Beautiful Entourage by E. L. Todd Page B

again. “It’s embarrassing…”
    “Hey, we don’t choose our family, right?” I said, trying to make her feel better.
    “Actually, we do,” she said seriously. “Harper is my family and I’ve chosen her. We don’t share the same blood or ancestors but our minds are more alike than anyone else. For the holidays, my dad usually goes somewhere tropical with a date, or two, and I have no idea what my brother does, probably hires a prostitute for the night. I usually spend it with Harper and we have a grand time.”
    Aspen was unique in the sense she wasn’t a selfish prick like the rest of her family, but the aspect I admired most was her attitude about it. Clearly, the circumstance bothered her but it didn’t eat her alive. She had a positive outlook and refused to let it crush her soul. It was a rare and admirable characteristic.
    “I hope I meet her somewhere down the road.”
    “She’ll pop up at some point.” She looked over her shoulder like she expected to see her. “And when we least expect her.”
    “How long have you known each other?”
    “Since…I don’t even remember,” I said. “Elementary school? I fell on the slide and she ran over to me. My finger was swollen and painful. She grabbed a small branch that fell out of a tree and moved it around like a wand. Then she whispered a spell and fixed it. Well, at least I thought she did. Like a placebo effect, the pain went away. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
    I smiled involuntarily. “That’s a cute story.”
    “What about you?” she asked. “Do you have a best friend?”
    “Five, in a way.”
    “Five?” she asked in surprise.
    “Well, I’m closer to one more than all the others. His name is Troy. And if he heard me say the other four were also in my inner circle, he would throw a fit.”
    She chuckled. “Harper is the same way.”
    “We’ve been friends since we were small. The rest is history.”
    “Is he an escort?”
    “Yep, as well as the remaining four.”
    “I remember you mentioning him now.”
    “He’s a good guy,” I said. The best, actually.
    “You guys must never run out of things to talk about.”
    “Nope.” That was definitely true.
    “Does he like escorting?” she asked.
    “Not lately.” I smiled at the most recent story he shared.
    Aspen caught the grin. “Ooh…spill it.”
    “He escorted this girl to a wedding where her ex would be. They were there for about five minutes when her ex came at him in a bloody rage.”
    “Ohmygod. What happened?”
    “Troy busted his jaw.” I wish I could have seen it.
    “Yikes…”
    “He didn’t get a scratch but he can’t afford it. He says his face is too pretty.”
    “That could have turned out worse,” she said. “Good thing it didn’t.”
    “We’re all trained in some form of self-defense. I know some martial arts but my specialty is boxing.”
    “Why am I not surprised?”
    “You should try it,” I said. “I know a lot of girls who do kickboxing. They enjoy it.”
    “My pepper spray and keys will suffice.”
    I held up my hands. “I know not to mess with you…”
    She kicked me playfully under the table. Her calf brushed against mine and it was soothing more than anything else. Then she pulled back and gave me a warning look.
    “You taught me a lesson,” I said sarcastically.
    “There’s more where that came from.”
    Aspen’s playful attitude was refreshing. Our meeting didn’t feel like a date at all. It felt like we were friends, and we’d been friends for a very long time.
    “I’m ready whenever you are.” She stacked our cups on top of each other.
    I stood up then tossed our trash in the garbage. “We should get out of here before we order another round.”
    “The guy behind the counter would judge us.”
    “I’m pretty sure he already judged you,” I teased.
    She nudged me in the side.
    I laughed then rubbed my ribs like she actually hurt me.
    We walked back to her apartment, both of us walking particularly slow. I