Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

he looked pretty satisfied. And Parker?” She gave her friend’s arm a pat. “You look flustered, glowy, and dazzled.”
    “I am not glowy.”
    Laurel simply turned Parker by the shoulders to the big foyer mirror. “You were saying?”
    Maybe color did glow in her cheeks, and maybe her eyes were a little dazzled, but . . . “That’s irritation.”
    “I won’t say ‘liar, liar,’ but, Parks, under that skirt, your pants are on fire.”
    “All right, fine. Fine . He’s a good kisser, if you like the rough, arrogant style.”
    “You seemed good with it.”
    “That was only because he ambushed me. And this is a stupid conversation about nothing. I’m going up.”
    “Me, too, which is why I got an eyeful of the nothing.”
    They started up together, but before they separated Parker stopped on the landing. “I was wearing the Back-Off Cloak.”
    “What?”
    “I’m not stupid. He made a little move in the kitchen.Actually, he makes little moves every time I run into him, which is disconcerting, but I can handle it. So when I walked him to the door, I thought he might get ideas.”
    Laurel’s eyes widened. “You swirled on the Back-Off Cloak? The famed shield that repels men of all ages, creeds, and political affiliations?”
    “Yes.”
    “Yet he was not repelled. He’s immune.” She gave Parker a slap on the arm. “He may be the only creature of his kind.”
    “It’s not funny.”
    “Sure it is. Also sexy.”
    “I’m not interested in funny and sexy with Malcolm Kavanaugh.”
    “Parker, if you weren’t interested, on some level, you’d have flicked him off like lint on a lapel. He . . .” Laurel searched for the right word. “He intrigues you.”
    “No, he . . . Maybe.”
    “As your friend, let me say it’s nice to see you intrigued by a man, especially since I like the man, and have noted he is also intrigued by you.”
    Parker jerked a shoulder. “He just wants to get me in bed.”
    “Well, of course he wants to get you in bed. But I’m not at all convinced it’s ‘just.’”
    “I’m not going to have sex with him.We have a business relationship.”
    “Because he’s your mechanic?”
    “He’s Vows’ mechanic now, and he’s Del’s friend.”
    “Parks, your excuses are so lame they’re limping, which makes me think you’re worried you want to have sex with him.”
    “It’s not about sex. Everything’s not always about sex.”
    “You brought it up.”
    Caught, Parker admitted.“Now I’m bringing it down. I’ve got too much on my mind to think about this anyway.We’re jammed tomorrow.We’re jammed for the next five days straight.”
    “We are. Do you want me to come up, hang out awhile?”
    The fact that she did, really did, only confirmed to Parker she was making too much out of nothing.“No, thanks, I’m good.And I’ve got a little work I want to get in before bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    She walked up alone, and switched on the TV for company. After slipping out of her shoes, she checked them for any dings, scrapes, or scratches. Satisfied, she set them in their proper place on the shoe wall of her closet. She dropped her suit in the dry cleaning bag, replaced her jewelry in the slots designed for them in the thin drawers.
    She slipped on a nightshirt, a robe, tucked her phone in the robe pocket. She considered a long, hot bath, but exed it out since long, hot baths encouraged thinking and dreaming. She didn’t care to do either.
    Instead, she fixed her mind on the next day’s schedule while she cleansed, toned, moisturized her face.
    Glowy, she thought, giving her reflection a cool stare. What a silly word. It wasn’t even a word in the first place, and totally inaccurate.
    Laurel had romance fever. Nearly all brides caught it, and due to its side effects they saw everything and everyone through a pretty haze of love.
    Nice for them, she admitted as she took the band from her hair. Good business for Vows.
    And speaking of business, she’d take an