her tone.
“That’s right.” I fall back onto the pillow mountain, and the two of them do the same. “Right now, I need to finish up a rom-com marathon with my two best friends.”
“Aww!” they both coo in unison as we engage in a three-way embrace.
Raven sighs heavily as she looks up. “Still so impressed by the bush.”
I kick her knee off my stomach, and the three of us share another laugh. It feels good. Heck, it feels great. Just the thought of two people whom I’m not blood-related to caring anything about me is pretty darn amazing. It feels downright special.
But the real reason I didn’t speed right over to Axel’s penthouse with my new heart-shaped epiphany is far less easier to finger than a simple rom-com with friends. I suppose at the end of the day it has more to do with fear than anything else. What exactly is it about having a relationship with Axel Collins that frightens me?
Everything.
The Sloppy Pelican is quiet just an hour after opening. It’s noon and the lunch crowd hasn’t quite streamed in. Mojo let me know that Ax was across the street at the bank depositing last night’s take, so I make myself comfortable at a booth near the back. I pull out my laptop and open the file that reads Epicurean Elite. Now that I’ll have Axel back—undoubtedly—hopefully, and not to mention the fact I have two bonus besties—I can focus in on fulfilling my personal goals and dreams. I giggle to myself for a moment. Just the thought makes me giddy, and I’ve long hated anything associated with that word. It’s strange. It’s as if during this, the most tumultuous time in my life, I’ve actually become the person I’ve always wanted to be—free from all of that heaviness my mother hung me with before she left. All of the angst, the sarcasm, the outright hatred was a millstone she placed around my neck before shoving me into the deep end of life.
“Epicurean Elite?” a light female voice snips from over my shoulder, and I turn to find Abby Wilcox tee-heeing to herself. “What’s this? Some snazzy new place you hope to land yourself a job?” She plops down next to me, elbow-to-elbow, and it’s all I can do not to knock her onto the floor with my hip. I may have forged two solid friendships, but I’ve hit my limit. Abby Wilcox is no friend. There’s something smarmy about her I can’t quite put my finger on.
“It’s actually something I’m thinking of starting myself.”
“What?” She leans in and scours the first few lines before I snap the laptop shut. “A search engine for great food,” she muses at the tagline. It still needs work. I’d never put it out there without polishing it first. “Sounds like something that’s already in existence.” She clears her throat with a haughty air about her. There. That’s exactly why I can’t stand her. She’s haughty to the max. A self-satisfied smile comes to my lips.
“It might already exist, but my site will be better. It will purely be comprised of food specialists that I’ll personally vet myself.”
“And how exactly will this make money?” She shakes her head, doubtful of my financial return as if she had a right to be so judgmental.
“It’s ad based—details in which I won’t bore you with.” A familiar face brightens the room, and I’m filled with both delight and grief simultaneously. “Teagan!” I flag her over. “Look.” I nudge Abby out of the booth in order to plot my own escape. “I need to help someone out with a little party planning.” I gather my things before giving Teagan a heartfelt embrace. I close my eyes, and for a moment I fool myself into believing it was Emilia I was locked in a hug with. I guess you could say Emilia was my first real friend. I think she’d be thrilled to know that after all these years I’ve made a couple more. Not to mention the fact I bet she’d be tickled to know that Axel and I are back on for good—I hope.
“I’m not dying, am I?” Teagan pulls back with a laugh that sounds exactly like Emilia’s once did. I can’t imagine the bitter pain her parents must feel, that Axel must feel.
“Nope, I’m just glad to see you. I’ve got a million ideas about your eighteenth birthday party.”
“Good.” She leads us off in the direction of the room in the back. “Because my party