Anna nods, smiling again, and we all walk out the front. The bouncer eyes us warily until Anna says, “We won’t leave this spot,” which has me confused.
“How have you been?” Lana asks me, bringing my attention to her.
“Good,” I tell them. “Just got out of a relationship, getting back into the dating scene.”
If you can call what Trevor and I had a relationship.
“How’s that going for you?” Anna asks me with that cheeky grin of hers.
I wince. Not so well. “I feel like I’ve been thrown back into the dating pool with no floaties.”
Trevor ended up being a train wreck, so who knows what else is waiting for me out there. We dated for only a month, after meeting at a museum. I’d taken my class there for an excursion, and he’d been the tour guide for the day. He’d slipped me his number as we left, and after two days I’d finally called him. He was good-looking and I hadn’t been on a date in so long, so I’d accepted. He started to get really clingy after the first two weeks, wanting to see me every night and blowing up my phone asking where I was. I didn’t want him to meet Cara, and I wasn’t exactly flexible to meet him whenever he wanted, which was way too regular for my liking. When he told me about his foot fetish, yeah, I was done.
We all giggle.
“I can be your float,” Anna jokes.
“You’re not single,” Lana reminds her best friend.
“Oh,” she replies, squinting her eyes. “Is that a rule? Do I have to be single to guide her in the right direction?”
I need more than a guide: I need a miracle.
And I need to stop wishing she would tell me about Adam. Is he married? Does he have children? How would I even feel about that? I hate the man, but I also love him. I always will. It is complicated. Do I want to see him? No. But knowing how he is doing wouldn’t hurt my soul.
Lana giggles. “No, but you have to know what you’re talking about.”
Anna scowls, while Lana and I share a laugh at that.
“I got Arrow, didn’t I?” Anna says, on the defense, her hands on her hips. “And trust me, it wasn’t easy.”
“You’re with someone?” I ask, interested to hear about the man who stole Anna’s heart.
Her face lights up. “Yeah. His name is Arrow. He’s . . . amazing.”
Lana and I share an amused look as a dreamy expression plays on Anna’s face.
“How did you meet him?” I ask.
She suddenly looks a little unsure. “Through my brother, actually.”
“Oh,” I say, keeping my expression neutral. “Well, I’m glad you found someone, Anna. And I hope your brother didn’t give him too much of a hard time. He always used to tell me that he thought you were too good for any man.”
Anna makes a face. “He still thinks that. So, tell me everything. Where have you been all these years?”
“I’ve been here,” I tell her. “I never left the city. I went to college and got a degree in early-childhood education.”
That is the truth, sort of.
Really I’d gotten pregnant and had my daughter, Cara, when I was twenty. Being a single mother, I struggled. Cara’s father didn’t want anything to do with her, and so I never asked him for anything. I worked and put myself through college, barely having enough money to eat most days but making sure my daughter had everything she needed. They were rough times, but I knew they’d pay off in the long run, and they did.
“You’re a teacher? That’s awesome!” Lana says, smiling widely.
“You’d make a good teacher, I think,” Anna inserts, laying a hand on my arm. “It’s really good to see you, Bailey.”
We stare into each other’s eyes.
“You too,” I say, suddenly feeling emotional. I knew this girl. We practically grew up together: I was fourteen when I came into her life. I thought that one day she’d be my sister-in-law, but I was wrong. So wrong. Embarrassingly so.
She’s about to say something when a man storms out of the club, coming to a halt when he sees us standing there, his eyes on Lana and Lana alone. He’s handsome. Okay, he’s more than handsome—he’s magnetic. Tall, with blond hair and a body worth sinning for. Is this Lana’s man?
Yeah, I need to start hanging out with these girls again.
“Christ, Lana. Pretty sure I told you to stay where you were,” the man growls. He looks at Anna, then at me, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”
Lana answers him, which I’m thankful for because I’m still surrendered speechless. “Tracker, this is Bailey, an old friend of ours. Bailey, this is Tracker.”
He smiles, exuding sex appeal. A man who knows exactly who he is and the effect he has on women. A confident man. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I squeak, then glance at Lana with wide eyes.
Arrow? Tracker?
They’re weird nicknames, and it’s now obvious they’re bikers: the leather vest Tracker is wearing gives it away. Adam is letting his sister date a biker? I don’t know what to think, but if these two are with them, I’m sure they’re good men. Although I have to admit, Lana is the last girl I ever thought I’d see with a biker.
“We came out here to catch up,” Lana tells him.
“I can see that,” he murmurs. “Do you guys want to go into the VIP room? It’s much quieter and safer than standing out here where any man who drives past can see you. Rake’s in there, but you can just ignore him.”