Free When It Hooks You (It #1) by Nicki Elson

nodding at Lauren. “Hi. I’m Trish. And this drink is truly awful.”
    Lauren laughed.
    “You can dump it if you want,” Cliff said, “but that was a pretty nice bottle of brandy. It really shouldn’t go to waste.”
    Out of buried old habit, Trish’s automatic response was to turn to Kurt with puppy dog eyes. He’d been the kind of boyfriend who’d have sucked the drink right down for her. She was horrified to see her glass-bearing hand inching toward him. His slightly widened eyes reminded her that his throat was no longer at her disposal.
    “Sorry,” she said, sliding her eyes to Lauren and pulling back her arm. “Almost forgot—he drinks shitty drinks for you now.” She’d only been babbling to cover her faux pas and hadn’t meant anything by it, but when she saw guilt pinch Lauren’s expression, the scab was flicked off an unhealed wound. Without considering her next words, she asked something she’d been wondering since the night Kurt had broken up with her—though it came out far differently than she’d ever imagined saying it. “Did you know he was still drinking my shitty drinks when he started drinking yours?”
    “I—” Whatever else Lauren had intended to say seemed to stick in her throat. The smile in her eyes changed to something more like a scream.
    “Save it,” Trish said, lifting her free hand with her palm flat out. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve all played nicey nice and shown that we’re grown-ups. But if you don’t mind, I’d rather spend the rest of the party talking with people who haven’t fucked around behind my back.” She held her glass up and gave Kurt a false smile. “I drink my own shitty drinks now.”
    As she stepped away, she overestimated the size of her mouth, pouring too much of the dirty mother into it and rendering herself mute for several moments while she navigated an inelegant swallow. Once a satisfactory number of party guests were between her and her ex-boyfriend, she stopped walking. Cliff’s hand slid up her spine, molding over the back of her neck as he came to her side. Despite the icy beverage that had just flowed down it, her throat burned. Her voice came out husky. “Sorry. I really thought I could be cool.”
    Cliff shrugged. “Your ex might disagree, but I think that was pretty damn cool.”
    “More like pathetic and jealous.”
    “No. Like someone who’s been hurt and is justifiably angry. You might’ve been a little tough on Lauren, though. From her reaction, I don’t think she knew you two were still together when they started up.”
    Trish blew out a derisive breath. “Don’t defend her. He might not’ve told her about me, but she knew. Women always know.” She took another swig of the brandy and Kahlua mix and immediately cringed. “God, this drink is disgusting.”
    Cliff watched her closely and stayed silent.
    She took a slow sip, staring back at him over the rim of her tilted glass. After swallowing, she gave a shudder. “Gets a little easier every time,” she said. When Cliff remained mute, she asked, “What?”
    “Why aren’t you asking me to drink that for you? You were going to ask Kurt.”
    “It’s like I said—I drink my own shitty drinks now.”
    “What if Abby had been a guy? I bet by the end of the night you’d have let her drink your drinks.”
    Trish narrowed her eyes and locked her jaw in place while she studied him. “Are you thirsty? Because you’re already holding your own drink, but if you want some of mine…”
    “That’s not what I mean. It’s just—why does this have to be a fake date? Why wouldn’t you even consider that maybe you and I could go on a real date?”
    “Cliff! We work together at one of the most uppity law firms in the city. They’re not going to tolerate that. I love having you around there, and I’m not going to do something that’ll risk getting one of us fired. Besides, you know my dating relationships have an expiration date. My friendship doesn’t, so can