Page 49 of Most Likely to Deny Love (Yearbook #2)

JACK

I claimed the empty chair, shifting it closer to Mia until our knees touched beneath the table.

Her friends watched with poorly disguised interest, like scientists observing a rare specimen in the wild.

The sapphire on Mia’s finger caught the dim bar light, throwing blue fire across the table as she reached for her wine glass.

My heart did a strange little stutter at the sight of her wearing it so openly.

“So, Jack,” the pink-haired one, Poppy, swayed drunkenly as she leaned forward. “Mia was just telling us about Paris.”

“So you’ve said.” I glanced at Mia, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed. “Which parts, exactly?”

Before Mia could answer, Emily suddenly stiffened beside her, eyes fixed on something across the bar. “Shit. Don’t look now, but Tiffany just walked in.”

Everyone at the table tensed, though they made admirable attempts to appear casual. Mia’s hand jerked instinctively, fingers covering the ring. Her voice was tight when she whispered, “Are you sure?”

Emily nodded grimly. “Three o’clock. Near the pool tables. She’s just caught sight of us, I think, but she’s trying to pretend she hasn’t.”

I resisted the urge to turn and look, instead taking a slow sip of the questionable whiskey the waitress had brought me.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Maya asked.

“Only if she comes over here and sees these two looking like they’re about to tumble in to bed.

But don’t worry, I’m on it,” Emily declared, already typing furiously on her phone.

After a moment, she looked up with a triumphant grin.

“Hannah just pulled up. She’ll be in in ten seconds. She knows what to do.”

Mia’s forehead creased. “What exactly is Hannah going to?—”

“Just trust me,” Emily cut her off, her eyes darting toward the door. “And whatever happens, play along.”

The bar door swung open, and a slim woman with curly blonde hair strode in with purpose.

Hannah, I presumed, from the way Emily subtly nodded in her direction.

Without hesitation, she made a beeline for our table, her eyes locking on mine with determination that would have been unsettling if I hadn’t been forewarned.

“Sorry I’m late, babe,” she announced loudly, before promptly dropping into my lap and pressing a firm kiss to my cheek.

I caught Mia’s expression in that split second and my heart lurched. It was a flash of something raw and hurt, before it was quickly smothered. It was gone so quickly I might have imagined it, but the tension radiating off her told me otherwise.

“Hannah, Tiffany saw every second of that,” Emily stage-whispered, “you’re a lifesaver.”

Hannah beamed, shifting to make herself comfortable on my lap. To her credit, she kept a respectable distance despite our compromising position. “Anything for the cause. Now, where are we putting me?”

Everyone scrambled to rearrange chairs, pulling another seat from a nearby table.

In the shuffle, Mia was nudged further away from me, Hannah taking the place between us.

The physical distance was small, but Mia’s smile was tight.

I fucking hated seeing her pushed aside like this.

Hated the small flickers of doubt and insecurity that crossed her face when she thought no one was looking.

“I’d sure love to go to Paris,” Samara was saying. “What was your favorite part, Mia?”

Before Mia could respond, a shadow fell across our table. Tiffany stood there, flanked by her two friends, fake smile plastered on her face. “Well, isn’t this cozy.” Her eyes gleamed with malice. It was very fucking clear she thought this was some sort of gotcha moment between her and Mia.

Mia’s sleeve slid further down, completely covering her left hand. “Just a casual get-together,” she replied, her voice impressively steady. “These are my friends from high school. You know Emily. And this is Poppy, Maya, Sammy, and Hannah.”

Tiffany’s smile was flat. “How nice. And Mr. Sullivan, slumming it at Lacey’s? I wouldn’t have expected to see you here.”

“I’ve been told I work too much,” I replied smoothly. “Trying to remedy that.”

Hannah giggled, winding her arm around my shoulder. “And we’re very glad he is. Right, girls?”

A chorus of enthusiastic agreement rose from the table.

“I see.” Tiffany’s gaze lingered on Hannah, then flickered to Mia, whose expression revealed nothing. “Well, don’t let me interrupt. My friends and I just stopped in for a quick drink before heading out.”

“Have a good night,” I said with finality, making it clear the conversation was over.

Tiffany hesitated, clearly hoping for more, but when no one offered anything, she and her friends left without another word.

The moment she was out the door, Hannah leapt to her feet. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, Mia,” she blurted, looking genuinely upset. “I hope I didn’t make things weird. Here, have your seat back.”

Mia’s smile was tight but genuine as they swapped places. “No, you were perfect. Thank you for the quick thinking.”

“Seriously,” Emily added, “there would have been a shit storm at work on Monday if you hadn’t done what you did. You seriously saved us.”

“It was nothing,” Hannah insisted, though her eyes kept darting between Mia and me. “But if you want to, you can thank me by buying me a drink. That was fucking stressful.”

“I’ll get it, since it was my idea in the first place.” Emily stood, grabbing her purse. “Come with me and choose your poison.”

“Good time for a bathroom break then,” Maya put in, eyeing Samara and Poppy.

“Great idea.”

“Yup, good one.”

In less than five seconds, Mia and I had the table to ourselves.

“You okay?” I murmured, placing my arm along the back of her chair and leaning in.

She nodded, but there was something vulnerable in her eyes that made my chest tighten. “Yes, of course. That was just... unexpected.”

“You’re not upset?”

“Why would I be upset?” Her attempt at a casual shrug didn’t quite land. “It was the smart play.”

I studied her face, noting the slight furrow between her brows, the way she wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “Mia.”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

When she finally did, I saw everything she was trying to hide—the hurt, the confusion, the jealousy she didn’t want to acknowledge. And something else, something deeper that made my heart rate kick up a notch.

“If the situation were reversed,” I said quietly, “I wouldn’t have liked it either.”

Her eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her features before she could mask it. “It’s fine, Jack. Really.”

It was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it any further. “How about you get your things and come home with me?” I leaned closer, my lips nearly brushing her ear. “I’d like to remind you, in no uncertain terms, exactly who belongs in my lap.”

The blush that spread across her cheeks was answer enough. “N-now?”

“Right now.”