Blake took her shot of tequila from the bartender and asked for another before he’d even turned away. What were the chances that David Belson was the lawyer who was retiring? She hadn’t seen him in ten years. And that felt like a lifetime ago. She’d been a different person then—one who needed help from others instead of relying only on herself.

And David had been the one to help her. She hadn’t given him much thought since. And now here he was, somewhere in this room, probably no more than fifteen feet away. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him so much as she didn’t want to see him with Gavin there. Speaking to David would undoubtedly stir up emotions she’d rather not feel at all, let alone right now.

When her friend Emily had suggested this party as one that Blake and Celeste should go to, all she’d told them was that it was a retirement party for a lawyer named David. Emily hadn’t told her his last name, and that wasn’t odd. In fact, she rarely ever gave her more than a few quick facts about the events. And up until now, it hadn’t been a problem.

Over the past seven months or so since Emily had gotten the job at the steakhouse, Celeste and Blake had attended parties here for people they didn’t know at all. Somehow they were usually able to fly under the radar, get some free food, and make it out undetected. But that wouldn’t be the case tonight. When Blake had realized that the lawyer this party was for was David Belson, she’d run through any and all options that might allow her to escape this cosmic disaster unscathed, but she couldn’t come up with anything. And a part of her felt that their presence here together was more than a freaky coincidence.

She took the second shot that the bartender had set down in front of her before her thoughts went back to Gavin. She felt bad that she’d left him with the partners at the law firm, but… Okay, that was a lie. She didn’t feel bad exactly so much as she felt conflicted. Her choices were to stay and talk to them herself or let Gavin chat with them. And since he’d been the one to begin the conversation, she didn’t feel as guilty as she probably should have at leaving him with a group of people he didn’t know.

Plus, knowing Gavin, he was probably holding his own over there. Unlike her, he seemed to enjoy talking to people. He was sociable. He was friendly. He was open. He was warm. Come to think of it, he was all the things Blake wasn’t. Which might explain why she enjoyed his company. He compensated for traits Blake lacked; he was the yang to her yin.

The thought made her turn toward him. But as soon as she spun around, she caught a glimpse of the only face she should recognize besides Gavin’s.

David.

A few more wrinkles had settled in around his eyes, and his gray hair looked considerably whiter. But his smile held the same warmth it’d held ten years ago, and the sight made the memories of that time flood through her.

She was so caught up in staring, she’d forgotten that David might recognize her as well.

Until his eyes caught hers for a brief moment.

At first it was a flash—a quick glance in her direction before he returned his gaze to the man sitting across from him. But in an instant they were back on her, as if it had taken him a few moments to process the sight before him. The person he’d been speaking to was still talking, but she had a feeling David had stopped listening. He put a finger up to the man and said something before pushing his chair out and standing.

Though he’d obviously recognized her, and there was no escaping whatever conversation was coming, she turned toward the bar again, not wanting to watch him approach—as if facing the opposite direction would allow her some emotional distance she knew she wouldn’t get. She was aware of her shaking leg and the way she spun the cardboard coaster—a clear sign of her nervousness that she didn’t do anything to stop.

“Ms. Monroe?” David asked, putting a gentle arm on her back before probably realizing the contact might be too much for her and letting it drop. “Is that you?”

Blake took a deep breath and stood taller, squaring her shoulders before turning toward him. “In the flesh,” she answered with a quick smile that didn’t show her teeth.

David shook his head quickly like he’d just seen a ghost and was trying to decide if the image was real. “How are you? God, I’ve thought about you so many times since the hearing.”

“I’m good,” she assured him, and she meant it. Though she was far from what most people would consider normal, she wasn’t the mess David probably remembered.

“That’s so good to hear,” he said. And he gave her one of those smiles that seemed more out of relief than of genuine happiness. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. What’s it been? Ten, fifteen years?”

“Just over ten,” she answered. “And don’t be jealous, but I have two jobs and barely any money, so not much has changed for me in the employment department.”

David chuckled, but it faded quickly. “As long as you’re getting by and you’re healthy, that’s all that matters.”

Blake nodded in agreement, and the two were quiet for a moment until David spoke again. This time he seemed a little more hesitant. “What about a significant other? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Do you have anyone you’re—”

“You know I don’t get attached.”

“I do. But I thought maybe ten years might have changed that,” he said, though she recognized the disappointment on his face.

“I’m hoping to bang my roommate soon if it makes you feel any better.” She pointed to where Gavin was seated. “He’s the hot blond talking to some of the people from your firm.”

David let out a loud laugh and shook his head in amusement. “I see you haven’t grown a filter in the last decade.”

This time Blake was the one laughing. “Some things never change, I guess.”

“Guess not,” David said. And then, “I should probably get back over to my table, but I have to ask… What are you doing here?”

Blake bit her lip if for no other reason than to hold back the smile she could feel trying to escape. She raised an eyebrow before asking, “Do you really want to know the answer to that?”

He seemed to think over her question for a moment before saying, “You know what? Knowing you, I don’t think I do.” Then he put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, cautiously. “It was good seeing you, Blake. If you ever need anything, give me a call, okay? I mean it.”

She nodded, but for some reason, she found it difficult to speak.

“And I hope you and the hot blond have a good time tonight. Enjoy yourselves.”

She watched him walk back to his table, her shoulders falling with relief that she hadn’t had to think much about her past and that David had been so accepting of her presence here. Taking a few deep breaths, she prepared herself to go back to the table and act like the universe hadn’t just fucked with her.

But as soon as she turned toward Gavin’s table, he was inches away from her face, a brow furrowed in what Blake identified as curiosity. “Whatcha doin’?” he asked. “You’ve been gone longer than I thought you’d be.”

“Miss me already?” She tried to keep her voice light, but she was sure her expression betrayed her. She couldn’t let Gavin find out how she knew David. She’d already had enough judgment for a lifetime.

“Yes,” he said. “But more importantly I thought maybe you missed your old colleagues. I’m surprised you don’t want to catch up with them more. It’s been a while since you’ve seen them.”

“Yeah, it has. So long actually that they barely remember me. Guess I don’t make as memorable an impression as I thought.” She held up two fingers to the bartender so he’d bring more shots. She’d offer one to Gavin, but if he didn’t want to drink it… Well, she’d never been one to let top-shelf liquor go to waste. David did say to have a good time.

Gavin studied her for a moment, not even responding when she offered him the shot the bartender had just set down. “Blake,” he said, “I know this probably isn’t any of my business, but you asked me to come here, so I kind of feel like it’s my business now.” He sighed, and Blake could sense the uncertainty in it—like he was unsure about whether continuing was a good idea, but he knew he had to. “Did you ever work for Belson’s firm?”

She hadn’t been sure what he was going to say, but his question didn’t surprise her. “Not exactly,” she admitted. It was more like Belson had done work for her. Though she hadn’t had the money to pay him, David had offered to help her for free after her caseworker—who’d been an old friend of David’s—had reached out to his firm.

Gavin set the shot back down and crossed his arms over his chest, looking more guarded than she’d ever seen him. But one thing he didn’t look was surprised. “Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “So then I gotta ask,” he said. “How do you know David Belson?”

“I don’t,” she answered immediately, hoping her quick response would solidify its truth for him.

His head pulled back in confusion. “What do you mean you don’t know him?”

“What do you mean what do I mean? I don’t know him,” she repeated. “Exactly what I said. I’ve never even seen the guy before tonight.”

Gavin shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face. “Really? So you just like…came to some random guy’s party?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t get it. What exactly are we doing here if you don’t know this guy?”

Blake smiled as she picked up the shots and handed one to Gavin. “Eating and drinking for free,” she said. “My friend Emily works here, and she tells me when private parties over thirty people are coming in. That’s enough that if anyone here wonders who we are, they’ll probably just assume we know someone else.” This would’ve been the truth if she hadn’t happened to know the person retiring. “Usually Celeste comes with me, but she got stuck working, so you were her stand-in tonight.”

“Oh.” Gavin had been listening to her speak but hadn’t responded, and his blank expression revealed nothing about what he was thinking. He opened his mouth a few times but closed it each time without saying anything. Finally he seemed to find the words. “So you crash retirement parties?”

“Basically. Yes,” she answered. “Or birthday parties, engagement parties, weddings, and baby showers. If she isn’t working, Emily tells whoever is to set two extra places. They always have extra food at these things, so why waste it?” she asked, not expecting an answer. “We even did a rehearsal dinner one time. That one was a mistake in hindsight. Someone asked me to give a speech…and the bride’s father hit on Celeste… It was a mess.”

“Huh. Well, I guess crashing parties is a better scenario than what I thought was going on.”

“What did you think was going on?” Blake wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but her curiosity got the better of her.

“I don’t know. Like…anything, I guess.” He pointed back to the table where the other partners were still seated and enjoying the entrées that had been brought out. “When you left, they said they were defense attorneys, and I thought maybe—”

“That I needed defending?” Blake raised an eyebrow in amusement.

The gesture seemed to relax Gavin, who took a deep breath and let his arms fall to his sides. “I don’t know. I mean I didn’t think you murdered anyone or anything.”

“Neither did the jury.”

Despite her serious delivery, Gavin barked out a laugh. “Stop,” he said. “My thought was totally valid. You brought me to this guy’s retirement party, and you said you worked with him. Then no one remembered you, but you talked to him for like five minutes, so I just thought—”

“That I killed someone,” Blake said, interrupting Gavin’s rambling. Though she had to admit she found it cute.

“No! I definitely didn’t think you killed anyone. Aggravated assault at most,” he joked, making Blake smile. “I honestly didn’t really think about what the crime might’ve been. I just thought maybe you needed legal representation for something and David Belson got you off.”

Blake tried to suppress her smile at his words. “I’m fairly confident when I say that David Belson could never get me off.”

“That’s not a visual I want to think about,” he said, making the two of them burst out laughing. When they finally calmed down, Gavin’s expression sobered a bit, and he leaned against the bar.

“So, wait, why was Belson talking to you then if you don’t know him?”

“He saw someone he didn’t recognize and came to see who I was and what I was doing here.”

“Oh shit. Really?”

“Yeah. But don’t worry. I used my charming personality to convince him that we should be allowed to stay. He told us to have a good time, so we’re totally good.” It was as close to the truth as she could provide at the moment.

Blake had been focused on her explanation, but when her eyes went back to Gavin’s, they seemed to twinkle with something she couldn’t quite identify. “What?” she asked, suddenly nervous about what Gavin’s reaction was going to be.

He shook his head. “Just you,” he said with a laugh that alleviated the tension she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. “You’re something else, that’s all.”

She didn’t know what that “something else” was, but she had to agree.