Page 6 of Dare to Hold (Dare To Love #1)

“That silver one,” I say, pointing. “Even though we all know you could make a grown man cry in sweatpants. ”

Harper stretches out on the bed, looping an arm around my shoulders with a grin.

“Come on. Let’s put you in a dress that says, I’m definitely not spiraling over a guy I just met.”

“More like, I barely remember his name…even though I’ve replayed every second of that coffee date in my head.” Olivia adds, her lips quirking.

I groan, but I’m smiling now. “You guys are seriously the worst.”

Harper lifts a brow. “Says the girl who’s been overthinking a five-minute hand-hold like it was a marriage proposal.”

I grab a pillow and launch it at her face.

And just like that, the moment shifts. The weight on my chest eases. It’s not gone, but it’s manageable. Maybe I’ll never see Gray again. Maybe that’s okay. Or maybe, just maybe…fate isn’t done with us yet.

But for tonight, I have my girls.

And that might be enough.

Dinner is a blur of laughter, clinking glasses and plates being passed around the table. For the first time all day, I let myself forget. I forget about the way Gray looked at me. The way his touch lingered just a second too long. The way my heart ached as I walked away.

Instead, I let myself live in this moment with my best friends on our annual trip, before it ends, and we go back to real life.

Harper’s leaning halfway across the table, fork in hand, trying to steal a bite of Olivia’s dessert. Olivia smacks her hand away without even looking.

“Get your own, thief,” she says, eyes still glued to her phone. “This was the last bread pudding on the menu, and I earned it.”

Harper pouts. “You earned it? You’ve been glued to your client emails all day.”

“I’ve worked too hard to go full-time and not check in,” Olivia says, finally putting her phone down. “Next week I’ll have no supervision. I’m allowed to panic.”

Harper grins. “You’ll be amazing. And don’t worry I’ll send you emotional support texts when my class of tiny gremlins launches full chaos at me.”

“I still think you deserve combat pay,” Olivia says, raising her glass.

“She’s a hero,” I agree. “Trying to convince five-year-olds to sit still and not eat glue? Saint-level patience.”

Harper laughs. “You’re both dramatic. But I will take outfit help for the first day. I need to look calm and collected, even when a kid throws up on my shoes.”

“I’ve got you,” Olivia says, smirking. “Something that says, ‘warm and approachable’ but also ‘don’t test me.’”

“You’ve nailed that vibe,” I add.

“And you,” Harper says, turning to me. “Freelance Ivy. How’s it feel knowing you are about to be your own boss?”

I lift a shoulder, smiling. “Terrifying. But also, kind of amazing.”

“I still can’t believe you quit,” Olivia says, eyes softening. “That was a big move.”

“It was time,” I say, exhaling. “I got tired of designing for people who didn’t care. Now I get to pick my projects and avoid meetings that should’ve been emails. Honestly? Feels like freedom. ”

By the time we’re walking along Bourbon Street, exhaustion starts creeping in. The neon lights blur together, and the pulse of music from every bar vibrates through my body.

“We aren’t in our early twenties anymore, are we?” Harper groans.

“Nope,” Olivia yawns dramatically. “It’s like, the day after I turned twenty-five, my body just gave up on staying awake past ten o’clock.”

“Honestly, same,” I add. “I only had one drink and now I need a nap and a neck massage.”

We all laugh, a little too loud.

Harper gestures toward a bar with a live jazz band playing in the corner. “Let’s sit for a bit. I need to rest before I drop dead in the middle of the street.”

We all agree, weaving our way through the crowd until we find an open table. I sigh as I sink into the chair, letting the hum of conversation and the smooth sound of the saxophone wash over me.

“I could live here,” Olivia says, sipping a daiquiri. “Beignets for breakfast, daiquiris for dinner, jazz on every corner.”

“You’d be broke in a week,” Harper says.

“Details.” Olivia waves her off. “I’d start a TikTok series. Something like Single Girl in New Orleans. It’d go viral.”

I laugh. “You’d have local sponsorships by day two.”

And for a moment, just a moment, I’ve completely forgotten about what happened earlier today.

Until a deep, smooth voice from behind me sends a shockwave through my spine.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

My heart stops .

Time slows as I turn, my fingers tightening around my glass. A tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome man towers over me, his presence commanding.

But as my eyes trail up his frame, drinking in broad shoulders, sharp cheekbones, and dark eyes that gleam under the dim lights…

It isn’t Gray.

And the realization hits me like a wrecking ball.

“No, thanks,” I say, maybe a little too harshly.

The stranger shrugs, giving me a lazy smirk before sauntering off. But when I turn back, I’m met with two pairs of wide, knowing eyes.

“Oh, girl. You have it bad,” Harper says, shaking her head.

Olivia raises an eyebrow. “Who turns down free drinks from a guy that hot?”

“Only someone who already has her heart set on someone else,” Harper adds, sipping her drink like she’s just cracked the biggest mystery of the night.

“I hate all of you,” I groan, dropping my head onto the table.

“Sure you do,” Olivia sings, tossing a napkin at me. “Drink up, babe. You’re in love with a stranger, and we still have leftover beignets to eat before bed.”

They just laugh, and I can’t help but smile along with them, because we all know the truth.

Gray might be gone.

But he’s far from forgotten.