for her tonight and that she wanted to hang out. She was almost done with her homework, and I convinced her that she needed to treat herself with a little night out. And what better way to do that than belting out your favorite songs in a bar on the beach?
She knows who Emerson and Dom are and that I have been seeing them both. But she certainly doesn’t know of our newarrangement.Honestly, I think shemight actually be pretty proud of me. She hasn’t talked much about her sex life, being a mom to a newborn and all, but I have a feeling my pocket-sized redhead has a side to her that no one knows. I’d lay any amount of money down that the woman is an absolute firecracker in bed.
Thank god she’s not wasting it on that fucking jerkoff.
I just hope she finds someone someday that’s worthy of her. Who knows? Mr. Right might be waiting in the wings, ready and willing to serenade her with “You’re Beautiful.”
Only one way to find out.
I’m pressing my code into my front door before shoving it open. It’s the newest addition to my apartment. Emerson ended up installing it because I always forget to lock my door, and with the fancy keypad, it does it on its own. Kicking the door closed behind me, I throw my purse and oversized cup—my weapon of choice if ever needed—onto the kitchen island. This apartment used to be Clay’s, and I had to come in and redecorate the whole goddamn thing. It was too dull. Too clean-cut for my liking.
Of course, I asked Clay before I started, but once I got the okay, it was so on.
I ended up painting the whole place—really, only one or two walls per room. I might be a little on the adventurous side, but I couldn’t do the wild colors on every wall. I love the eclectic look; I’m convinced it’s the closest to my haywire personality.
My favorite space is the living room. The wall on which the TV is mounted is a mauvy pink, and every decoration in the living room is either pink or gold.
Rocky calls itthrow-up pink, but I just call it my happy place.
Heading to my room, I strip out of my—surprise, surprise—pink scrubs, to get ready for our night out.
My fingers are crossed that I have the time to shower by the time Gigi arrives. She had to run and drop Charlie off at her parents’ house. I told her to come in once she got back, and we could jam out to music and pregame before the guys came to pick us up.
Once I’m done with the fastest shower I’ve taken in a minute, I’m opening the glass door, drying off, and shrugging into my getting-ready robe just in time to hear my front door open. I yell, “I hope that’s you, Gigi, and not a serial killer.” In all reality, I know it’s her. She’s one of the few people who know my new door code.
“It’s me, babe! I raided my mom’s liquor cabinet just like the old days. You want a margarita?!”
Knowing her parents, it’s safe to assume that’s some high-quality tequila she has, so of course I scream, “Hell yes! Can I have salt on my rim? It’s up in the cabinet, and the marg mix is in the fridge!”
Thankfully I didn’t need to wash my thick-ass hair, or we would’ve been here another two hours, minimum,waiting on me. A few minutes later, Gigi strolls into my oversized Jack and Jill bathroom, setting our margaritas on the counter. “Can you do my eye makeup? I did everything else, but whatever magic you use to put your eye makeup on, I don’t possess.”
“Of course! You want to curl my hair while I do my makeup, so we can save a little time?”
“Duh.” She’s already scavenging through my cabinet below the sink, where she knows I keep my wand.
We sip our margaritas and gossip, like the goddesses intended.
