Page 72 of Before and After

Chapter 17

Allie

The roar of the blender was almost deafening.

Sierra was manning it and mixing up a new cocktail. Jazz sat on a stool, sipping her drink. Piper sat beside her. Tessa was busy bustling around the kitchen, putting cheese and crackers on a wooden board.

“I made basil dip from this new recipe,” Tessa said. “I hope it’s good.”

Looking around, I saw signs that she no longer lived alone. Ro’s woolen sweater was draped over the back of a chair. There was a set of men’s sunglasses on the kitchen island. And there was also a large vase of flowers—roses in a deep red—in the center of the table. My guess was Tessa’s hot guy bought them for her.

I watched Tessa smile as she set out the platter. She was…glowing. Happy.

She deserved it. She was hard-working, an excellent hotel manager, close with her aunt and cousins, a good friend. She’d lost her parents so young.

Tessa gave me hope that Ollie would be fine.

A phone dinged.

“Oh, that’s mine.” Tessa grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped her hands.

“That better not be your man horning in on our girls cocktail night,” I said.

“No, he and Caden were catching up on security stuff.” Piper sipped. “And having dinner together.”

At the mention of Caden’s name, my friends all turned their heads to look at me.

Tessa grinned at her phone. “It’s not Ro. Emily sent a picture of the kids.” She held the phone out to me.

On the screen, a smiling Ollie was wedged between Caleb and Haley, who were pulling crazy faces. Tessa’s young cousins were both wearing Pokémon pajamas. I’d had a crash course on learning Pokémon since I’d moved back to Windward. Although, most of the time Ollie preferred LEGO over the weird anime creatures.

“He’s enjoying himself,” I murmured.

Tessa gripped my arm. “You’re doing a great job, Allie.”

I blew out a breath. “Some days, I feel like I’m barely holding on.”

She hugged me. “So, lean on us.”

“You’re already doing so much. I’m not very good at leaning.”

“You don’t say.” Sierra handed me a cocktail.

I sipped it with a smile.

“I suspect wild orgasms will help loosen you up,” she added.

I choked on my margarita.

“Well, they’ve kissed,” Tessa said, “so it could definitely be heading into the wild-orgasm direction.”

“I’m not sure I can listen to sex talk about Caden,” Piper said. “He’s like a brother to me.”

“When I busted Allie and Caden kissing like the world was ending, and it was hot, hot, hot,” Tessa said gleefully.

I took another sip of tequila-y goodness.

Piper shook her head. “I’ve never seen him show the slightest interest in a woman—despite several opportunities—let alone kiss one.”