The woman smiles. “I thought so. I’m actually friends with his girlfriend.” She extends her hand to me. “I’m Lennon.”
The name clicks instantly. “Oh, yeah. Elodie’s friend from back home in Garnet Valley.”
“That’s me. Sorry if this is awkward, but I recognized you two from pictures she’s posted and just thought I’d say hello.”
“We’re glad you did,” Elliot interjects. “Although I’m sorry to say, Elodie isn’t here with us tonight.”
Lennon rolls her eyes. “Oh, trust me. I’m aware. Since she shacked up with Henley, I can barely get the girl to answer her phone.”
Elliot huffs out a laugh. “Henley is the same way.”
A man in a cowboy hat rushes up to Lennon and spins her around to face him. “Lennon…”
Lennon pulls back from the guy. “Leave me alone, Easton.”
I take a step closer before I realize I’m doing it. “Is everything okay here?”
Easton locks eyes with me. “If Lennon would just talk to me, it would be.”
Lennon glares at him. “I told you, I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Well, that would be a first.”
The two of them stare at one another before Lennon lets out a sigh and turns back to us. “Tell Elodie I said hello, will you?”
Elliot nods. “Of course.”
“And maybe I’ll see you guys soon. I think a trip to Blossom Peak could help me clear my head,” she says while still glaring at Easton, and then slides away from us toward the other side of the bar.
“Fucking pain in my ass,” Easton grumbles as he chases after her, leaving me and Elliot confused.
I shake off the tension-filled interaction as my mind drifts back to the pain-in-my-ass friend sitting right in front of me. “I thought of how you can pay me back for this, by the way,” I say as I take another drag from my beer, my eyes casting over the crowd, assessing the room once more. Even though my ass is planted firmly in my seat, being aware of my surroundings is a habit I’ve picked up between my years in the Marines and law enforcement. It’s so instinctual for me now that I barely notice I’m doing it until someone brings it to my attention.
“This isn’t a tit for tat situation, Rho.”
“It wasn’t, but now it is.”
Elliot groans. “Fine. What’s up?”
“I need you to come to Career Day at Ellis’s school next week.”
“Aw, fuck. Why do I need to go when Henley and Fletcher are going? You and I know damn well that all anyone is going to care about is Fletcher, the football star.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re going for Ellis.”
“Fine,” he grumbles before bringing his beer to his mouth. “But only because I love that little girl. Not for you.”
I nod in acceptance. “I can handle that.”
“Speaking of handling things, how are you feeling about Fletcher and Laney’s wedding coming up? I bet you can guess how I’m feeling about it,” he says sarcastically.
“Look, I know you got burned, but this is one of our best friends and my sister. Does it still weird me out that they’re together? Sometimes,” I admit, but mostly because I just don’t like thinking of my sister with anyone, let alone one of my friends. “But the truth is, I’ve never seen either of them happier. We don’t have to like it, but we need to accept it.”
Elliot sighs. “I know. It’s sick, really. The way they look at each other.” He grimaces, shaking his head.
Leaning in, I say, “Newsflash. You were the same way.”
“God, I was so fucking stupid,” he says, draining the rest of his beer.