“Maybe he got abducted by aliens,” Lily suggests, her tone entirely too hopeful.“They could be testing the limits of his obnoxiousness in space.”
“I think they’d send him back,” I mutter, wishingIcould send him back.The image of him sitting on my guest bed playingmysong makes me clutch my phone a little too tightly.“Too much ego, not enough brainpower.”
Vivian laughs, but it’s the kind of laugh that says she knows she’s hit a nerve.Shit.
“I don’t know, Anna.You seem awfully opinionated about him for someone who supposedly doesn’t care,” she taunts.
I finally glance up from my phone, arching an eyebrow as I try to exude nonchalance.“I have opinions about a lot of things, Vivian.Doesn’t mean I care.”
“To be fair, Chang might be right,” Tasia says, leaning forward and playing her forearms on her knees with a smirk “Her usual vibe is about one step away from ‘resting bitch face.’”
“Exactly how I like it,” I deadpan, earning another round of laughter.
Carlie waves a hand in the air.“Okay, let’s cut Anna some slack.If she wanted to complain about Joel, or anything else for that matter, she would’ve already.Let’s talk about the book.Smoke and Sapphireby Astrid Vaughn.I’m dying over here.”
Vivian sits up straighter, her excitement palpable.“Yes—finally.That scene with Bradley and Ming in the library?I was fanning myself, literally.Astrid can write a smexy scene between two men like nobody’s business.”
I suppress a groan, leaning back against the loveseat as I drop my phone.“It wasn’t about the tryst, though.You know that right?”
“What do you mean?”Vivian says, blinking her innocent eyes like a cartoon doe.
My face flatlines, but like an idiot, I bite.“It was the buildup—the way Bradley finally let his guard down, and Ming stopped trying to prove himself.The intimacy came from the emotional connection, not just the…logistics.”
Vivian waves a dismissive hand.“You’re overthinking it, Anna.It was hot, plain and simple.”
“Maybe for you,” I mutter under my breath, picking my phone back up.However, I rest a hand over my paperback, wondering if I’m the only one in here who can see the depth of the story.
Lily chimes in, her voice soft but thoughtful.“Anna’s right.That scene worked because the tension between them finally broke in a meaningful way.It wasn’t just physical.”
“Thank you,” I say, tipping my head toward her without dropping my emotional security device.
Validation feels sweet.
“Ugh, you two and your deep thinking,” Vivian says, rolling her eyes.“Sometimes it’s okay for things to just be steamy.”
“It’s called layers,” Carlie says, smirking as she pours herself her first glass of wine.
“Yeah, look into it sometime,” I fire at Vivian.
Before Viv can respond, the bell above the shop door jingles, and all heads turn toward the entrance.
Quinn waltzes in like he owns the place, his white curls are tipped with red and bounce with every step.He’s wearing a red and white sequined jacket that catches the dim light and shimmers like a disco ball, paired with combat boots that somehow don’t clash.I don’t know how he does it.He has a small bag slung over his shoulder that sways with his hips as he comes to a halt.
“Sorry I’m late, darlings,” he says, his voice lilting as he sweeps into the nook.“The new guy was slower than molasses, and I had to teach him how to alphabetize like a functioning human being.Exhausting, really.”
“You locked the door, right?”Tasia interjects, handing him a glass of wine.
“Of course,” he says in mock indignation.
Vivian gasps dramatically, clutching her chest as she stands and claps.“Oh my god, Quinn.Your hair.It’severything.”
“Thank you,” Quinn says, striking a pose.“I call it‘holiday inferno.’”
“It’s giving ‘peppermint chaos’ vibes,” Tasia says, grinning.She shakes her head slightly and takes a sip of her wine.
Quinn places a hand over his heart, feigning offense.“Rude.But I’ll allow it.”
“You all realize Christmas is still three months away, right?”I ask, my brain doing a full-on record scratch at the timing.