chapter thirty

meghan

The Gardners lived in a newer subdivision—the kind with clean sidewalks, matching mailboxes, and meticulously trimmed lawns. Their house was the biggest one on the street, with a two-car garage and landscaping that looked straight out of a Better Homes and Gardens spread. As Sarah led me through the house toward her patio, I felt a little out of place. I’d never been one for big, beautiful homes like this. I preferred old houses with history, ones with a little charm and a lot of creaky floorboards. But there was no denying it: The Gardners’ house was impressive. I followed Sarah through her immaculate, neutral-toned kitchen, where the guys stood around the island with beers in their hands. Owen tapped a deck of cards against the granite countertop, glancing at me with a quick and friendly, “Hey.”

And then there was Chase. He lifted his fingers in a lazy wave from the neck of his bottle, like he hadn’t had me gasping beneath him just a couple of hours ago. I gave him an innocent little smile as I walked past. His lips twitched, as if fighting back a grin, before he turned his attention back to the conversation.

Sarah opened the sliding glass door to her backyard, and it was like stepping into a Pinterest board labeled “Backyard Goals.” Warm patio lights crisscrossed above us beneath the white-painted pergola. A sprawling outdoor sectional wrapped around a sleek fire pit, with an arched stone pattern forming the perfect centerpiece beneath it all.

“There’s my girl!” Jill hollered, clutching the stem of a giant margarita glass that was already half-empty. She patted the cushion beside her, waving for me to join her on the sectional. Between her enthusiasm and the frozen strawberry margarita Sarah handed me, the tension began to melt away.

The conversation flowed easily, with spicy book recommendations, talk of our favorite and most hated tropes, and comparing the kinkiest scenes we’d read lately. Jill, of course, took center stage, gesturing obscenely as she described a particularly memorable scene from a dark romance she’d just finished. She even acted it out for us, making Abigail cover her face with a pillow to stifle her laughter.

But as much as I tried to keep my attention on the conversation, I kept glancing back toward the house. Through the glass, I could see the guys at the dining room table, deep into their poker game.

My chest tightened as I watched Chase, wondering if he was doing okay in there. Did he feel out of place, like I had when I first stepped inside?

And was Xander being nice?

Sarah leaned back on the sectional, laughing at Jill’s antics as she tucked her feet beneath her. “Okay, okay,” she said, holding her La Croix can on her lap, “we still haven’t picked a damn book for our next meeting. How about we go with a romantic suspense? That way, it’s spicy and has an edge. Win-win, right?”

We all murmured in agreement, and Abigail scrolled through her Tbr list, throwing out a few recommendations. It took a while, but we finally agreed on a book about a homicide detective falling in love with one of his suspects.

Sarah got up, announcing she was going to bring some snacks outside before the guys ate them all. As she went inside, Kendall and Abigail quickly fell into a conversation about one of the students at their school. I stared into margarita glass just as Jill’s hand wrapped around my arm. “Hey, I need to talk to you,” she said, nodding toward the other end of the backyard.

She took me by the hand and led me off the patio across the grass to the corner of the privacy fence. “You’re scaring me,” I said.

But she was smiling. “It’s not scary. Well, maybe it is. Depends on your reaction.” Hermischievous giggle was unsettling.

“Say it, Jill,” I said, holding my stomach, bracing myself for whatever news she had to spill. “Just tell me.”

“You and I might get to be hybrid partners after all,” she said, trying not to smile.

I blinked at her, confused. “Really? Why?”

“Because,” she said, pausing for emphasis, “it might be somewhat unethical to sleep with your hybrid partner, and...” Jill bit her bottom lip.

I glanced toward the sliding glass door, where I could barely make out the guys playing cards. “Dammit,” I groaned, narrowing my eyes at Xander. “I knew he told you.”

Jill raised one eyebrow at me. “What do you mean he told me?” She glanced from side to side. “I mean, I was kind of there.”

Now it was my turn to look confused. “Wait, what?”

Jill took a step back, holding her margarita glass out to the side. “Wait, what?”

Oh. Oh, no. “Jill!” My mouth fell open. “Are you saying you slept with Xander?”

“Let’s do you first. I knew you kissed, but—you slept with Chase?”

I shushed her, catching Kendall and Abigail peeking over the back of the sectional in our direction. Leaning in closer, I lowered my voice to a near whisper. “Okay, yes. Chase and I have… hooked up a couple of times. We’re taking it slow, and it’s just been… weird.”

Jill stared back at me with a grin that said I knew it. “Oh my God,” she said, “I am so, so happy this is finally happening.”

“Sorry, aren’t you the one who helped me burn his Ramones t-shirt after the break-up?”

She shrugged. “Yes, but I’ve always hoped you two would find your way back to each other. That boy loves you so much, and he always has. Seriously, I wish I had someone who looked at me the way he stares at you—all starry-eyed like he wants to gobble you up.”

“Uh-huh. And does Xander look at you like that?”

Her naughty smile returned. “Sometimes, especially when I’m riding h-”

“Stop it right there,” I begged with a laugh. “He’s like my brother. You’d better not tell me anything that’s going to make it hard for me to work beside him.”

“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “I know it’s crazy and reckless, but it’s been so fun, and we just can’t stop .” She shivered, like the memory of one of their encounters was running through her mind. “Which is why I think we’re going to have to quit working together. Meghan, I think I’m actually falling for him.”

I slid my palm beneath my bangs against my forehead and looked down at the grass. “Say psych right now.”

“I will not.” Jill swirled her glass before sipping the last of her drink.

My eyes drifted to Abigail, who was leaning through the sliding glass door talking to the guys now. Did Jill know about Xander’s close relationship with her? “What about Abigail?” I asked, returning my gaze toward Jill.

“She seems really sweet,” Jill said, combing her fingers through her wavy, blonde hair. “He talks about her sometimes. I think they’ve known each other since preschool. I’m not worried about her, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

She might not have been worried, but I was. It almost made my stomach hurt, because my best friend was going to find out the hard way that Xander was in love with someone else. Despite her optimism, I had a bad feeling this was going to crush her. But I would be there to pick up the pieces, just like she was for me when things fell apart with Chase.