“What about mine?”
“I forgot,” Bliss stated truthfully. “Here, you can have mine.”
“Never mind. It would have ruined my dinner, anyway.”
“What are you doing for dinner?” Bliss asked absently, her attention on Drake.
“Lily, Beth, Winter, and Willa invited me to dinner at King’s after the game.”
Bliss frowned. “I thought Lily was home with John because he’s sick.”
“He’s better, I guess. Shade thought he was running a fever at lunch today, but Lily stayed home and kept an eye on him all afternoon. Willa texted me while you were getting the popcorn to say who all was going, and she mentioned Lily, so his fever must have gone away.”
“Fevers generally last longer than an hour.”
Ginny shrugged. “Babies his age run fevers all the time. He’s probably just teething.”
“Maybe so.”
Bliss searched the crowd for Shade, finding him sitting on the top row next to Jo Turner. What could those two have to talk about?
Jo’s face was lit up like the Fourth of July at what Shade was saying to her. Rider and Train were sitting in front of them, blocking them from view. She had almost missed them herself. If she hadn’t been looking for Shade in particular, she would have never noticed them.
Her jealousy over Shade was probably making her read more into it than there really was, and she had already learned that lesson. This time, she would mind her own business, despite the niggling feeling that something was up between the two. She didn’t appear to be depressed over her father’s murder a couple of months ago. Bliss couldn’t help the snide thought.
“You ready?” Ginny stood, waiting. The game had ended, and she hadn’t even noticed.
“Yes. Do you want me to drop you off at King’s or the house?”
“King’s, if you don’t mind. Willa said she would give me a ride back. I’ll try not to wake you when I come home.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going out myself. I probably won’t be in until morning.” Bliss didn’t plan on hiding her active sex life from Ginny. She was used to getting a lot of sex, and it had been a while. She was going to break her dry spell that night. The surprising part was Ginny didn’t bat an eyelash at her.
“Who are you going out with?”
Knowing Ginny was still determined to try to become BFFs with her, Bliss almost didn’t tell her, but honestly, she couldn’t find a reason not to. It wasn’t like she was going to come home afterward and have a chat-fest about it.
“Drake Hall.”
A concerned look crossed Ginny’s face. “Be careful, Bliss.”
Bliss couldn’t help laughing. “I can handle Drake.”
“Don’t be too sure. He has a reputation in town for leaving women when they get too serious about him.”
“Then he’s perfect for me. I have no intention of getting serious.”
Ginny shook her head at her. “That’s what all the women say.”
“Well, I mean it.” Bliss watched as Shade stood, blending into the crowd and leaving the auditorium. Jo’s eyes followed after him. “Besides, I can’t give what’s already taken.”
Bliss started past her yet paused when Ginny laid a hand on her arm.
“You have an itch any man could scratch without leaving marks. Drake’s not that type of man. Of all the women I heard gossip about regarding him, none have walked away unscathed. He’s always been the one to break it off. Some scratches go away after a few days, and you forget they ever existed, but others fester and spread until they consume you.”
“Are you telling me I should be afraid of him?” Bliss couldn’t believe Ginny was giving her advice about men. Didn’t she realize what went on in the clubhouse? What did she know about men, anyway? She was barely nineteen.
Willa had told her Ginny had lived with a foster couple until she had turned eighteen. Willa had wanted to help Ginny find a home she could call her own. Bliss knew that was why she had asked her if she would be interested in being roommates with Ginny.
Bliss had thought they were mismatched but grudgingly had begun to feel a tendril of liking for Ginny.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. A smart woman would steer clear of him.”
“No one’s ever accused me of being smart,” Bliss said wryly.
Chapter 4
The diner was crowded from the basketball game, but Drake was already seated at a table when she arrived. He stood as she approached, and when she stopped next to him, she felt surrounded by his size and couldn’t help appreciating the way he looked in jeans and a dark T-shirt. She was used to confident men, and Drake was also assertive, which Bliss always enjoyed. It was going to be fun to find out if his confidence was deserved or not.
Once she slid into the booth, he sat down next to her. Bliss had to give him kudos, shy men didn’t appeal to her.