“Oh. Hi. Um …” My forehead creases. “Xander invited me.”
Micah’s brows lift slowly. “Really? He didn’t tell us.”
There’s a commotion to our left as Beau strides through the crowd, bottle of beer in hand. He stops, frowning. “What’s she doing here?” He juts his chin toward me, but directs his question to Micah, as if he should know the answer.
Max draws me into his side, putting a protective arm around my shoulders. “She was invited. Go ask your buddy. Even if he hadn’t invited her, she’s here with me, so it doesn’t fucking matter, now does it?” He shoots Beau a challenging stare.
Beau quirks one eyebrow up and makes a face like he doesn’t believe Max, but then his gaze lands on me. “I guess not. And you’re here, so”—his expression does a one-eighty into a smile—“how about a drink?”
I glance at all the bottles of colorful liquor. Truth be told, I’m not a huge drinker, so I have no idea what to even ask for. “Sure. Whatever is fine.” I shrug my shoulder like it’s no big deal.
It really is like a flip switched, because he’s all party-mode now. “You got it, pretty girl.” Beau rubs his hands together.
Micah rolls his eyes to the ceiling. “You never should have said that to him.” He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Look out, mad bartender at work!”
“Shut up, man. You like all the pansy-ass, fruity drinks I make. She’d probably like something similar.” Beau flips him off as he puts ice in a shaker cup, followed by some fruit juice and several shots of liquor.
My eyes get really big. I have practice at nine tomorrow.
Micah just shakes his head, saying, “Whatever, man.” Then he proceeds to smack Beau upside the back of the head.
I giggle a little, imagining our school’s huge tight end sipping on a refreshing, girly cocktail. Max leans in to whisper next to my ear, “They’re certainly putting on a little show for you.”
My shoulders lift to my ears, and I whisper back, “Let them, I guess.”
Micah nudges Beau as he’s putting more shots into the shaker. “You’re making enough for me, too, right?”
Beau snorts. “Yeah.” He picks up the shaker, slaps the other cup on top, and agitates it with a flourish. Using an expert touch, he taps the side of the shaker against the counter and the cups pop apart. He pours the cocktail for two and hands one to me and the other to Micah.
Micah holds his cup up to me and, as I tap it, he says, “Welcome to Beau’s house.”
“Thank you.” I take a quick sip of my drink. It’s surprisingly good. “And thank you for mixing my drink, Beau.”
“Anytime. You like it?”
I nod. “It’s good.” And it is. I can taste pineapple, rum, and grenadine, who knows what else is in here.
We hang out for several minutes while other people come up to get drinks, and we watch Beau’s bartending shenanigans all over again. I’ve got to say, I’m amused and kind of glad I came because I’m getting to see a different side of both Beau and Micah. And there’s no better way to understand someone than to get to know their friends.
Do I want to know Xander? My body says,Hell yes—more please!but my head says,You’re one crazy bitch.
Beau sidles up to me once his bartending duties are complete again. “How about we give you a little tour?” As my eyes dart to Max’s, Beau’s gaze follows. “You don’t care if we steal her for a bit, right?”
Micah grunts and holds up a fist to Max. “We’ve got her, Maxman, if you want to see who else is around. You haven’t been to one of these in a while.”
Max presses his lips together and returns the bump before he tucks his head next to my ear. “I can hang with you, if you want me to—if you’re uncomfortable.”
I shake my head. “I’m okay, I think. I’ll come find you if I want to go. And just text me if you do.” I yank my phone out and check to make sure it’s on with the ringer volume up to its max, then, satisfied, I tuck it into my back pocket. “I’m down with staying however long you want.”
“Sounds good.” He winks and backs away before turning around and hurrying toward the double doors leading to the backyard.
Chapter 29
Beau clears his throat and nods toward the front hallway. “So, lots of people yapping at each other over that way.”
I wrinkle my nose at him. “Very important conversations being had while drunk, I’m sure.”
As we walk, he points to a set of steps going downstairs. “Pool, darts, and Ping-Pong downstairs. A big theater room, too, but no one really goes in there during big parties unless they’re looking for a place to hook up with someone. Same with upstairs.” He points back toward the front of the house. “There are a bunch of bedrooms up there. If you find one locked, it’s either off-limits or it’s already occupied.”