Page 3 of Crazy for You

Emma smiled wanly. “Well, the world’s most boring guy thinks I’m a dud, which means?—”

“You need to start dating more exciting guys,” Mandy finished for her. “You should shake things up, go outside your comfort zone.”

“You did tell me last summer you were ready to try something new,” Gabby said.

“Yeah, I wanted to quit being such a goody-two-shoes. Obviously, I haven’t put in enough effort.” Emma took another sip of her beer. “But you know what? I think it’s time to step up my game.”

“So, what naughty things did you have in mind?” Mandy asked.

An image flashed through her head of kissing Ryan on the back of his motorcycle. “I want a hot fling with someone un-boring. I want the opposite of clean-cut. I’ve never dated a bad boy. Maybe it’s time to find out what the fuss is all about.”

Mandy clapped her on the back. “Now we’re talking. What else?”

“Well, since I probably have no shot at bagging a guy like that, I’ve also been thinking about getting a tattoo.”

“Tattoos are cool,” Carly said. “And speaking from experience, I think you should get the tattoo and the bad boy.”

“I agree,” Gabby said.

“Definitely both. We’ll help,” Mandy said. “And if you’re serious about this, let’s talk about glamming you up a bit, too.”

“Glamming me up?” Emma giggled.

“You look really cute tonight. I know you can dress casually for work, but this is the look you should be going for. We should go shopping!” Mandy’s expression brightened at the idea.

“Ooh, I want to come,” Carly said. “Let’s plan a shopping day. We could go to the outlet mall in Blowing Rock.”

Emma sipped from her beer, feeling excitement stir inside her. “Yeah, that sounds fun. Okay, so we’ll freshen up my wardrobe. Then how do I get the hot guy?”

Mandy gave her a wicked smile. “That part will be easy. Leave it to me.”

“Um…okay, I think.” Emma laughed.

“We can start right now, in fact.” Mandy was eyeing a group of men at the bar. Dressed in flannel shirts, worn jeans, and boots, they were obviously locals enjoying a few beers after work, some kind of outdoorsy work by the look of them. They were a boisterous group, with lots of laughter and back slaps being exchanged. “I dare you to go ask one of those guys out.”

“Are you kidding?” Emma shook her head. “No way.”

“They’re not exactly bad boys, but this is a good way to get your feet wet.” Mandy reached for the bottle of ketchup on their table, dabbed some on her finger, and smeared it on Emma’s cheek. “Here’s the plan: You’re going to walk over to the bar and take that empty seat next to the group of lumbersexuals. Order a drink. Look sexy. First guy to wipe the ketchup off your cheek is the one you’re going to flirt with. Your mission is to get him to ask for your number. Deal?”

On the other side of the table, Carly and Gabby were practically bouncing with excitement.

“No way,” Emma repeated, even as a little thrill of excitement raced through her.

Mandy gave her a friendly nudge. “We’ll be right here for moral support.”

“What if the guy who wipes the ketchup off my cheek is a loser? Or ugly?”

“Then give him a fake number. But you have to flirt with him until he asks for it. That’s the dare. Go on. Be unpredictable. It’ll be fun.”

Emma drained her beer and stood from the table. “If this goes south, it’s all your fault.”

Mandy gave her a friendly shove in the direction of the bar. “Good luck, my friend. Go charm their socks off.”

Emma walked toward the group of guys. They were good-looking, for the most part. Definitely rowdy. She slid onto the empty barstool and glanced around for Ryan because she was definitely going to need another beer to pull this off.

He caught her eye, and her pulse jumped like a startled deer. Yeah, she’d had a crush on Ryan for as long as she could remember. He was three years older and had been her brother Derek’s best friend in high school. Ryan was the one always getting into trouble, the one her mom hadn’t wanted Derek to hang out with and certainly would never have let Emma date.

Not that Ryan would have considered dating her, not back then anyway. In high school, she’d fancied herself in love with him, but looking back now, she realized it had just been an unrequited teenage crush. And then her whole life imploded. By the time the smoke cleared, Ryan had left town.

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