JACK
“I was a kid,” she says, and there’s no anger in her voice—just quiet grief. “I’d just gotten back from that cruise. The one I’d saved for since I was fourteen. My ex–best friend, Amber, decided that was the perfect time to hook up with the one guy I liked. And I was done. Emotionally fried. I had that fake ID I used during the trip, and I was stupid enough to use it at a bar near campus.”
“That’s where I saw you,” I say, the memory clicking into place.
She nods again. “You stepped in when some drunk guy wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“You looked like you were going to break a pool cue over his head.”
“I wanted to.” She smiles faintly. “You told me to take his drink and dump it on his lap. Thought the bouncer was going to toss me out for doing it, but I’m glad he didn’t.”
“And then w
