She notices me and rolls her eyes, ready to ignore me and walk on by, but I plead, “Ebba, talk to me.”
“Why?” She slides her arms across her chest and looks me up and down.
“Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves?”
Her nose scrunches in obvious annoyance. “Maybe years ago, but not now.”
I take a chance and say, “You still feel something for me. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t still be so angry.”
Her eyes narrow. “You think I’m angry? I’m merely annoyed by your presence.”
“Sure,” I drawl. “Annoyance. That’s it. So, you’re saying you don’t miss me at all? That there’s not still some sort of attraction?”
Her eyes flick to my lips and hold for a solid two or three seconds before she makes eye contact again. “None.”
My smile is a slow spread on my lips. “Now who’s the liar?”
She lets out a huff and nearly smacks me in the face with her hair as she hurries back to the table.
“You didn’t deny it,” I taunt. My lips brush the shell of her ear when I pull out her chair.
“Shut up or I’ll stab you with my heel.”
“Promise?”
Her lips part in shock and I have to pull out my own chair to occupy my hands, so I don’t tap her chin. “You … you’re … ugh.”
“Glad to know I can still render you speechless.”
“Is everything okay?” Sabrina asks, taking a sip of wine. Since we were gone the glasses have been filled.
“Fantastic,” Ebba replies, flashing a smile and giving a thumb’s up.
Sabrina and Whimsy exchange a glance, their lips twitching with barely held laughter. I narrow my eyes on the two and swing my gaze to Ebba. She quickly grabs her glass of wine and takes a long sip, her eyes focusing anywhere but on me or the girls.
The rest of dinner is uneventful, and since the show Noah booked for everyone is within walking distance we head out on the strip.
It’s not my first time in Las Vegas, but I find that I might like the city even less than I have before. It’s loud, and bright, and too chaotic for my tastes. As much as I love my job, coaching and getting to travel to some of the most beautiful cities in the world, it’ll be nice to retire one day and just be able to relax at home.
The three girls walk ahead of us with their arms intertwined. Ebba’s on the right, using her cane to steady her gait, and the girls match their steps to hers.
“You’re about to get married,” I say to Noah. “How do you feel?”
The grin he wears is happiness personified.
“Like I could’ve married her yesterday,” he says. “I’m so fucking lucky she walked into my life."
“You weren’t saying that at first,” I point out.
He laughs. “That’s true. I was blinded by my own annoyance at life itself. But Sabrina is the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me after everything.”
Sadness crosses his features before he hastily shakes it away.
Sobering he says, “What was up with you and Ebba and the whole bathroom thing?”
Elias chokes beside me and my own feet stumble at Noah’s sudden question.
I adjust my glasses, hoping he doesn’t notice the slight tremble in my fingers. “Nothing. Why?”