“You too.”
I get all my stuff piled in the passenger seat and then buckle Hunter into the back. I turn on my classic 80s rock playlist, calming my nerves a bit as I sing along to Def Leppard. I’m not the best at managing time, and should have left Mom and Dad’s a good twenty minutes before I did. Now it’s a mad rush to shower, get dressed, and do my hair and makeup.
I left the door unlocked so Laney can come in once she gets here, and Hunter lets out a soft woof when the door creaks open. Maybe it’s naive to rely on him as my sole protector, but he’s rather large for his breed and I have no doubt he’d fight to his literal death if it meant keeping me safe.
“In here!” I call, and a moment later Laney appears in the bathroom doorway.
“I thought you said you were ready.” She puts a hand on her hip and looks at me, amused.
“You should know by now that I’m ready means I need at least ten more minutes.” I look at her reflection in the mirror. “Just like I’m on my way means I haven’t even gotten dressed yet.”
She laughs. “That is true.”
“You look cute tonight,” I tell her.
“Thanks.” She wiggles her hips. “It’s not too much?”
“Hell no.” I wrap another section of hair around the curling iron. “I kind of hate you for being able to pull off something like that.” Laney is several inches shorter than me and has been genetically blessed with an hourglass figure and very ample breasts. I’m lacking in that department and have considered breast augmentation a few times since it’s something I’m rather self-conscious about.
“You could, though speaking of outfits, do you have something picked out or are you planning on going to the bar in your Slytherin bathrobe?”
“I wouldn’t be caught dead in public in this. I was placed in Gryffindor and must represent the house colors.”
She lets out a snort of laughter. “Want me to pick something for you?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I pulled out a couple of options and put them on my bed.”
“Want something slutty so you can get laid tonight?”
“I know you’re joking, but actually, yeah. It’s been too long since I’ve had sex.”
“Your date was a bust last night?”
I gather the last section of hair to curl. I have a love/hate relationship with my thick hair. Most of the time I love it…until it comes time to try and style it. “Oh, a total bust. To sum it up, he said I looked just like his sister and he couldn’t wait to take me home.”
“Ewww.” She laughs.
“Right? I mean, I try not to judge, but I gotta draw the line at incest.”
Laughing again, Laney turns and goes into the bedroom. I finish my hair, unplug the curling iron, and then do some last-minute touches to my makeup. Laney combined two of the outfits I couldn’t decide between, and I get dressed in heels, dark jeans, and a black crop top. I take my essentials out of my oversized everyday bag and shove them in a small Gucci purse Mom and Dad got me for Christmas last year.
I give Hunter a pat on the way out, lock up, and walk down the sidewalk feeling a little wobbly. It’s been a while since I’ve worn heels. “So I learned something weird today,” I say when I get into the passenger side of Laney’s car. “You know how my great-aunt Estelle sends me weird-ass stuff for my birthday every year?”
“Yeah. Did she miss your birthday this year?”
“No, the package arrived today. Just a week after my birthday. That’s not the weird thing though. Harrison said she used to babysit us when we lived in Michigan and my mom was finishing her residency. I have absolutely no memory of that. Until today, I didn’t even know we’d ever met.”
“You don’t remember anything?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Har said we stayed at her house and everything.”
“Maybe he’s fucking with you.”
“I thought so too, until he showed me a picture of us with her. I was seven in the photo, so it’s not like it was so long ago I’d have no memory anymore.”
“Okay, that is weird.”
Nodding, I look out the window and have a mild heart attack when I see a large dog running along the road. It takes me a second to see the dog’s owner jogging along behind, with the dog on a retractable leash that allows it to be a good distance ahead of its owner.
I want to tell Laney about the dog in the woods. We’ve been friends since seventh grade and don’t keep things from each other. But she gets freaked out easily and I want us both to have a good time tonight.
The bar is already busy when we get there, and Josh is setting up to start playing. Laney and I order drinks and sit at a table in the back, talking and laughing while we wait for the band to start playing. I’m onto drink number two when Laney pulls me out onto the dance floor. The band has gotten a lot better recently, and the bar-goers are feeling it.
Three songs later, my legs hurt from dancing in these heels. Weaving my way through the crowd, I leave the dance floor and go back to the bar, getting lucky to snag a stool right as someone leaves.
“Anora Benson?” someone asks, coming up behind me. “Is that you?”
I turn and recognize the guy right away. “It is,” I reply. “And you’re Travis Peterson.”
“I’m surprised you remember.” Travis flashes a smile and steps in.
“I have a good memory,” I say, though I think it’s fair most girls from our graduating class in high school remember Travis. He was the stereotypical cool kid and hung out with the popular crowd…which included my brother.
“It’s been a long time, and damn, look at you.” He slowly runs his eyes over me. “You look good. Really good.”
“Why thank you.” Smiling, I angle my body toward his. “And you don’t look so bad yourself either.”
“I gotta ask, are you here alone?”
“No, but I’m not here with a guy, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Damn, I’m almost impressing myself with my flirting right now. “I came with a friend.”
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“I suppose.” I’m already two drinks in and need to take it slow, but I’m at that point of being tipsy where good decision-making goes out the window.
Travis moves in closer, signaling the bartender. “What do you want?” he asks me.
“Vodka and cranberry.”
“Well then.” He slides his hands over so his fingers brush against my forearm. “That’s what you’ll get.”
I smile again, and a little voice in the back of my mind tells me it’s stupid to feel special right now. Seven years ago, I might have given anything for someone like Travis to notice me, but it means nothing today.
Only it does…just a little.
“What have you been up to?” Travis leans on the bar, cocky smile on his face. “I’m a little shocked to still find you here. I thought a girl like you would have taken off, setting the world on fire or something.”
Dammit, I’m blushing again. “I’m a vet-tech at an animal clinic downtown, and I give riding lessons a few times a week.”
“Oh, right. You were always into horses.”