an intrinsic drive that we don’t see in many students your age.”
Flickers of hope had sparked deep inside me a few minutes earlier, but I hadn’t let them fully ignite. But those flickers had turned into an inferno I couldn’t put out even if I’d wanted to.
“We’d be dumb to get rid of someone like that,” Jeff said. “You understand what I’m saying?”
I was nodding so fast I probably looked like a bobblehead. “Yes! Yes, you’re not dumb. You’re just assholes. I mean—”
“Get back to work, Sophia,” Carole said.
“Yes, right. Thank you. I’m going back to work right now.”
Even to my own ears, I sounded like I’d taken half a bottle of uppers and chased them with a couple Red Bulls. It was a good thing Jeff and Carole already thought I was insane, or I’d be worried about them wanting to drug test me. I headed to the door, a smile spread wide across my face like I belonged in Arkham Asylum.
“I’ll be working on stuff for the Yard if you need me. Not my boyfriend’s Yard.” I smacked myself hard on my forehead with my notebook. “Trey’s Yard. You knew what I meant, right?”
“Goodbye, Sophia,” Jeff said.
And as I managed to escape without putting my foot in my mouth again, I had one thought: I’d never liked two assholes more than I liked these two.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
D R E W
I looked around the Yard and allowed myself to catch my breath for what felt like the first time tonight. We’d been slammed, which was a very good thing, but it was also exhausting. It was now after one a.m., and people were beginning to wear out and head home. We still had some stragglers, but they were calmly sipping drinks as they chatted with friends.
While Sophia’s idea of offering backyard-style games for patrons to play was a great one, it also tended to make the atmosphere a bit raucous. These quiet moments after the craziness allowed me to truly step back and appreciate what we’d accomplished this summer. And it was only our first summer. The best was hopefully still to come.
“Hey, handsome,” Sophia whispered as she slipped her arms around me from behind.
I turned so I could embrace her. “Hey, what are you up to? Sorry I barely got to talk to you tonight.”
She pushed her body into mine, her head resting against my chest. “No worries. Being busy is a good thing.”
“I’m never too busy for you, though,” I said as I held her tighter.
She tilted her head up so she could look at me. Offering a sweet smile, she said, “I know.”
And I felt a strong measure of relief that she really did know.
With all the drama and life changes that had happened over the past few months, we’d been feeling more than our fair share of tension. But we’d finally hit our groove in our personal lives, and with the shit hitting the fan at Margot Nathan, the last bit of heaviness that weighed on our relationship had floated away.
I was happy that she’d finally stood up for herself and that she was no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop at work. I hadn’t realized how stressed out she’d been until it was gone. Which made me feel a little shitty, but the only thing I could do was vow to be better for her next time she needed me.
I leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, which she parted for me immediately. I didn’t hesitate to push my tongue inside, needing a taste of her like I needed my next breath. There was no way I’d ever get tired of kissing this girl. I could be eighty, and I’d still be up for macking on her in a bar.
“Okay, gross, you need to stop.”
I turned my head to see Aamee staring at us in disgust.
“There are times when you’re literally dry humping Brody in public, and we’re gross?” Sophia asked.
Aamee thought for a second before saying, “Yes.” She smoothed a hand down her shorts before adding, “And only stoners from bad neighborhoods dry hump. I just get caught up in the natural rhythm of our bodies.”
“Okay, Cool Runnings.”
Aamee and I both looked at Sophia in confusion, not getting the reference.
“You know. ‘Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme,’” she clarified.
At our still-blank looks, she muttered, “Never mind.”
Aamee shook her head. “Well, as fun as it’s been to listen to you prattle on, I need your help. Brody is having cold feet