But she’s hiding something, I’m convinced. She looks at me and smiles, I smile back. I’m onto you, lady. So what is it? Hates her job? No, wait, that’s not a secret. Madison has always been quick to follow in Emily’s footsteps, even when the rest of us can see it’s clearly wrong for her. Madison also teaches second grade at the same school as Emily, but she complains about her job 90 percent of the time—usually while anger-cooking us something fantastic in the kitchen.
So…Madison, what’s your secret?
“Annie, are you okay?” Emily asks. “Your smile is super creepy.”
I wipe my face blank. “I was thinking about a…movie I just watched.”
“Was it a movie about a serial killer? Because those are the vibes you’re putting out.”
I scoff. “It was clearly not a serial killer’s smile. You guys just don’t know your smiles.”
Amelia suddenly pops over my shoulder and pulls out a chair at the table, slightly out of breath. “Hiya! I’m back from L.A.! Who has a serial killer’s smile?”
“Anna-banana.”
Amelia grins and settles into the chair. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
With Amelia’s presence comes a spike in my blood pressure, because if Amelia is back in town, that means Will is back too. I’m more confused about that man than ever. He and I have been texting nonstop since he left town a week ago. And the weird part is—I miss him. A lot.
I’m not supposed to miss him. He’s my nostrings-attached practice person. It’s not supposed to be difficult to keep my face forward rather than craning my neck to see if he’s anywhere in this bar.
And then Noah steps up, tosses his keys on the table, bends down to kiss the side of Amelia’s neck in a lingering not-safe-for-work way, and then tells her he’s going to grab them drinks from the bar. Her eyes give him the most I’m-desperately-in-love-with-you look as he walks away, and all of us sisters notice, sharing a knowing smirk. I’ll bet all my money that they leave this bar early tonight.
Amelia notices us giggling like schoolgirls at her expense, and her face turns beet-red. “Stop! All of you. Stop it right now!”
We’re all laughing obnoxiously now as Madison makes over-the-top making-out gestures. Amelia throws her hands over her eyes. “Y’all are so mean. You’re not supposed to point out stuff like that.”
“Hard to miss it when Noah is chomping on your neck like that,” I say, taking a sip of my beer.
Amelia peeks over her hands to flash me a playfully offended face. “You too? My sweet Annie is going to stab me in the back like that?”
I reach over and fix Amelia’s sweater, which is a little askew. “Sorry. Your bodyguard is being a bad influence on me.”
Maddie grins and raises her beer in a toast. “And speak of the devil.” She nods over my shoulder.
My stomach leaps into my throat and tap-dances. I don’t need to turn to realize he’s here. I can feel him. The temperature changes, the air grows thick. （Which shouldn’t be happening because he doesn’t mean anything to me.） Remember, Annie, No Strings Attached! “Oooh, he can sit with us now that he’s off the clock, and he’s dating Annie, right?” Maddie says with way too big a gleam in her eye while air quoting the word dating. Maddie’s hand shoots up in the air, waving frantically. “Will! Your woman is over here!”
“Hush, Maddie! You’re making the whole bar look.”
She flashes a self-satisfied expression that lets me know that was her aim in the first place.
I can’t take it anymore. I peek over my shoulder—just one quick, tiny little glance to the side. But my eyes instantly connect with his, and I shoot my gaze forward again, pulse rushing in my ears. That tiny glance was enough to take in every inch of Will, and it’s making everything worse.
Tonight he’s wearing black jeans, white sneakers, and a denim button-down shirt rolled up over his forearms. His hair is sort of purposefully messy, and he’s wearing a black watch on his tattooed wrist. He looks too good to be real. And now that I know what his skin looks like and feels like under that shirt—the way the lines of his tattoos are subtly raised to add the most delicious texture—my face heats.
“Annie’s been saving your seat!” Madison says unhelpfully, making me sound desperate even though I had no idea he’d be here tonight. I widen my eyes to signal her to cool it, but she just grins her mischievous smile back at me.