Embry sometimes forgot how deep Morgan was. She gave nothing away with her cheery facade. But at times like that, Embry remembered why she put up with Morgan’s crazy antics. Her best friend was fierce. And she was right. Embry wasn’t a scared teenager anymore. She needed to handle it. She would handle it. “You’re right, you’re right. I’ll call my parents.”
“Good.” And with that, Morgan went right back to her bubbly self. “So what are we going to do about this Luke situation? Maybe I was wrong about getting under Luke. Maybe you need to get over Luke and under someone else. Brendan?”
“No!” Embry clasped her hand over her mouth and heard Morgan giggling. “No. I mean, he was nice, other than nearly high-fiving me to death, but I think I need to sort things out with Luke. Whatever this is between us, it isn’t just going to go away.”
“How about you do your sorting tomorrow?” Morgan suggested, sounding way too innocent.
Embry was certain if she had been sitting in front of her best friend, she would’ve seen a devilish glint in Morgan’s eyes. “Are you scheming?”
“Well, there’s this party tonight …”
“Famous words,” Embry mumbled.
“No, really, it’ll be amazing. It’s at Scandal, you know, the one we went to for the social. It’s not a school event, but a few girls in my class were talking about it. It’s a masquerade ball. We can pick up some sexy Venetian masks, maybe new dresses, and go all out. We’ve busted our asses these past few months, so let’s go let loose!”
Embry wasn’t sure she was up for another night out. “I thought that’s what last night was for.”
“It was supposed to be,” Morgan admitted. “But it didn’t go too well, did it?”
“No,” Embry agreed, “it didn’t. But it’s not even Halloween yet. Why the party?”
“Halloween is this week. You need to get out more, girl!”
“Yeah, there’s this thing called law school that’s been in the way,” Embry deadpanned.
“Well for tonight, I say we have a school-free, Luke-free, stress-free night. Get your mind off of things and just have fun.”
Hearing his name caused a small tug at Embry’s heart. A Luke-free night was just what she needed.
Embry sat in the back of a cab, squished between Brett and Jeremy. Morgan sat up front giving the cabbie an earful. The girl could literally talk to anyone.
“How did I get stuck back here with you two?” Embry grumbled as she tried to adjust her long legs around the hump in the floor.
“Hey,” scolded Jeremy. “Any girl would be lucky to be stuck between us. It’s like a sexy sandwich.”
Embry rolled her eyes at her friend. “This would be an Embry sandwich because I’m in the middle.”
“Dude”—Brett leaned past Embry to get Jeremy’s attention—”did you just call me sexy?”
Embry watched Jeremy, waiting for his answer.
“Yep.”
She looked back to Brett.
“Okay cool, just making sure.”
“You guys are weird,” Embry said.
“No,” Jeremy corrected, “we’re sexy.”
“That we are,” agreed Brett, reaching across Embry for a fist bump from Jeremy.
“At least you’re not high-fiving,” Embry said under her breath. When Brett nudged her ribs, she knew she’d been caught.
“What do you have against high fives?” he asked.
“Nothing, they’re awesome,” Embry said with fake enthusiasm.
“Come on. Brendan’s a nice enough dude.”
“Not as sexy as us though,” Jeremy added.
“Well, who is as sexy as we are? It’s not a fair competition,” Brett said.
“Seriously, Embry”—Jeremy put his arm around her and pulled her toward him—”you really should be honored to be in the middle of this man-meat sandwich.”
“Hmm, I could go for a sandwich,” Brett mused.
Morgan craned her neck from the front seat. “Really, babe? Jeremy talking about man meat made you hungry?”
Embry burst into a fit of laughter, and her friends followed. All thoughts of Luke drifted to the back of her mind as she laughed with her friends. She was having fun.
The cab pulled up to the curb outside the club. Morgan took care of the cab fare while Jeremy hopped out and held out a hand for Embry. She took his hand, climbed from the cab, and stretched her legs. She had tamed her long waves into a sleek ponytail with a small bouffant at the front. The top half of her face was covered by a black mask with an intricate lace design. Jewels accented the arch of each brow, their sparkle casting more attention on Embry’s green eyes. Her lips were a deep red and glossed to perfection, and her dress was to die for. While out with Morgan, she’d come across a little black dress she couldn’t pass up. Strapless and short, it hugged every one of her curves and showed off her toned legs. Jeremy didn’t bother to hide his appreciation as his eyes traveled up and down her body.
“You look gorgeous, B,” he said, pulling her hand to his lips in a rare show of genuine affection.
“Thanks, Jer.” She tugged on the collar of his dress shirt. “You’re not looking so bad yourself.”
Morgan marched right up to the bouncer, whispered something in his ear, and he waved them into the club. Smoke from the DJ booth covered the crowd in a light mist as warm bodies moved together to the electric dance beat. Embry felt the bass in her chest, and the familiar vibrations brought her back to another time, standing in a similar spot in Scandal.
“Deja vu?” asked Morgan, sliding her arm through Embry’s.
Embry nodded, looking out over the dance floor. She could almost feel Luke. That was where it had all started for them. She wished that for one night, they could forget everything, ignore all the reasons keeping them apart, and just be.
“Deja don’t,” Morgan warned, pointing a finger in Embry’s face. She tried hard to school her face into a stern look to match her voice.
Embry laughed.
“I’m serious! No thinking about southern sexy tonight. This is our night. Fun only. No downers allowed!”
“Aye-aye, captain,” she replied, mock saluting. “Let’s go get some drinks.”
“That’s more like it,” Morgan responded.
Embry rolled the moment over in her head while they followed the guys toward the bar. “How’d you know?”
Morgan stared at her. They stood on the outskirts of the dance floor, waiting for Jeremy and Brett to push their way through with drinks. Embry looked around the club.
“That I was thinking about Luke,” she amended.
“You get this wistful, dreamy look in your eyes anytime Luke is on your mind or nearby,” Morgan answered.
Embry’s eyes gravitated toward the lounge where she first met him. She couldn’t help herself. She wanted to look into the room and not see him. To know he wasn’t sitting there waiting for her. She scanned the lounge, taking in all the different people standing at the bar. It was more crowded than the last time, but the majority of the patrons weren’t wearing masks so she could see them clearly. No Luke. The weight lifted off her chest just a little. She didn’t have to think about him. She could enjoy herself, just like Morgan had suggested.
Speaking of Morgan, she’d ignored her statement. “What do you mean, a look?” Still distracted by the lounge and drawn by some unknown force, Embry continued to scan the room. Just as she began to turn back toward Morgan, the crowd parted.
Morgan was talking again. “What look? That look. You’re doing it right now. That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Bree. Embry?”
Embry heard her. She knew that Morgan was speaking to her, but she couldn’t respond. She couldn’t even breathe.