Gilded Craving - Olivia Jaymes Page 0,30

since they were in college, but in some ways, nothing had changed at all. Carl was still quiet, only speaking when he had something to say; Trent was boisterous and loud, even though this wasn't a party. He kept answering his phone and speaking loudly to someone that clearly worked for him. Ryan would have quit his job if his boss talked to him that way.

Dan was reminiscing about Brad, seemingly unaware of Caroline crying softly next to him. Every story only served to make his wife more upset. She was currently finding solace with Daphne, who was the softest touch of their group. Daphne had always been the "den mother" that reminded the more irresponsible ones that they needed to get some sleep or study.

Isla was a talker as well and she liked to hear the sound of her own voice, apparently, because she'd barely taken a breath since she'd started on her second cocktail. She was telling Mariah about her husband, kids, and the chain of day spas she owned.

Theo, as usual, was more focused on the pretty waitresses than on the conversation. His head had whipped around several times already to catch a glimpse of a retreating server's shapely rear end.

Liza and Mike were talking to Carl about their trip to Europe last year. Carl had visited Prague just a few weeks ago and was talking about the incredible food.

And Mariah? She was listening to Isla politely, nodding and responding in all the right places which surprised Ryan. Isla and Mariah had never gotten on back in the day. Isla had often made fun of Mariah, calling her old-fashioned and a prude because she'd stuck with Ryan while Isla wanted to sow her wild oats while she was young. She didn't think it was healthy for a young woman to commit herself to one man before she was thirty. It appeared she hadn't taken her own advice.

To be honest, Ryan hadn't liked to be around Isla either. She was often difficult to be with as she was quite opinionated and liked to argue. Then when she'd pissed you off thoroughly and frustrated the hell out of you, she would simply laugh and say she was just playing devil's advocate and that you shouldn't take things so seriously.

"Dude, you've barely said a word." Carl elbowed Ryan to get his attention. Isla had turned her attention to Liza and Mike. "Earth to Ryan."

He had spaced out a little. His mind was going a mile a minute. He needed to talk to these people about that night. About Brad and what they might know about what was going on in their friend's life at the time, but he needed to do it separately. Not as a group. He also didn't want to ruin the vibe of this get-together. This was about remembering Brad.

But Ryan had a job to do and finding out what happened that night would bring closure to many people. This group included.

"I was thinking about how much we've changed yet some things always stay the same."

"We have bigger bank accounts but who we are as people probably hasn't changed much." He nodded toward Trent, who had finally hung up his phone and was regaling Theo with a tale about the time he'd beat Brad at basketball. "Some things never change. Still trying to outdo Brad and he isn't even here to compete with. He wants to be the center of attention at a wake, for fuck's sake. How needy is that?"

"Do you remember what he and Brad fought about a few days before?"

"No, but I assume it was something trivial because, let's face it, it always was. I do remember Brad saying that he wished Trent wasn't going on the Hawaii trip with us but I didn't pay any attention to it. They talked shit about each other all the time, but when the chips were down, they were there for each other." Carl's brows rose slowly. "Wait...you don't think? Not Trent. He wouldn't do something like that. No way. He's one of us. I mean, he's kind of an asshole but he wouldn't actually hurt anyone."

This was what Ryan had been worried about. He wasn't here to accuse anyone. He simply needed to know what had been going on in Brad's life the few weeks before his disappearance. He was, however, afraid that his friends might "circle the wagons" and stay silent on an important piece of information.

"I'm not saying that Trent did anything," Ryan explained.