Page 5 of Love Shots

They stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like hours but was probably only seconds, her fingers brushing up and down over the stubble on the side of his face. In turn, his thumb lazily stroked the pulse point on her wrist.

Wait. What the hell is happening?

“Um, Teddy,” one of the bartenders called out as he poked his head out of the back exit, “I need some help in here; we’re slammed.”

Summer was back on her feet seconds later, heading back toward the bar. What had she been thinking? He must think she’s a psycho. Chucking lamps at his head one minute, then stroking his face like a horny Frog Hog the next. She was definitely a hot mess. She needed to pull herself together. Quickly.

***

Summer let out a sigh as she slumped back into the deckchair. Picking her wine glass back off the table, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the refill Laney had poured her. It was splashing over the sides before it had even made it to her mouth.

“Thank God you’re not working with me at Mickey’s, Lanes, this measure would have got you on Teddy’s shit list for sure.”

Her friend threw her a devilish smirk, her dark eyes twinkling. “What can I say? When it comes to wine, more is more.”

God, Summer had missed her friend. It was a small miracle that they always managed to pick things up from where they’d left off. She was more than aware that traveling for work and being away for long periods of time didn’t make her the best bet when it came to friendship. And she was sure most people would call her out for the lack of actual communication while she was away. It wasn’t like she didn’t keep in touch. She did. When she could. And trading memes totally counted.

“How is it, working with Teddy?”

That was a good question. Since her first shift where she’d practically pawed him like a cat in heat, she’d been avoiding him. Well, as much as someone can avoid someone they work with.

“Uh, yeah, it’s okay. You know Teddy, ever the charmer ... to everyone but me.”

Laney grinned mischievously. “Oh yeah, I forgot that you were the Teddy whisperer.”

Summer almost choked on her tongue. “Hardly! A whisperer means you can make them do things ... like, oh, I don’t know ... be nice to you?”

“And him giving you a free place to stay and a job, isn’t that him being nice to you?”

Well damn, when Laney put it like that.

After gulping some more of her wine, Summer decided Teddy was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. It had been hard enough trying to avoid him all week.

“Can we change the subject, please? Why don’t you tell me how you managed to get Max and the kids out of the house long enough to drink with me?”

“Okay, I’ll give you a pass ... for now. We’ll revisit the topic of Teddy when we’re another bottle deep!”

Summer couldn’t help but laugh, even though she knew her friend was far from joking.

“And as for the free house, well, let’s just say Max was unable to resist my feminine wiles.” Laney winked as she picked up her own glass.

Now that, Summer could believe. Laney was gorgeous. With her long, curly black hair, flawless dark skin, and a body that could easily make any model jealous, even after having two kids. Fortunately, her husband, Max, wasn’t a stupid man. He knew what he had, and he would literally do anything for her. Including taking the kids over to their grandparents this evening and not returning until they were asleep. Effectively giving his wife a night off.

Summer and Laney drank, gossiped, and laughed until their sides hurt for the next couple of hours. Summer had tried to keep it light, but two bottles of wine later, her lips were loosening.

“So, why are you really back? And are you back for good? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you changing the topic every time I ask you about work.”

She knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time. Ignoring the look her friend was pinning her with, she stared instead at the pristine lawn. They’d been sitting out on the deck ever since Summer had arrived, and sometime in the past hour or so the sun had gone down, leaving them with just the glow of the kitchen light to navigate the backyard. There was something so calming about sitting outside in the dark.

“Summer,” Laney warned, “come on, spill.”

Urgh.

“Okay, okay.” Summer met her friend’s eyes again. “I quit. You know what happened with Ben ... well, even though we broke up a frigging year ago, the dude couldn’t take the hint. He followed me on my last two assignments, and, well ... well, I just had enough.”

She was leaving a few things out. But that was still the most she’d told anyone so far.

“What?” Laney screeched. “You can’t just quit your job because of that asshole! You love your job. You love working for the aid agency. Traveling around. Helping people. Making a difference. Did you report him? That’s harassment right there! He can’t get away with that.”

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