Page 80 of Life’s Too Short

“He talked about you for thirty minutes straight on the phone with Josh when he called to ask us to come,” Kristen said. “Josh hung up and was all ‘Daaaaamn, I’ve never seen him like that.’”

My heart fluttered a little. And then it remembered it had no reason to.

I let out a sigh. “I really don’t think he’s interested.”

Sloan drew her eyebrows together. “Why?”

Impending death?

“My lifestyle isn’t conducive to relationships,” I said instead.

Kristen nodded. “Oh yeah, the fame thing. That shit sucks. You try dating and you end up with some dude who’s obsessed with your dryer lint.”

Sloan nodded. “It was hard for Jason too. He didn’t even tell me who he was until two weeks after we met. It’s not easy.”

“Yeah, it’s not really that,” I said. “Just some stuff I’d rather not talk about.”

Sloan smiled gently in a way that told me she followed my channel. “Well, just remember, the universe doesn’t give you more than you can handle.”

Kristen scoffed. “Yeah it does. It does all the time. The universe doesn’t give a shit, it’s a total asshole.”

CHAPTER 17

WILL YOUR CRUSH

EVER NOTICE YOU?

TAKE THIS QUIZ!

ADRIAN

I watched the women huddled together in the living room. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

Jason took a swallow of his drink. “Well, looks like Kristen has activated my wife’s nervous eye twitch, so I’m going to say it’s something inappropriate.”

Kristen threw her hands up. “It’s science, Sloan!”

Vanessa laughed and peered over at me, her pretty eyes twinkling.

I grinned at her. “What are you ladies doing?” I called.

Vanessa twisted to smile at me over the back of the couch. “Summoning the devil to Eastwick. Don’t come over here.”

Josh chuckled and handed me an old-fashioned.

“Just one,” I said, taking it. “I’m driving.”

“I’m glad you called,” Josh said. “We should get together more often. Come up to Ely and see the new house.” He nodded at the girls. “Bring Vanessa.”

I looked over at her and smiled. I’d like to bring her. I’d like to bring Vanessa anywhere. She made me proud to know her. She was exactly what her YouTube channel said she was—a social butterfly. A woman you could put in any situation and she’d charm the pants off whoever she was with.

Vanessa was effervescent. I’d never met a person that I could describe that way, but it was true. She glowed. Energy came off her and illuminated everything and everyone around her.

It wasn’t until I noticed that Jason was talking to the side of my face that I realized I was staring at her. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, looking back at him.

“I was just saying I’m glad you didn’t pull out all these stops on your date with Sloan or my wife might have married you instead of me.”

I chuckled. “I never stood a chance. To this day, I have never had a woman run out of a date faster.”