Page 60 of The Dating Pact

I didn’t answer, my focus momentarily caught on the thin material of the dress, trying my best not to acknowledge her nipples. Since she, for sure, had gone braless today.

Goddamn it.

Nate, ever the shit-stirrer, answered for me. “Jude’s making a date.”

If I didn’t know her so well, I wouldn’t have seen it, how her face fell for half a second before she blinked and brightened. “Oh? That’s great.”

I slid my phone into my pocket like a traitor waiting for execution.

Nate, Liam, and Dylan studied Brooke, most likely waiting for a reaction. But she would never betray herself or me like that.

She cleared her throat and held up the tray of shots she’d made for the party. “I already handed out some to the kids. The sharks are on top of the plain Jell-O. The Swedish Fish have the alcohol in them.”

I took one, which set off a chain for the guys to also snag one each for themselves. “Thanks for bringing these.”

She smiled impassively down at the small cups. “So, when’s your date?”

“Tomorrow night.”

“Do you have a babysitter?”

“I haven’t made arrangements yet.”

She squinted up toward the sky and then over to me, her throat bobbing on a swallow. “I can stay with the kids.”

I slanted my head back. “Really?”

“Yeah. Of course.” She nodded, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Dylan shake his head, while Liam downed his beer. Nate blew out a noisy breath. She smiled a smile that wasn’t fooling anybody. “What are friends for?”

But I had to do this. Rip the Band-Aid off. She needed her happily ever after, and I needed…

“Let’s do these shots,” I said, holding up my cup. The boys all saluted with theirs, and we sucked back the Jell-O, almost all of us coughing.

“Jesus,” Nate wheezed. “How much alcohol did you put in here?”

“Too much?” She bit back a laugh. “I eyeballed it.”

“By pouring the whole bottle in?” Dylan asked, smacking his lips.

Liam shrugged and snatched another one. “I like ’em.” Then he tossed over his shoulder, “Angel, you’re driving home tonight.”

Kennedy waved in acknowledgment. “Got it.”

Since I didn’t have to drive anywhere, I reached for a second shot. Might as well take down the whole tray. I’d already stolen the light from Brooke’s eyes today; I wasn’t about to let anything she brought to the party go unfinished.

Who needed a liver anyway?

SIXTEEN

BROOKE

Iknocked on Jude’s front door at quarter to six, refusing to let myself fall into a pit of despair and jealousy. Yesterday, when he’d told me he’d arranged a date for tonight, it felt like my stomach plummeted out of my body.

Once again, he was headed out on a date. Charming and funny and kind Jude found yet another willing woman, while I couldn’t even find a guy who was interested in me past a few conversations. Not that I’d been trying very hard. Not since my disaster of a date weeks ago and what happened after with Jude on the couch of my farmhouse.

So, yeah, I was a jealous shrew.

Jealous that he matched up a storm of women, while I had not had the same luck.

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