Page 64 of The Best Friend Power Play

"Much better choice."

"Agreed."

"And number three?"

"And number three…I told him about the Palladino Edge."

"The Palladino Edge," Hannah repeats, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "This should be good."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

She nods.

"It's a little…intimate."

She nods even harder.

I lean forward.

She does the same.

The tables at the restaurant are spaced pretty far apart from one another, but I don't want to risk anyone overhearing what I'm about to say.

Because it's not just a little intimate. It's a lot intimate.

"Okay, so." I double check to make sure no one is approaching our table. "You know the expression, ladies first?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, that's basically it. The Palladino Edge is all about making sure the lady finishes first. Wait. Correction. Makes sure the lady finishes first and several times before you do."

"Finish first?" Hannah whispers. "What do you mean—ohhhhh." She blinks rapidly when she gets what I mean. She gulps. "Several times?"

"It's the gentlemanly thing to do." I lean back in my chair, grinning. "Don't you agree?"

The expression on her face is priceless. It takes a lot to throw Hannah off, but I think this may have done it.

It's not that I think Hannah is a prude, because she isn't. We've talked about our romantic lives. She knows I've dated casually, and I know she hasn't. But even though we tell each other everything, we've never gone into intimate details before.

"Yeah," she finally replies, her cheeks flush with color. "It is gentlemanly." Our eyes meet again. "The Palladino Edge, huh?"

I grin. "The Palladino Edge."

9

Hannah

"Excuse me, miss? You wouldn't happen to be…"

I return the book to its spot on the shelf after reading the back cover and spin on my heel to be greeted by a smirking Beth.

"…one of my best friends, Hannah Cooper," she continues, looking right at me. "You bear a striking resemblance, but it's been so long since I've seen her, and technology is advancing at such a rapid pace these days, you could be a clone. Or an AI. Or both. I'm not fully sure what the difference is."

I pull her in for a hug. "Come 'ere, you. Hi."

"Howdy, stranger."

For such a snarky person, Beth gives the best hugs.

---