Page 60 of Unsealing Her Fate

“Slightly overkill, huh Charlie?” I like her car, but I like giving her a fun dose of grief as well.

She puts her hands on her hips. “Better be nice to my baby, bestie! Only praises and sweet talk are allowed. She’s what girls’ dreams are made of.” She strokes down the side of the beefed-up sports car.

I hold my hands up in surrender as I suppress a giggle. “I wouldneverthink of disrespecting your baby.”

We slide into the buttery soft black, red-trimmed leather seats. I shut the door–which barely makes a sound—buckle up, and smile when the engine roars to life. She turns just enough to give me a wink before putting it in drive and taking off down the road.

Apparently, my new friend has a lead foot. I hold on for dear life the entire way to the bar. While I find this incredibly exciting, it’s also terrifying. I hop out as soon as she parks, thanking God we made it in one piece.

“I didn’t realize you drove like a bat out of hell, or I wouldn’t have agreed to ride with you!” I say, laughing as I make my way to the entrance.

She snorts. “That wasnotfast, my friend. You should see what this beauty can really do.”

She walks past me into the bar, looking back with a sly grin on her face. My mouth hangs slightly ajar. If that wasn’t “what this beauty can really do,” then I’m not so sure I want to know what that could be. I might be trying to start anew and find new and exciting ways to live my life and learn who I am, but I’d also prefer to live to see the next day.

Oh, my. That girl might really be crazy, but it only makes me love her more. We spot Irene already sitting at the bar with three shots ready to go when we reach her.

“There you two are! These tequila shots aren’t going to drink themselves!”

I laugh and take one, Charlie taking another. Irene, of course, already has hers in her fist the moment we walk up. The first one burns all the way down, and my face scrunches so hard I think it might seize up that way. However, by the fourth one in two hours, they go down a lot smoother.

We dance for an hour before nabbing a high-top table in the back when it frees up. We order food to soak up the shots, laughing and people watching as we eat. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a place like this, and I forgot how fun it can be to just sit and watch super drunk people have fun.

For Irene being in her late fifties, she sure has some moves. Charlie is just as fun and carefree on the dance floor as she is in her everyday life, and I adore her even more for it. I think I’ve met two of the best people I could possibly ever meet out of this entire ordeal. Even with all the darkness still surrounding me, it makes everything almost worth going through to get here.

I need to slow down on the drinking if I want to actually use my legs to walk out of here tonight, so I ordered a water when I ordered my burger.

“Truth or dare,” Charlie says at random with a mischievous look in her eyes.

My eyes widen a bit.Well, shit.

Unwilling to risk what may be asked with truth, I respond with, “Dare,” hoping Charlie takes it easy on me. I haven’t played this game since college, and it wasn’t my favorite then, either.

“I dare you to go over there and sayhito Jack.”

My eyes just returned to normal, but that dare has them nearly falling out of their sockets. I whip around, searching the bar for Jack while I try to ignore how my heart rate speeds up at the thought of seeing him.

My gaze lands on him sitting at the bar with men I assume are his buddies. “Well, that’s not too bad,” I say. “I was expecting worse.”

I slide off my stool, turning to walk away, but Charlie grabs my hand. “Uh-uh, girl.” She smirks. “Make him buy you a drink, too.”

My cheeks instantly flame. “No way! He’s a customer, and I barely know him!”

She laughs hysterically, like this is the most fun she’s had in ages. “That’sthe point of a dare, Andi.” She turns me toward the bar, slaps my butt, and gives me a light shove to get me moving in Jack’s direction.

I instinctively wring my hands nervously. I don’t want to do this. Deep down, I know if I go back with my tail tucked between my legs, Charlie will let me off the hook, but something stops me.

I’m not Andrea anymore. I’mAndi. This is the time for Andi to figure out whoever she wants to be, and she wants to be more brazen, confident, and free. Women approach men all the time to ask them to buy drinks. Why should I be any different? I can be that confident, too.

I blow out a cleansing breath and wipe my suddenly sweaty hands on my blue jeans. I feel good tonight. Ilookgood tonight. I blew out my hair to perfection. The top Charlie let me borrow is a lacy, long-sleeve black blouse paired with killer black heels. I havenoreason to be so nervous.

I’m lucky she and I are the same shoe size. The top works because it isn’t form-fitting. Charlie has a bigger chest than I do, and I’m a little jealous, but I still look great.

I slide up beside Jack. He’s sitting near the end of the bar with his friends all to the right of him. He’s in a heated discussion of how the Buffaloes blew a touchdown in the fourth quarter of last night’s game.

While I don’t want to interrupt him, I also don’t want to stand here like a creep, so I try to get the bartender’s attention. Silently, I make a plan in my head for how this will go now that I’ve assessed the situation. I’ll just order myself a drink, say hi, and head back to my table.

Maybe I can tell her I changed my mind and want to do truth instead.

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