Page 4 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
“A midlife crisis does many a man in,” Scarlett was saying.
Iris snorted. Wasn’t that right?
The drinks arrived with perfect timing. Relief fizzled through her. “Thanks, Adrian.”
The waiter gave her a wink. “Let me know if you want a top up.”
Scarlett giggled as the young man walked away. “Is he a mind-reader?”
“Hopefully. He gets it from his mama.” Adrian was the son of Wildwood Brews’ owner, Maria.
Iris gripped her glass, raised it to touch Scarlett’s, and put on her bravest face. “To Kirk not being my problem anymore.” The divorce may have been final three months ago, but having Kirk tied to another woman broke Iris’s ties to him in a way a piece of paper couldn’t really match. She felt the separation deep inside, a finality nothing else had come close to touching.
Scarlett’s grin was sympathetic. “Amen to that. Freedom!”
Iris squared her shoulders and took a drink. Freedom was a bittersweet word, but one she was determined to embrace.
Adrian kept her glass refilled—maybe a little too well, Iris realized an hour later when she turned her head to thank him for taking her plate and the room spun. “Wow.”
Scarlett giggled. “What?”
“I think Abril is making the drinks stronger than usual for lunchtime.”
“Or maybe we’ve had a few too many.” Scarlett shrugged. “That’s okay; Gavin will come pick us up. He’s hanging with Carter and Thad over at Erin’s.”
Thad was out of school for the summer; she remembered that now. Had it really already been six months since Scarlett had met Gavin and been whisked off her feet? Sadness washed over Iris at the realization. She missed her best friend when she was away.
“Hey,” Scarlett whispered across the table. “No getting maudlin over there.”
Iris shook away the depression. “Why would you think I was getting ‘maudlin’?” Such a silly word. She was the one who giggled this time.
“Because I know you and that look on your face.”
She screwed said face into a funny expression aimed in her friend’s direction. “What look?”
“The maudlin look.”
That didn’t tell her anything. She rolled her eyes. “I—”
The trilling of Scarlett’s phone interrupted her. Iris recognized the ringtone that indicated the message was from Gavin. Scarlett glanced at the screen, and her cheeks took on a bright pink tone.
“What?”
Scarlett’s brows lifted, a laugh escaping her as she clicked on Gavin’s message. The laugh choked off as she read.
“Oh Lord.”
“What?” Iris asked again, her voice the slightest bit taunting. As if she didn’t know what. Only one thing would have Scarlett’s face turning that embarrassing shade of red.
Scarlett screwed her eyes shut for a moment before glancing at Iris. “It’s Gavin.”
“I know; I recognize the ringtone.”
A wry smile twisted Scarlett’s lips. “He’s feeling…” She seemed to search for just the right word, finally settling on, “Playful.”
Iris just bet he was. Melancholy curled through her.
“Hey.” Scarlett left her seat to come around to Iris’s side of the booth, forcing her to scoot farther in. Her friend placed a warm arm around her, and the relief of having someone comfort her, of not having to be the strong one right now, nearly did her in.
