Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(82)

“See!” I pointed at her. “If Hazel agrees with me, you know I’m right.”

“I’m in.” Everly pulled out her phone. “Let me just text Shepherd and make sure he doesn’t mind. Do you feel up to it, Sophie?”

“I’ve got second trimester energy,” Sophie said and licked the pizza grease off her fingers. “Let’s do this.”

The logistics were slightly more complicated than in the days when Everly, Hazel, and I had lived in the same building. An impromptu night of clubbing once meant retreating to our respective apartments to get ready and then meeting in the lobby. Now it meant coordinating with three husbands, one of whom was home with a toddler, allowing time for them to go home and change, and then meeting up at a suitable club for our girls’ night.

Still, we made it work. We picked Monkey Club, a place we’d frequented in the past. It was a weeknight, so we didn’t anticipate a huge crowd. I was looking forward to having a few drinks and dancing off the stress of the day.

My friends left and I took my time getting ready, focusing on a once-common ritual of hair, makeup, and wardrobe. I took my makeup from day to night with a smoky eye and dramatic lipstick. For my outfit, I went all-in. This was no middle school dance. I paired a silver mini-dress with thigh-high black boots and silver bangles on my wrist.

I went outside to meet my Uber, not so secretly hoping Dex would finally be home. But there was no sign of him. His house was dark and my messages were still unanswered.

I teetered on the edge of angry and sad. I hated that he was mad at me.

But it was his own fault. If he would have just talked to me, we could have avoided all this drama.

So I chose angry. He didn’t want to handle this like adults? Fine.

My driver took me into Seattle as the sun went down. When we pulled up to the curb in front of Monkey Club, my friends were already there, standing in a little knot near the entrance. Hazel looked adorable in her blouse and pencil skirt—her clubbing attire had always closely resembled her office wear. Sophie had chosen an A-line dress in a deep purple that accentuated her curves beautifully. And Everly wore a sparkly halter in her signature yellow paired with an adorable miniskirt and heels.

I thanked my driver and got out of the car, feeling fabulous. Or at least, I told myself I felt fabulous. I loved my dress and the boots were to die for. How long had it been since I’d dressed up and gone clubbing? I couldn’t even remember. This was going to be perfect. Dex could fume or pout or complain about me or whatever it was he was doing. I was going to have some fun.

“Look at you!” Everly reached out her hands to clasp mine as I approached. “You look so hot in that outfit.”

“Those boots are terrifying,” Sophie said. “Of course, I fall in flats, so there’s that. But they look amazing on you.”

“You all look gorgeous,” I said, hugging them each in turn. “Have I mentioned how much I love you? Because I love you so much.”

“We love you too,” Everly said.

We put our arms around each other in a big group hug.

“All right, let’s go have a drink and shake our hot asses,” I said. “Except for Sophie. Only ass shaking for you and that baby tonight.”

She put her hand on her belly. “Baby and I are ready!”

I led the way inside and up the narrow staircase to the second floor. We paid the cover and went into the bar, taking slow steps to get the lay of the land.

Speakers pumped out loud music with a rhythmic beat and the lighting was low. A crowd of people danced on the dance floor but it wasn’t packed and the line at the bar wasn’t long.

“Drinks are on me tonight.” I confirmed our order before heading to the bar—three dirty martinis and one lemonade.

I didn’t flirt with the bartender even though he was objectively attractive. I handed Hazel and Everly their martinis wondering if I should have flirted. He had a cute smile. It might have been fun.

But I didn’t want to flirt with the bartender, cute smile or otherwise.

I ignored the guy sipping whiskey at the end of the bar who gave me a thorough once over, openly appreciating what he saw. Once upon a time, I would have been pleased to see a man like him eying me as if he wanted me for dessert. He was attractive, well-dressed. After some conversation and exploratory dancing, I might have given him my number. Or even let him take me to his place tonight, if we really hit it off.

But all I could think about was Dex. How nice it would have been to spend the evening curled up next to him on his couch.

Now I was just being dramatic. This club was fun, my outfit was fabulous, and I was going to enjoy myself, damn it.

We sipped our drinks for a while and instead of talking about Everly’s latest terrible date, Hazel’s professional rivalry, or Sophie’s awkwardly adorable mishaps, we chatted about pregnancy and babies and what to do about a husband who leaves his underwear on the floor right next to the laundry hamper.

My back prickled and I couldn’t seem to stay still. Why did our conversation make me so jumpy? I wasn’t married or having babies or worrying about a husband who seemed blind to the proper place for dirty clothes. And thank goodness for that. The last thing I needed in my life was the frustration of sharing my space with a man. Maybe it was good that things had blown up with Dex—even better that it was over something so silly.

I had my out, didn’t I? No one would blame me if I said we were done.