Tomorrow I would run, like, a million miles.
I left my apartment to meet up with Roxy for breakfast. Katie was out of town this weekend, which was disappointing. She could turn a Sunday breakfast at IHOP into an adventure. The parking lot was full, forcing me to park near the back. Thick clouds blocked the sun, and chilly fall rain was ready to pour down. Before I got out of my car, I checked my phone. No missed calls or messages. I wasn’t even sure why I was checking.
Definitely not for any missed calls or texts from Nick.
Nope. Definitely not.
I dashed across the parking lot, slowing to a more sedate pace when I reached the sidewalk instead of plowing into a group of elderly women.
Cute stickers of ghosts had been applied to the glass doors, reminding me that I needed to get a pumpkin and start to stock up on candy, though I had no idea if kids trick or treated near the condo or not.
I hoped so.
Halloween turned me into such a goober.
Once inside, I rounded the hostess desk and scanned the packed restaurant. My mouth dropped open when I saw Roxy in a wide, half-moon-shaped booth toward the back.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, stiffening.
Roxy was not alone, like I expected.
Three girls sat with her—blond-haired Calla, the widely smiling Teresa, and redheaded Avery. It was like a freaking rainbow over there. My feet wouldn’t move as the air punched out of my lungs. They hadn’t seen me yet. I could just turn right around and—
Teresa looked up and started waving enthusiastically. All the girls looked.
Dammit.
Okay. I was not a flight girl when fight-or-flight kicked in. I wasn’t going to start now. I did nothing wrong, and if these girls had a problem with me, then, well . . . it would just suck. I couldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change it.
Drawing in a deep breath, I forced my feet to move. Roxy stood, a smile fixed on her face but her eyes pleading. “Glad you made it.” She gestured for me to take her seat next to Teresa. “Everybody was in town and—”
“And we wanted to see you,” Teresa cut in as I sat beside her. Her eyes were as bright and as blue as her older brother’s—Cam. “We really didn’t get to chat a lot last time.”
“Yeah.” I struggled with what to say as I placed my purse between us. Roxy sat back down, and as I glanced around, my gaze met Avery’s. She gave me a tentative smile.
Okay. So this was weird. I had something really intimately in common with the girl sitting across from me and another sitting next to me. Really kind of awkward, really kind of—
Pulling the brakes on my stupid train of thoughts, I focused on a normal greeting. “It’s nice to see all of you. How long are you guys up here for?”
“We have Monday and Tuesday off. Fall break,” Calla answered, and I was momentarily surprised by the fact I’d already forgotten about fall break. “So I’m here until Tuesday night.”
“Which means Jax will be in a giving mood.” Roxy grinned.
Calla’s cheeks brightened to a pretty pink. It was only then that I noticed the scar on her cheek. When she had been at Shepherd, she wore heavy makeup to conceal it. It didn’t look like she was wearing any today.
“I think we’re heading back Tuesday night, too.” Teresa fiddled with the edge of her menu. “Cam wants to head up to New York City tomorrow.”
“I’ve never been.” Avery picked at her menu. Sitting straight across from me, she looked much smaller than I remembered. “So, I’m very excited to see it.”
“I’ve only been once. It was fun,” I said, resting my hands on my lap. “But a little overwhelming.”
Teresa leaned back against the cushion. “The first time there, I ended up having an anxiety attack later that night when I started thinking about all the buildings.”
“Really?” Avery’s eyes widened.
“The buildings can give you a crowded feel.” Teresa shuddered. “Especially when you’re not used to it, and it couldn’t have just been me being weird, so you’ll be fine.”
“You better be fine,” warned Calla, grinning. “I’m surprised Cam didn’t escort you here himself.”
Avery’s cheeks flushed red as her hair as the waitress appeared, taking our drink orders along with the food.
“Why would Cam escort you here?” The skin between Roxy’s brows knitted. “He sounds like Reece.”
Calla’s shoulders straightened as excitement splashed across her face. “You don’t know?”
“Oh!” Teresa squealed, causing me to jump a little. She clapped her hands. “I love this part.”
Confusion marked Roxy’s face, and I was glad I wasn’t the only person who had no idea what was going on. “No. I don’t,” she said. “What’s going on? It’s not the wedding, right? We all know about the wedding.”
“I knew you guys were engaged, but I didn’t get a chance to say congrats for that,” I chimed in. “When’s the big day?”
Avery’s eyes brightened. “We were going to do a spring wedding, but we’re pushing for the middle of the summer now. We decided to change the date.”
“Why?” Roxy asked, her brows knitting together.
Our drinks arrived, and Avery took a long gulp of her water before she spoke. “I’m . . . I’m kind of pregnant.”
My eyes widened. Oh my God, Avery was— Wait, kind of pregnant?
“You’re pregnant?” Roxy’s voice was pitched high.
Teresa giggled as she bounced next to me like a rubber ball. “And she’s not kind of pregnant. She’s almost four months pregnant.”