found a new job, and here I am. What about you?”
“Congrats. I’m still everything. Same, same, we know my name.”
I smile. “How’s Meeka?”
“Oh, she’s around here somewhere. We just got a dog from the shelter, and that’s exactly as disgustingly domestic as it sounds, so let’s change the subject.” Her smile is huge and satisfied. They’ve been together forever, and though she acts like it cramps her style, she’s the one who put the ring on Meeka’s finger. “You seeing anyone? What’s the new job?”
I take another sip of wine. “Still single. The new job is working reception at a spa.”
She tips her head to the side. “That must be so relaxing and quiet.”
The only reason the phone was so quiet the first day was because Fern had turned the ringer off without telling me. We get about a hundred calls a day. Relaxing? No. Quiet? Hell no. “Yeah, it’s nice.”
“And you’re still at Pete’s?”
“For a week or so. Probably till next Saturday.”
“Shame you won’t be at Pete’s much longer.”
“Why?”
Her gaze flicks up to the DJ booth. “No reason.”
“Kelly…” I don’t rise to her bait and look up at Jack.
Her smile grows. “Did I say anything?”
“Your eyes said plenty.”
She shrugs. “He’s a nice guy, Sarah.”
“I know.” It’s the truth.
She leans closer. “And?”
“And what? I’m not interested. Are you forgetting his nickname?”
“A nickname doesn’t negate the way you feel.”
I regret that night six months ago when we drank too much and I overshared about my lust for Jack. I’ve been forced to overcompensate since. Kelly’s a vicious matchmaker. “The way I feel? He’s my best friend’s hot brother. He’s a total man whore. There are no feelings.”
“So you don’t like him?”
“He’s sexy as hell, but even if I wanted to go there, he’s not a long-term prospect. He’s older than me, and he’s still just a DJ. What part of that screams ‘I take my future seriously and am ready to take you seriously too’?”
“Protesting too much.”
“Yeah, because I’m secretly in love with Jack and have been pining away for him for years.”
She nods and sips her drink. “And on the sarcasm front…”
“Bit much? But for real, I’m not into Jack.”
“Then it won’t bother you that Rhonda Lavee’s all up in his shit right now?”
My head whips around so quickly that I crick my neck. Sure enough, Rhonda Fucking Lavee is standing by the door of the booth, leaning over the partition in a tackily low-cut shirt. She was our friend until we discovered her hobby: banging other people’s boyfriends. Including mine, which is why we broke up. “Gross.”
“She’s hot for a chick with no shame. Too bad she’s a liar as well as a cheating cow.”
“She’s dirtier than a truck-stop toilet. Why would anyone want to be with her?”
“Maybe she gives good bowl jobs.” Kelly laughs at her own pun.
Jack’s fraternizing with the enemy. “If Jack wants to lower his standards for her—”
“Oh, so now you think he has standards?”
“I am so over this conversation.” And I can’t look at Rhonda hitting on Jack for one more second.
“He’s looking at you.”
And when I look back up, he is. Seventeen completely inappropriate sex acts flash through my mind, and I want to do them all with him right now. But I keep it flirty, smiling and waving, enjoying Rhonda’s pissed-off expression a bit too much—until the intensity in Jack’s eyes reaches me even from here. Jack’s so sexy up there, bobbing to the music and seamlessly transitioning to the next song without taking his eyes off me. I’ve danced with Jack, next to him, in group settings like any other friend, but we’ve never danced together. Bodies pressed together, hands brushing across skin, nothing between us but the beat. No room for thoughts at all, just rhythm and movement.
Kelly taps my shoulder. “When you’re done eye-fucking the man you’re
“Congrats. I’m still everything. Same, same, we know my name.”
I smile. “How’s Meeka?”
“Oh, she’s around here somewhere. We just got a dog from the shelter, and that’s exactly as disgustingly domestic as it sounds, so let’s change the subject.” Her smile is huge and satisfied. They’ve been together forever, and though she acts like it cramps her style, she’s the one who put the ring on Meeka’s finger. “You seeing anyone? What’s the new job?”
I take another sip of wine. “Still single. The new job is working reception at a spa.”
She tips her head to the side. “That must be so relaxing and quiet.”
The only reason the phone was so quiet the first day was because Fern had turned the ringer off without telling me. We get about a hundred calls a day. Relaxing? No. Quiet? Hell no. “Yeah, it’s nice.”
“And you’re still at Pete’s?”
“For a week or so. Probably till next Saturday.”
“Shame you won’t be at Pete’s much longer.”
“Why?”
Her gaze flicks up to the DJ booth. “No reason.”
“Kelly…” I don’t rise to her bait and look up at Jack.
Her smile grows. “Did I say anything?”
“Your eyes said plenty.”
She shrugs. “He’s a nice guy, Sarah.”
“I know.” It’s the truth.
She leans closer. “And?”
“And what? I’m not interested. Are you forgetting his nickname?”
“A nickname doesn’t negate the way you feel.”
I regret that night six months ago when we drank too much and I overshared about my lust for Jack. I’ve been forced to overcompensate since. Kelly’s a vicious matchmaker. “The way I feel? He’s my best friend’s hot brother. He’s a total man whore. There are no feelings.”
“So you don’t like him?”
“He’s sexy as hell, but even if I wanted to go there, he’s not a long-term prospect. He’s older than me, and he’s still just a DJ. What part of that screams ‘I take my future seriously and am ready to take you seriously too’?”
“Protesting too much.”
“Yeah, because I’m secretly in love with Jack and have been pining away for him for years.”
She nods and sips her drink. “And on the sarcasm front…”
“Bit much? But for real, I’m not into Jack.”
“Then it won’t bother you that Rhonda Lavee’s all up in his shit right now?”
My head whips around so quickly that I crick my neck. Sure enough, Rhonda Fucking Lavee is standing by the door of the booth, leaning over the partition in a tackily low-cut shirt. She was our friend until we discovered her hobby: banging other people’s boyfriends. Including mine, which is why we broke up. “Gross.”
“She’s hot for a chick with no shame. Too bad she’s a liar as well as a cheating cow.”
“She’s dirtier than a truck-stop toilet. Why would anyone want to be with her?”
“Maybe she gives good bowl jobs.” Kelly laughs at her own pun.
Jack’s fraternizing with the enemy. “If Jack wants to lower his standards for her—”
“Oh, so now you think he has standards?”
“I am so over this conversation.” And I can’t look at Rhonda hitting on Jack for one more second.
“He’s looking at you.”
And when I look back up, he is. Seventeen completely inappropriate sex acts flash through my mind, and I want to do them all with him right now. But I keep it flirty, smiling and waving, enjoying Rhonda’s pissed-off expression a bit too much—until the intensity in Jack’s eyes reaches me even from here. Jack’s so sexy up there, bobbing to the music and seamlessly transitioning to the next song without taking his eyes off me. I’ve danced with Jack, next to him, in group settings like any other friend, but we’ve never danced together. Bodies pressed together, hands brushing across skin, nothing between us but the beat. No room for thoughts at all, just rhythm and movement.
Kelly taps my shoulder. “When you’re done eye-fucking the man you’re
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