Grocery shopping with Devon is interesting. He didn’t make a plan and has no ideas about what to cook tonight. By the time we hit the checkout line, the cart is overflowing with food. We have every variety of cracker and dip the store offers on top of veggies to slice up for a dipping tray and bags upon bags of frozen appetizers.

We still need to hit the liquor store, and we’ve already spent close to two hundred dollars.

Well, he’s spent two hundred dollars. He wouldn’t let me help pay for anything. It’s the same story when I go to pay for the alcohol. He insists on paying.

I’m not rolling in money, but I have a comfortable savings account. I don’t spend much aside from rent and bills, all of which are split with Audra. I’m not much of a girly girl, but I do like getting my hair and nails done on occasion, my one expense aside from girls’ nights out. I don’t buy shoes or purses or clothes just because. I enjoy coffee, but I avoid stopping at the cafe in the lobby as much as possible, brewing a cup to go at home.

Maybe I’m a bit frivolous from time to time, but it’s taken me a while to build up my savings account. I’m saving for a trip, somewhere with a beach and sunshine. I’m not sure when I’m going, or where, but I’m hoping to plan something for next year. I mentioned it to Allison and she’s starting to save now too.

Shit! Allison. I need to call her.

“This is the last of it,” Devon announces, placing two more bags on the kitchen island.

I’ve already unloaded most of the bags and there’s still a ton to unpack. Devon steps up, wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me on the neck before jumping in to help without being asked. Thoughtful.

“I need to call Allison real quick,” I say, handing him a bag of carrots to toss in the refrigerator.

“Go. I got this. Don’t forget to invite her.”

Nodding, I head into the living room and power up my phone. As soon as I have a signal, text messages begin to ring through, making me unable to call out until my phone catches up.

Her phone barely rings once before she’s yelling at me.

“Four hours! I’m been worried sick for four hours! What the hell, Justine!”

“I’m sorry,” I say, holding back my laughter at her dramatics. “I just needed time to think.”

“And while you were thinking, everyone else was worried sick.” Allison pauses, I can hear her hiccup, and that’s when I realize she’s almost in tears. “Are you okay? You know, about seeing him and all that.”

“Not really, but I’ll deal with it. It’s just a lot to process and there was no warning. He caught me off guard.”

“I know. I talked to Tyler after he left. He had no idea who he was when he walked in. I guess the guy that was supposed to come was sick, so he was filling in.”

She talked to Tyler. About JP. About me?

“What did you tell Tyler?” I inquire.

“Only that JP was your ex. He didn’t ask for more information, immediately headed into his father’s office, and when he emerged, he wasn’t happy.”

After a few more minutes of Allison’s play-by-play of the events after I left today, I invite her over, but she declines. She has a date, another one, with a new guy tonight. She claims he has potential, but they all seem to at first. For her sake, I hope one eventually sticks.

By the time Ryder and Emerson’s voices echo through the hall, we’ve already started prepping food, still without a plan. If I see something I can make into something else, I gather the ingredients and start putting it together. Devon is focused on the main dish. He fired up the grill a few minutes ago and is currently seasoning steaks.

“Did you buy the entire store?” Ryder asks as he drops his bag on the table and joins us the kitchen. “You know it’s only the six of us, right?”

“Eight,” I say, correcting him. “Devon thought it would be fun to invite my roommate and her boyfriend.”

“Okay,” he says, drawing the two-syllable word out.

“As long as you’re okay with it,” I quickly retort. “I can uninvite them if you want. It’s not a big deal.”

“No, it's fine, Justine. I just got the impression you don’t exactly like the boyfriend. There was that time you came over here and were crying to Megan about him.”

I forgot about that. Allison was on a date that night. Keegan decided to be a super-special asshole, and Megan was the only person I could get a hold of, so I came over here and we drank wine all night while I bitched about him.

“I don’t, but it’ll be fine. I promise. He’s only an asshole when he thinks no one is watching.” Turning to Devon, I point the knife in my hand at him which gets his attention. “If you leave me alone with him, I will kill you. This was all your idea.”

Ryder laughs when Devon’s eyes grow bigger, the tone of my voice catching him off guard.

“What did I miss?” Emerson asks, walking in the room at the perfect moment.

Extra hands in the kitchen help us finish up quicker. Ryder and Devon head out back to start cooking while Emerson and I begin placing the rest of the food on the table. Angela and Tyler walk in just as we’re finishing up.

“Perfect timing,” Angela says, reaching down and snagging a jalapeno popper.

Emerson slaps at her hand, but she pulls it back, taking a bite. “You didn’t help make it, you can’t eat it.”

“If that’s the case, I’m going to go help the guys grill,” Tyler announces, kissing Angela on the forehead before leaving the three of us in the kitchen. He tosses me a sympathetic smile before he walks away, my senses going on high alert.

Did Allison share with him more than she told me about?

Wine begins to flow, and after two bottles are polished off, the guys emerge from the back patio, a plate of steaks that smell heavenly leading the way.

Everyone grabs a plate, and as I’m about to load mine up, my phone vibrates in my pocket.

My message goes unanswered, leaving me with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’m worried about her. I wish she understood why, that she could see how he can be. Love can blind people. I fell victim to it once. JP wasn’t who I thought he was. Looking back now I can clearly see the signs of what I was missing. I saw only what I wanted to and chose to ignore the rest.

Audra’s in the same boat.

Keegan puts on a good show. He can be a charming, intelligent man if he needs to be. When you first meet him, that’s generally the Keegan you’re introduced to. The other side of him, the darker side, is what you need to watch for. My fear is that Audra will see that side of him when they’re alone and no one will be there to help her.

After hours of laughter and great food, everyone starts picking up the table, bringing platters of food into the kitchen where Emerson and I are finding space for them in the fridge. Making it all fit is like playing a game of Tetris. Once the last plate is in, we shut the door and claim victory, silently praying that nothing falls out when the door is opened again.

“Can I talk to you?” Tyler asks as I’m about to go in search of Devon. He headed out back to clean the grill a while ago and hasn’t come back inside.

“Sure,” I reply, sounding more hesitant that I was expecting.

Following Tyler into the living room, I take a seat across from him and wait for him to speak. He’s assessing me, the same look of curiosity graces his gorgeous face as it did earlier, in his office, when I almost sank to my knees.

“What?” I finally ask, the silence strangling me.

“James Shuran,” he says, stating his name plainly.

“What about him?” I ask, my voice betraying me as it cracks.

“You two use to date, is that correct?”

“A long time ago.”

“But today, in my office, it appeared that his presence made you uneasy. You know I would never ask you to work with a client you’re not comfortable with. I’ve already talked to my father about it and he’s aware of the situation. If you’d prefer we turn him away, we will.”

To lie or not to lie? I should tell him the truth and ask if there’s any way I can avoid working with him. I don’t want to appear weak, though. I certainly don’t want to appear incapable.

I think back to my conversation with Audra. The one question rolling around in my mind is can I do this. Can I work with him? Looking over Tyler’s shoulder, I spot Devon in the kitchen, laughing with Ryder over something. His head is tilted back, and his eyes are closed.

That man is one of the kindest people I know. He treats everyone with respect and would do anything to help another person. The Dixon brothers are the same. If I tell Tyler I can’t work with JP, he won’t force me. But that’s not what I want.

That’s not what I need.

It’s time to prove to myself that I’ve moved past what happened. That I’m no longer the weak individual he created. I’m stronger than that. I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

“I’ll be honest, he’s not my favorite person. Our split was a bit rocky, but that was years ago. Today, he surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to see him, and then there he was, standing in your doorway.” I pause, needing a minute to muster the courage to say what needs to be said. The words he needs to hear to be reassured that he can count on me. “Our past relationship will have no bearing on this project, Tyler. I can work with him, it’s not an issue, but I appreciate you checking on me.”

“Are you sure, because—”

Holding my hand up, I cut him off.

“I promise. If things change, you’ll be the first person I come to.”

“I’ll hold you to that. This is a fairly large account. It could be great for the company, but at the end of the day, if it’s not the right move to work with them, I’ll dissolve the contract in a heartbeat.”

He signed a contract already? That was fast. Generally, he’ll meet with the client, draw something up, and sign a week or so later at a second meeting.

Is he rushing because he’s leaving town in a few days? Or is there some other reason? Before I can ask, Tyler starts to give me the run-down on the project. He doesn’t get far before Devon walks in and cuts him off.

“It’s Friday night, she’s off the clock. Plus, Angela looks like she might need to go to bed. She opened another bottle of wine and it’s almost empty.”

Rolling his eyes, Tyler goes in search of Angela. He’s a great guy and an amazing boyfriend from what I can tell. Not to mention, a wonderful boss.

“So what were you two in here talking shop for? I thought you had the weekend off,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Just a new client that came in today. I left before he had a chance to fill me in earlier,” I say, reaching for his outstretched hand. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

And I will. I’ll have to at some point. There will be no avoiding the subject even though it pertains to work, for the most part.

Right now, all I want to do is hang out with my friends and enjoy Devon’s company. Maybe have another drink or two so I can attempt to erase JP from my mind for now. It’s a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Once that’s doubled in size in the last twelve hours.