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Declan nodded. “I miss my family, too. But I love Chicago.” He glanced at me. “There’s a lot I appreciate about this city.”

“It’s not bad, I guess,” she said. “I’m just ready to go.”

She’s ready to go and take Declan with her.

“I want to get a dog, too,” Julia added. “I was just about to get one before we got this assignment. So, the first thing I’m gonna do when I get home is get a dog.”

“And what if you get another out-of-town assignment?” I asked.

She shrugged. “My sister can watch it.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Your sister would be down with that?”

“I know she’ll do it.”

Julia was an entitled brat. Or maybe it just seemed that way since I generally hated her for getting to fool around with the man I was crushing on hard.

“My sister loves animals as much as I do.”

I looked down at her designer boots, which I happened to know had real fur.

“If you love animals, you should consider not wearing fur. An animal died for those boots.”

She looked down at her feet. “I suppose you’re right. Hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Yeah, just something to consider,” I said, shoveling another bite of toast into my mouth.

Declan smirked and attempted to change the slightly hostile tone of the night.

“Anyone up for a post-dinner cocktail? I bought this margarita mix the other day I want to try.”

I could definitely go for a little alcohol right about now.

Julia licked her lips. “Mmmm… That sounds delicious.”

This from the girl who’s sworn off carbs? Yeah, that made sense. I guess margaritas don’t count.

The next part of the night was perhaps the worst. Julia was all over Declan as he stood at the counter making our drinks. She wrapped her arms around his waist and just hung on him.

He managed to break free long enough to hand me my drink. “Here you go, Mollz. Just how you like it, with extra salt.”

“Thank you.”

I took a sip of the slushy, frozen margarita. It had the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the lime. But as much as this drink rocked, I was done being an audience to Julia rubbing herself all over my man.

Shit.

What?

My man?

That was such a random and inappropriate thought.

But yet I’d had it.

Yeah, definitely time for you to be out, Molly.

I lifted my glass in a salute. “You know what? I think I’m gonna take this to my room, if that’s okay. I’m feeling kind of tired. Hopefully the alcohol will just knock me out altogether.”

Declan’s expression dampened. “Okay. If you want another one, let me know. There’s plenty still in the blender.”

“Will do. Thanks.” I smiled. “’Night, Julia.”

“’Night, Molly.”

I flashed Declan one more smile before I walked to my room.

Letting out a long sigh of relief as my bedroom door closed, I turned on some Hulu and downed the rest of my drink.

I dozed off a few times, in and out of sleep. The final time I woke up, I noticed I no longer heard the muffled sounds of their talking.

I’d also missed a text about fifteen minutes ago from Declan.

Declan: You still awake?

I typed.

Molly: Yeah.

Declan: Are you decent?

Molly: Yes.

A few seconds later, he knocked on my door.

“Come in.”

CHAPTER 16

* * *

Declan

“Hey.” Molly sat up in bed, leaning her back against the headboard. “Julia leave?”

I nodded. “Is it okay if I sit down?”

Molly pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees to make room for me.

“Yeah, of course.”

Sitting at the bottom of her bed, I was tempted to tell her why I’d seemed off when she walked in earlier tonight. The last week had been tough—so much so that I’d given in and called Dr. Spellman back home. Molly had clearly picked up on the fact that I wasn’t myself, and I didn’t want her to think it had anything to do with her. But she’d just returned from a difficult time away dealing with her dad. I didn’t want to burden her. I needed to snap the fuck out of it.

“I just wanted to say sorry again about Julia coming over like that.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize for your girlfriend stopping over.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Molly tilted her head. “She’s not? Does she know that?”

Blowing out a deep breath, I felt my shoulders slump. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Moll.”

“What do you mean?”

I decided to go back to the beginning. “For the last year, I’ve had a giant crush on Julia. We’ve been traveling together more over the last few months, spending a lot of time alone together, and as you know, I’d hoped our chemistry would make her second-guess things with the guy she was dating. It finally did, and now she seems totally into me. And yet I’m the one keeping things moving slowly now.”