Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(3)

I dropped my head into my hands. I made about thirty thousand a year as a bartender right now, and much of that had gone to Andrew’s mortgage. Before I’d met Andrew, I’d been sharing a cramped apartment with an alcoholic who always fell asleep in the bathroom. That wasn’t the end of the world, but something really rankled about the way Andrew had just tossed out “go to college” as if I could suddenly pay for it.

Andrew had grown up rich, with parents who earned millions in real estate. He’d decided to make it on his own for a while, which I guess meant I was helping him instead of his parents. Because he’d never truly been broke, he’d cultivated the sort of blithe obliviousness that would lead him to say things like, “You should be happy I’m in love,” in the process of shattering several of my dreams.

I sipped my Guinness, licking the foam off my lips. I’d find a way to make it work.

A familiar voice pulled me from my misery. “Ava!”

When I looked up, I saw my best friend Shalini crossing toward me. Her dark, wavy hair cascaded over a figure-hugging red dress that matched her lipstick. She wore shimmery blush over her copper skin, her style in sharp contrast to my food-stained work ensemble.

Shalini slid in next to me and immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Oh, my God, Ava. What happened?”

All the emotions I’d been holding back came flooding out then, and I dropped my head into my hands. “I caught Andrew having sex in our bed with a blonde actress.” When I looked up again at her, my vision had gone blurry.

Shalini’s brown eyes were wide, her jaw tight. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I sipped my beer, feeling numb now. “He said he had a hall pass.”

“A what pass? What’s that?”

I drew in a deep breath and told Shalini everything that had happened: coming home early, the fake orgasm, and then the bit about how I should be happy for him. When I finished, Shalini’s expression of utter disgust mirrored my own feelings. Then a smile curled her lips. “You really threw vindaloo on them?”

“It was everywhere.”

“I hope he got chili peppers on his balls—” Shalini paused for a second, then grimaced. She was probably trying not to imagine what curry might look like all over Andrew’s naked body. Shaking her head, she said, “It’s unbelievable. I mean, did he really think he wasn’t going to get caught?

“I don’t know. I guess so. I was supposed to be working late, but it’s my birthday.” My cheeks were wet, and I wiped my hands across them. “I know most relationships don’t last, but I thought we were different.”

Shalini gently patted my shoulder. “The cure for a broken heart is a hotter man. Are you on Tinder yet?”

I stared at her. “This just happened an hour and a half ago.”

“Right. Well, when you’re ready, I’m going to help you. I’m basically desperate for an adventure.

Maybe we should go on a cruise! Aren’t there cruises for single people?”

I looked down at my now nearly empty glass. Was this my second beer or my third? I was losing count. “No way. I’m done with men. I can be perfectly happy with donuts and movies about Tudor queens.”

“Wait a minute. Wasn’t he supposed to finance your bar?” Shalini’s voice rose. “You’ve been paying his fucking mortgage. He owes you.”

I nodded. “And that’s probably why he was waiting to tell me.”

“What if I invested in your bar?”

It was a lovely thing to say, but I didn’t want to ruin a perfect friendship by throwing a steep financial risk into the mix. “No, but thank you. I’ll figure something out.”

“We could open one together. One of the ones where you can throw axes? And maybe we should invite Andrew to opening night, have some shots, and see where the blades take us.”

I nodded over my beer. “We could call it ‘Tap that Axe.’”

“Remember when Andrew brought that hatchet thing camping and nearly decapitated a squirrel?

What a fucking idiot,” said Shalini. “You need an alpha male. Like, someone who can protect you.”

I swayed in my seat. “Ew. No, I don’t need some alpha twat. I just need to figure out how to get rent money together.” I gripped the table. “How dumb am I, exactly, that I trusted him?”

She shrugged. “You’re not dumb. He’s the one who ruined something good.”

I leaned back in my chair. “What’s the rent like these days downtown?”

She cleared her throat. “Let’s not talk about that now. You can stay with me.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “That actually sounds kind of fun.”

A slim guy with brown hair sidled up to us. He was wearing black Chucks, jeans, and a gray hoodie. His attention was riveted entirely on Shalini—which was how it always went when we ventured out together.

“Having a good night?” he asked, flicking his eyebrows up. He clearly intended the expression to be flirty.

“She’s not,” said Shalini.

“Maybe I can make you feel better,” he replied, his comment entirely directed at Shalini. “Where are you from? I speak three languages.”

“Arlington, Massachusetts.”