Chapter 54

Winnie

“Hello, Winnie! Nice to see you!” Rebel

holds up her glass for me with a big cheer. She has switched places with Logan to sit on my left side when I walk up to the table.

Alice, however, isn’t sitting down. She

stands up from her seat and gets this

sparkly look on her face before coming to hug me. “Winnie!”

“Hi!” I hug her back. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

Before I can answer, Nathan speaks. “Here she comes, my biggest rival in love: Winnie. I swear there is a romance going on here…” he sighs but hides a smile.

“Happy to see you too, big guy,” I tell him and pat his shoulder. “Have you gotten

thinner?”

He snorts. “Shut up! I’m working out harder than ever!”

I grin. “It shows—I’m just teasing!”

People around the table snicker, including Logan. I feel welcomed sitting by the large

table the Plaza Hotel has assembled for us.

“Oh, and since you wondered, I’m feeling pretty okay,” I inform Alice and beam at her. “Mark won’t be joining us, though. He needed to take care of something urgent.”

“We saw,” Alice sits down beside me, grimacing. “But you’re fine, right? We kind of assumed it was a friendly date anyway.”

“Oh, it was,” my eyes flicker to Jake, whose cold expression turns less icy after hearing

me confirm I’m not into Mark.

Interesting…

“I

It hits me then that Jake was probably mad because I told him, “I don’t date nice guys, and then I went here with Mark. He must

have been so confused, thinking I was a

hypocrite.

can we move on with the celebrations?” Kelly, who I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy tone. “I

drinks.”

by the other woman’s attitude, before she finds words. “Uh, of course?”

her hands, and Alice looks at me questioningly. I shrug at her-I don’t know why Kelly dislikes me. Unless Jake told her about

negative energy and

have fun.

***

hockey guys I don’t know well

cuddling

of her mind. She is

a babysitter, so she

Nathan. He has called

legs are dangling down from his

by the bar. And Kelly?

this idea that I can’t hear

called a cab for her.

perfect for me.

Jake and Kelly

I order shots with Rebel

have fun,

smirks at me.

she pushes the small of my back. While drinking, I told her of my plans, and now even Logan is cheering

he

“Okay, here

and set the course for the corner of the bar. Jake is talking to some girl, and my heart pounds faster and faster. Can

when he is in the same room or paying me attention. I’m already dizzy, and when he looks up and

unwelcome flip, and by some miracle, I steer

forward.

of him. The girl scowls at

mouth.

who are you?”

Jake beats me to it by saying,

There you are!”

I’m squeezed into a hug and lifted up from the ground while the girl stares at us. I’m shocked. The girl is shocked. And once I place

my legs around him like a monkey, she storms

“What did you do that

leans in closer, voice all soft. “She was rude to you, so I made sure

speeds up. I’m speechless. I didn’t expect Jake to do that for

and he makes a smug face as I stare at him. Eyebrows lifted, and

is beating really

don’t say anything. I’m embarrassed. It’s as if my brain just now realizes that we are practically hugging. My hands are on Jake’s broad shoulders, eyes locked onto his face.

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