Margo stuck her tongue out at Heath and handed him the plate to take a crostini. I didn’t wait for him to eat it and give a review. I went ahead and took one, too. I needed some food in my stomach since I had gulped the wine. Food had been something I hadn’t been in the mood for and drinking on an empty stomach would have me drunk in two more gulps.

“Brave,” Duely said to me, but he was doing it to tease Margo. He needed to lay off that. I was not in the frame of mind to deal with the drama that would cause.

“Not mom’s… but close,” Heath said, giving his sister a brotherly smirk. His sibling affection was clear when he spoke to her, even if they had their share of fights. I had always thought I was like a second sister to him. Did he smile at me like that? Maybe once he had, but he didn’t anymore, and I wondered if I had missed the moment when it changed. When had the difference started with him? My feelings hadn’t changed. Heath was my dear friend just like Margo. Was this all my exhaustion messing with my thoughts or was I just now seeing what I hadn’t noticed before?

I gave Margo a pleased smile when I realized she was looking at me. Margo wasn’t as observant as her brother. I didn’t need to give her cause to start asking questions. “These are excellent,” I assured her. I wasn’t sure if they were excellent or if I was just hungry from the stress. It didn’t matter because I was going to eat another one.

“Thank you,” she said and curtsied then set the plate down on the oversized round ottoman that they used as a place to prop feet and to set food in the living room. She didn’t seem to notice the mood change in here. She was probably slightly tipsy from the wine she’d been drinking in the kitchen while cooking with Duely.

“Where did the sex god go?” Duely asked looking around the room. That got my attention and I scowled in his direction. I wasn’t going to answer him. I didn’t want to think about or talk about Rathe. I wish he hadn’t brought him up. I wanted to just drink and eat.

“He had a date,” Heath confirmed my suspicion and then he took another crostini.

My chest felt that sharp pang I wanted to make go away forever. I hated feeling this way. This was so wrong. I wasn’t supposed to care. I couldn’t care. Rathe was so sure we’d be great friends; yet, I wasn’t sure I could let myself be near him.