Page 75 of Make Me Yours

I grab my phone and tap into the group chat with Callie, Rina, and Sloane.

Me:

Emergency girl huddle. Can we meet at Lakeshore Sweets? I need advice. 10 a.m.?

Rina replies instantly.

Rina:

Count me in. Unfortunately, I gotta deal with my problem child first and then I’ll be there.

Callie follows seconds later.

Callie:

Been at the bakery since 5. Come on by.

Sloane:

We’ll have a table and sugar waiting.

I drag myself out of bed, toss on leggings and an oversized sweater, and try to make my hair look less like a tornado. After swiping on a little mascara and lip balm, I slip on my sneakers, grab my bag, and head to the bakery.

Lakeshore Sweets is bustling with activity when I walk in. Delicious scents wrap around me like a hug. It’s cozy and warm. A welcome change from the storm raging inside me.

Callie is behind the counter, helping a customer, while Sloane wipes down a nearby table. I wave, and they both grin before nodding toward the corner table where a giant carafe of coffee and a plate of cinnamon rolls already waits.

Moments later, the bell above the door jingles again. Rina blows in like a hurricane in heels, with oversized sunglasses covering half her face. She yanks them off with a dramatic sigh as she slumps onto the chair beside me.

Callie eyes her. “You look like you could use a large Dirty Cinnamon Hustler.”

Rina moans. “Yes. Immediately. And make it extra dirty, please.”

Sloane snorts. “Let me guess. Oliver?”

“When isn’t it Oliver?” Rina mutters. “That man has zero boundaries and even less common sense. I swear, one more stunt and I’m going to strangle him with his own jockstrap.”

She takes the offered coffee from Callie and sips before letting out a blissful sigh. “Okay, I think I seriously just orgasmed. What did you put in it? Crack?”

Callie laughs. “You’re welcome.”

Rina turns to me with narrowed eyes. “All right. Spill. What’s the emergency?”

I hesitate, toying with the edge of a napkin. “It’s Steele.”

Three heads snap toward me like I just announced I joined the Oregon cult my mother warned me about.

Rina leans in. “Please tell me you two finally did the deed.”

I nearly choke on my coffee. “What? No!” There’s a pause before I amend that statement. “Well, not yet.”

“Oh my God,” Rina exclaims. “You’re actuallythinkingabout it.”

Callie’s brows lift. “Wait, are yousaying?—”

“He offered… something,” I cut in. “And now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Rina’s eyes light up. “What kind of something are we talking about?”