Emmett nods slowly. “Good for you. But…for what it’s worth, I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to figure out.”

“Here you go.” The bartender sets my drink down in front of me.

“Thanks,” I reply, digging through my clutch for my credit card.

“Put it on the Baker tab,” Emmett tells him.

The bartender nods. “Sure thing.”

“Emmett, you don’t need to—”

He grabs my hand and pulls me back toward the table. “I did.”

“Thank you.”

Right as we reach the table, I hear my name being called. I turn to see Chris approaching. Everyone at the table looks at him as he walks over. Sloane’s returned from her phone call. She makes an appreciative sound in her throat.

“Hey!” Chris gives me a hug, which I wasn’t expecting. Although I probably should have, based on the smell of alcohol coming off him. “Fancy running into you here. Small world, huh?”

“Small town, for sure.”

“Ben is on call tonight. He’ll be bummed you were here. I swear, all the guy does is talk about you.”

Does it make me a terrible, vindictive person that I’m glad Gray heard that?

“He and I are just friends.”

“You should give him a chance, Evie. He’s a good guy. Not like the asshole who broke your heart.”

Emmett coughs a laugh. “Sure hope you don’t have to go to the hospital, Phillips. You might get denied care.”

“Stay the fuck out of it, Baker.”

Chris looks between Emmett and Gray. I watch his drunk brain put the two pieces together. “Oh.”

An awkward silence stretches. Anyone here who wasn’t aware of what happened between me and Gray is now caught up on my train wreck of a love life.

“I’m here with Drew and Jessie. If you want to come say hi…”

“Yeah. Sure.” I set my drink down on the table, then follow Chris over to his table and spend a while talking with him and two of my other coworkers. It feels nice to be amid people who are my friends, not tied to Gray in any way.

There’s no sign of Gray when I return to my original table. I’m relieved as I settle on a seat and sip on my drink, half-listening as Noah and Emmett discuss the Sharks’ chances of having a decent season now that they’ve lost Jace Dawson.

I’m relieved when Harrison announces it’s time for the next stop. My cue to leave for the night. Proving I’m able to be around Gray is different from prolonging it, especially in a situation where he could easily entertain female attention.

“Hey.” Sloane reappears at my side as our group gathers up our belongings and begins to migrate toward the exit. “I think I’m going to go home with Jackson.”