As she turned, Frazer heard Andy say, “Our little girl, all grown up. Or grown up again. Or back in the game. Something.”

A glare shot over her shoulder only made them laugh harder.

That giddy feeling that accompanied more than enough alcohol but not yet too much was filling Frazer’s head. Maybe Cora had been a step back into the ‘game’ her friends were always going on about. A step in the right direction, pulling her out of the dating funk she’d been in since she’d been dumped. Though thinking about her messy hospital breakup years ago was not a good idea when about to chat to a date-like female.

“Hey, Lauren.”

At the sound of her name, the other woman turned. “Frazer! Hey. Haven’t seen you around much lately.”

Her voice was warm and playful. Maybe she wasn’t as boring as Frazer had thought. Or maybe Jemma was right that Frazer had just wanted everyone to be boring. Not that she’d ever admit to her sister that she’d been right.

“Yeah, my friends dragged me out.”

Lauren glanced behind Frazer. “I’m hoping your friends are the ones staring creepily at us and grinning, or I’m going to be a bit concerned.”

Frazer turned and confirmed that, yes, her friends were being creeps. Andy even raised a hand and waved at them. Eyes back on Lauren, Frazer shook her head. “Nope, never seen them before in my life.”

“Should we grab a bouncer, then?”

Frazer snorted. “I wish. Try and ignore them?”

“The guy is clutching the girl’s shoulder and pointing now.”

Closing her eyes, Frazer reminded herself to kill them later. “Wanna move?”

Lauren, visibly surprised for a moment, paused, then nodded. “Okay.”

It was easy to lead her to the other side of the bar, to a corner they couldn’t be stared at. It was near the bathrooms, naturally less crowded. Other drinkers had robbed their tall table of its stools, so they rested their elbows on the wood and stood more intimately than they would have if they were sitting.

The whole situation grated. Lauren didn’t laugh right. When she ran a hand down Frazer’s arm, there was warmth, but no tingle. No lurch in her lower stomach. That warmth didn’t spread…places.

It wasn’t unpleasant. It just wasn’t Cora.

Smiling at something Lauren said, Frazer sucked in a breath. That was the point.

Of course Lauren wasn’t Cora. There was no way she could be. That was a good thing. Of course it was different. That was why Frazer had approached her—for something different, for something definitely not Cora. Cora was married, straight, and avoiding her and was everything Frazer shouldn’t want.

Lauren was queer. Interested. Lauren was pretty. Lauren could be kind of fun. That was nice.