Noah watched the guests carefully. While the Owens were family friends of the Hayeses, they were not Noah’s friends. Sure, he had once enjoyed spending time with Jack Owen, had even once stated that Jack was a close friend. Now, though, they were little to him, nothing but an echo of the loyalty that once existed between them.
And it was all because of Jason Owen.
Jason was not a terribly unappealing person. Growing up, Gwyn had claimed Jason was irrefutable proof that some people were literal children of Aphrodite. He and Jason were very similar, same height and build. Same clear blue eyes. All of this meant little to Noah, of course. He had been friends with them because of common experiences and common interests, the way that most friendships were formed.
Noah Hayes was the kind of
