Free Deceitfully (Sinfully Series) by Leighton Riley Page B

a quick text.
     
    Me: Any updates?? Tell me everything you know. Do you have time to bring me a phone charger? I’ll pay you for it.
     
    I heard and felt my stomach growling, begging me to eat something nutritional. Over the past eighteen hours, I’d had an apple juice and red Jell-O from the fridge down the hall. At the reunion the night before, I’d been too nervous to eat and had planned to make a sandwich when I got back to my apartment. Obviously, plans had changed.
    I headed down to the cafeteria, wondering if Tate would have to order from his room or if I could grab something for him down here. He’d been given some graham crackers to help settle his stomach earlier, but no one had mentioned food since. Poor guy was probably famished, too.
    As I stepped off the elevator, I heard the commotion from down the hall. His voice was young and confident, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. “Tate Lawson. He was admitted during the night. I need to get back there, miss.”
    I walked toward the voice without a second thought. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was one of Tate’s friends. Blond hair that looked like he’d just finished a marathon in bed, a full sleeve of tattoos, and beautiful green eyes.
    “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Tate’s been asking for you for hours now! Here, come on back with me so we don’t stress him out any more than we need to.” I wrapped my arm around his elbow and looked up into his eyes, hoping he’d take the hint.
    “Thank you.” He kept staring, a smile forming on his face before he pulled me into a full-on hug. Tate sure had some good-looking friends. His biceps barely fit his sleeves, and when he smiled, those dimples were enough to make any girl cave.
    “Of course. I was just about to grab him some food.” I waved goodbye to the nurse and began walking back to the cafeteria with this mystery man attached to my arm. Once we were a safe distance away from her, I asked, “You’re friends with him, I assume?”
    “Yeah. I just heard the news. Is he okay? His phone went straight to voicemail, and I was starting to freak out,” he confessed. He was a good half a foot taller than I was, and the way he was still holding on made me curious.
    “He’ll be okay. I don’t know how close you both are, but he needs all the support he can get. What’s your name?”
    “Tyler. If he’s going to be okay, that’s a good thing, right?” He furrowed his brows.
    I turned to look up at the menu, trying to decide what to get. I wasn’t ready to answer his question because I didn’t know how to answer him.
    He must have sensed my unease because he changed topics for me. “He likes cheeseburgers with fries, but if you asked him, he probably said a grilled chicken. He doesn’t want people to know he cheats from his good meal planning.” He tapped his hip against mine as he said it. Was he flirting with me, too?
    “I didn’t ask him, but that sounds good to me, too.” Just then, my stomach let out a loud growl, causing him to laugh.
    “Three cheeseburgers with fries,” Tyler told the cook and scooted down the line, dismissing me before I could even protest.
    “Are y’all close?” Did he know how bad it was last night? Did he know about those who hadn’t made it?
    “Yeah. We’ve been buddies forever. He was in my wedding a little over a year ago, actually. We hang out when we can.” He thought about it for a moment. “He’s probably my best friend.” His hands were tucked in his pockets. He waited a moment before asking again, “What about you? I’ve never seen you around?”
    He was right. I was nobody. “Stella. I was at the reunion with him. He didn’t have anyone with him so I’ve been keeping him company. He’d probably prefer you though, so I’ll let you two have your time alone and I’ll tell him bye.” I brushed a piece of hair behind my ear, praying he would pry. It was random for me to be hanging out with Tate, but I felt a pang in my