2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
DYLAN
There’s nothing like realizing you’re the only single person left in a group of friends. I looked around Jackson and Ashley’s large great room and found nothing but couples and a ton of kids.
Jesus, who invites this many kids to a New Year’s Eve party? Are they all staying up until midnight?
God, I hoped not.
I wished the possibility of being surrounded by a bunch of families had occurred to me before I’d said yes to Jackson’s invitation.
He’d guilted me into coming by reminding me that since this would be my first New Year’s Eve off in what felt like forever, I had to show my face at one of his parties.It wasn’t like I had better things to do. Even he knew I didn’t. Since I’d been promoted, working a patrol shift wasn’t an option. If it had been, I could guarantee I wouldn’t be here.
The only other single people I’d spied so far were Rhett’s two youngest sisters, and I was not going there. Not only were they one of my best friend’s sisters, but Savannah was nuts and Hattie was basically mute. Other than the one party here a few summers ago where she’d had a few drinks and had chatted with me, I’d hardly heard her speak.
That night, she’d been easy to talk to. Refreshing. But since then, we really hadn’t interacted much. I’d started dating Becca a few months after that party, and for the last two years, she had come with me to every wedding and function I could make it to. Until now.
Now I was single and at a party among a sea of couples.
I made my way over to the bar in the corner, shaking my head. Of course Jackson would hire a bartender for a party in his own home. After ordering a beer, I shifted away from the counter so Savannah could step up.
Between the purple streaks in her blond hair, the nose ring, and the outfit made up of fishnets and strips of leather, she was a lot .
“Shots,” Savannah yelled to the three women standing behind her.
Ah. There it was. Point proven.
Had she not gotten the memo about this being a family event? I wasn’t privy to that information, so I supposed it was possible. Except she was part of this family. Did she not know all her nieces and nephews plus a bunch of other kids would be here? Even if she hadn’t, she had eyes and could see.
Shots at a kids’ party.
I shook my head and glanced at the other three women, hoping one of them would nix the shots. But seeing only Hattie, Jackson’s sister Brittney, and another woman who looked like she was about to say hell yeah , I didn’t have much hope.
“Oh, hello, Detective Dylan.” Savannah sent me a wink.
I shifted on my feet, even more uncomfortable than I had been a second ago.
“Celeste, we need four shots.” Savannah side-eyed me. “Make that five. One for the sexy detective.”
I wasn’t sure whether I was less surprised about Savannah being on a first-name basis with the bartender or the flirting. Either way, I’d learned over the years that Savannah did whatever she wanted and she gave no fucks about it.
Brittney sent me a quick wave, and I gave her a nod back.
“She’s married,” Savannah informed me as she handed me a shot glass.
I frowned at her. “Who?”
She rolled her eyes. “Brittney.”
Okay . That was common knowledge around here, and even if she weren’t married, there was no way I’d go there. Jackson’s sister fell into the same category as Rhett’s. Getting involved with a friend’s sister was a terrible idea. Although apparently Jackson missed that memo. He’d married Ashley, after all.
With a nod to Savannah, I glanced over at the curvy brunette who stepped up and took a shot glass.
“Kelly’s married too.” Savannah sighed dramatically. “Hattie and I are the only single ladies here. Sucks to be your dick.” Brow arched, she looked me up and down. “I’d totally sleep with you, though.”
“Oh my god, Savannah.” Hattie rolled her eyes as she sidled up next to me. “Leave the poor guy alone.”
As she picked up her shot from the bar, her arm brushed against mine. On contact, my body went rigid, and I was taken back to that party a couple of years ago. To the hours we spent chatting and—admittedly—flirting.
I stole a glance at her. She was still as gorgeous as she was that summer. While her sisters were objectively good-looking, she possessed her own natural, simple beauty. If she was wearing makeup at all, it wasn’t much. Her highlights were subtle, making it hard to tell whether she’d had them done in a salon or had just been out in the sun recently.
“You’re making him uncomfortable,” Hattie added.
I bit back a groan. At the moment, it was difficult to tell who had the honor of that discomfort—the far too brazen sister, or the sweet, irresistible one.
Savannah gave her sister a pout, but her expression quickly morphed into a wicked grin. She raised her shot glass, and the rest of us did the same. Then, once we’d clinked them all together, we threw them back.
Despite my opinion of the wild Williams sister, I couldn’t deny that the burn of the tequila felt good.
Hattie held her shot glass in a strange grip, with all her fingers curled around it, almost like she was trying to hide it in her fist.
Weird. I ran my gaze over her, taking in her purple nail polish and the forced smile that was failing to hide a glimmer of annoyance.
Savannah interrupted my thoughts when she threw her hands up and moved back into the crowd.
“Come on, let’s dance,” she yelled over her shoulder.
Brittney and the other woman—Kelly, I supposed—followed her. Hattie, on the other hand, sighed and placed her full shot glass back on the bar.
My lips curled up. Interesting.
How did none of us notice she hadn’t tossed it back when we did?
“You didn’t want your drink?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m driving home. Pretty soon, Savannah will be drunk enough not to notice when I sneak out.”
I cocked my head. “Why didn’t you just say no?”
“Then she would have made a stink about it.” She shrugged. “I’ve had twenty-seven years to learn how to work my siblings.”
Impressed, I grinned at her. Even I, who rarely missed anything, hadn’t noticed that she didn’t take the shot. Although given a few more uninterrupted minutes of perusal, I might have realized it.
“I don’t want to be stuck here for longer than I have to be.”
I chuckled. “Not having fun?”
“At this lovely party full of couples and kids? I’m having the time of my life,” she deadpanned. “Can’t you tell?” With that, she shot me a wink and walked away.
A small chuckle slipped past my lips. Damn. I’d almost forgotten that about her. She was quiet, sure, but every time I talked to her, she made me smile. Probably because it only happened once every few years. Maybe I should start remembering that.
I blinked. Wait. No. I should not remember that.
I was not dating the Williams sisters. Any of them—married, crazy, or mute.