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Evelyn paused.Is it?she wondered for a moment before smiling at her coworker. “Yes, nothing to worry about.”

Nodding, Oliver picked up the sack full of trash. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll take this to the dumpster.” He hesitated, like he was going to say something, but then shrugged. “I hope the rest of your evening goes smoothly.”

Hoping so too, Evelyn smiled. “I’m sure it will,” she said. “Thank you again.”

As Oliver left, Evelyn turned back to her laptop, determined to drown out the uneasy feeling curling in her stomach with work. Yet, as time ticked by, no matter how hard she tried, Evelyn couldn’t shake the image of Jo at the bar, laughing, flirting, maybe even dancing with someone else.I’m being silly,she thought.Jo can do whatever she wants.Moving the mouse, Evelyn started to work again, but deep down, she hated how much it all bothered her.

Thirteen

The bass thumped throughSapphire, vibrating in Jo’s chest as she leaned over the pool table, lining up her shot. It was late, and the club was packed with bodies pressed together on the dance floor, and bursts of laughter and conversation barely cutting through the music. The neon glow from the bar cast flickering colors across the crowd, and the air smelled like a mix of spilled drinks, perfume, and sweat. Jo exhaled, tuning out the noise as she focused on the cue ball. She pulled back, aimed, and with a crack, the solid yellow ball rolled smoothly into the side pocket. “Damn,” Mica muttered, shaking her head as she took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know why I even bother playing with you.”

Straightening, Jo half smiled. “You keep thinking you’ll get better,” she said, and Mica snorted a laugh.

“No, I keep thinking you’ll get drunk enough to suck at this.”

Jo chuckled, but the truth was, she wasn’t drinking much tonight. Her beer sat mostly untouched on the edge of the table. She wasn’t in the mood to get wasted.Hell,she thought.I’m not really in the mood to be here at all, but Mica keeps egging me on.

As if reading Jo’s thoughts, Mica crossed her arms. “Okay, seriously,” she said. “You’re playing pool like you’re in a tournament, you’ve barely touched your drink, and you haven’t flirted with a single woman all night.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?”

Sighing, Jo rubbed the back of her neck. “Mica—”

“You so are,” Mica said with a gasp.

Jo shook her head but didn’t deny it. She was thinking about Evelyn. About how she had expected a text from her by now. About how she wasn’t really interested in being here anymore. She pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time, pressing the button on the side. Nothing. The screen was blank. “Shit,” she muttered, and Mica shook her head.

“Wow. She really has you wrapped around her finger already.”

“No,” Jo said, tossing her cue stick onto the table. “My phone’s dead. I’m gonna see if Jess has a charger.” She made her way toward the bar, weaving through the crowd. The music shifted, a pulsing beat vibrating through the floor as the DJ transitioned into a remix of a ‘90s pop hit. Jo barely noticed. She reached the bar, flagging Jess down. “Hey. My phone’s dead. You got a charger?”

Jess nodded. “Yeah, give me a sec.” She ducked behind the bar, rummaging through a drawer before pulling out a cord. “iPhone?”

Nodding, Jo handed over her phone. “You’re a lifesaver,” she said as Jess plugged it in.

“Give it a few minutes,” she said. “This is a rapid charger. You should have enough juice soon.”

Exhaling, Jo leaned against the bar. “Thanks,” she said as she ran a hand through her hair, debating whether she should simply call it a night. She wasn’t drunk, she wasn’t interested in flirting, and honestly, she’d rather be somewhere quieter.Like maybe curled up on a couch with Evelyn, listening to her talk about whatever research she is doing or something, she thought, shaking her head at herself.Damn, Mica’s right. I’ve got it bad. Before she could dwell on that realization too much, a voice behind her cut through the noise.

“Oh hell no,” the voice said. “If it isn’t Jo Fuller.” Recognizing the voice, Jo turned, and a wide smile spread across her face.

Standing in front of her, looking effortlessly cool as ever, was Carly Hooper, an old friend from college. “Carly?” Jo’s grin widened. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Carly laughed, stepping forward and pulling Jo into a tight hug. “I moved back to Portland,” she said. “Got a job at an architecture firm downtown. Wow, it has been a long time since I saw you.”

Jo hugged her back, genuinely thrilled. Before she met Mica, back when she was in college, Carly had been one of the few people who had really understood her. They had spent a lot of nights drinking cheap beer, playing pool, and talking about life. They had never been lovers, but they were close buddies.

When they pulled apart, Carly laughed. “You look good.”

“So do you,” Jo said as Carly slung an arm around Jo’s shoulders, leaning in close to talk over the music. “So tell me. Still breaking hearts left and right?”

“Come on,” Jo said with a shake of her head. “You know me better than that.”

Carly shook her head. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I definitely know you better than that.”

They fell into easy conversation, catching up, laughing over an old story about ditching Economics class. Jo was mid-laugh, shaking her head at something ridiculous Carly said, when suddenly, she felt it. That unmistakable sensation of being watched. Jo turned her head, and her stomach dropped.

Standing only a few feet away, looking very unimpressed, was Evelyn. Jo’s grin faltered. “Evelyn?” The woman’s arms were crossed over her chest, her expression carefully neutral, but Jo saw the tension in her shoulders and the way her jaw was clenched. That’s when Jo realized Carly’s arm was still around her.Shit, Jo thought.And we are standing very close together, laughing and having fun.

“Oh,” Carly said, glancing between them as she stepped back, clearly picking up on the shift in energy. “Uh-oh. Did I walk into something?”