Page 48 of The No Try Zone
Kari snorts derisively and leaves the room, empty tray tucked under her arm.
Elodie turns to me with an earnest expression on her face. “Quick. Before she gets back. What’s been going on? Because the look you had earlier tells me something’s happened.”
I take a deep breath. “We…kissed.”
Elodie gasps as Allyson raises her glass. “Fucking finally.”
I shush them both. “Keep it quiet. I don’t want to deal with Kari.”
Allyson raises a sculpted brow and brushes her braids back. “You’re keeping this from your best friend?”
I wince. “Yes?”
She shrugs. “Just checking.”
“Spill. And hurry,” Elodie urges.
“He came in with an injury, nothing bad, he’s fine,” I hurry to say. “But after I worked the muscles…”
“You workedothermuscles?” Elodie says.
I laugh. “Keep that dirty mind out of the gutter.” Even though I immediately remember the way his hand felt as he cupped me between my legs. I shift and take another sip. “Look. There’s been some tension between us and we just kissed. That’s it. I don’t think anything else is going to happen.”
“Why not? Don’t you want it to?”
Yes. No.Yes. “No.”
“Bullshit,” Allyson states flatly. “Because underneath the absolutely terrible clothing choices the man makes, he’s good-looking. He’s no Jake, of course, but no one’s better than my man.”
I smile at her. She’s prickly as hell, but she loves fiercely.
“Did he say something?” Elodie prompts. “Did you? Was the kiss bad?” She gasps. “Did it help you remember anything more about that night?”
My resolve weakens. “I remember the first kiss,” I admit. “I actually remember a lot more of the night now. Seeing and hearing him all the time helps.”
Elodie waggles her eyes mischievously. “And?”
“We were in a bar on a dance floor when it happened.”
“And?” she says again.
“It was amazing,” I say, my voice soft as I immerse myself in the memory again. The way he’d held me and told me to let him kiss me? There was something there. It’s still there, simmering beneath the surface for both of us now. But it doesn’t matter. “He doesn’t want this to happen,” I finally say, my voice brittle as I fight to rebuild my defenses.
“What? Why?” Elodie asks. “Because –”
“I’m back with a fresh round of drinks,” Kari announces, reappearing with a flourish. She nods at the glass in my hand, nearly empty. “Including something for you.”
I smile, but it’s not the biggest.
“And I figure we can start dinner in about half an hour,” she continues.
The women move on to another topic, which I’m grateful for, but I’m lost in my head. Ever since that encounter with Colin a few nights ago, I’ve been completely adrift. I don’t want him. Ican’t.But tell that to the way my stomach swoops every time his name comes up. Or the way my chest hurts when I remember the words he said.“We can’t do this. Us. I have to stay focused.”As if it’s my fault that we’re a distraction. Hell, as if I’m a distraction, full stop. That’s a him problem, not a me problem.
But it doesn’t matter. Because we’re not Ansel and Elodie, who fought through a psycho baby mama drama and found their way back to each other in the midst of a PR nightmare.
Speaking of PR nightmares. Maybe that’s why Kari doesn’t want anything getting out about our Vegas wedding. We may be best friends, but these days it feels like I’m just work for her.
“Hey.” Elodie scoots closer to me on the couch and leans in, her voice soft. “Are you okay?”
