Page 72 of A Lucky Shot

“Of course, Josh doesn’t make me suffer,” Cass recited dutifully.

“Except when he tries to make her be someone’s new mommy,” Libby finished.

No wonder Libby and Stephen got along so well: they both got off on grinding his gears. “None of these dudes look like they want to make babies on date one.”

And no face licking. Or any other kind of licking. Although, if that was what they wanted, Josh couldn’t blame them. Cass tasted like sin and candy.

“No date two, so shouldn’t be an issue,” Cass said wanly.

“Not like you’re going to be mortgage shopping with these guys, anyway, so who cares if they have kids.” Libby shrugged a shoulder. “With some of these winners Josh keeps setting you up with, they might have kids running around they don’t know about.”

“Happened to a friend of mine in uni,” Stephen said. “His ex contacted him when his daughter was four years old. She’s a good kid, but he never planned on being a dad.”

“One of the few privileges of being a woman is that we know exactly how many children we have,” Libby said. “What do you think, Josh? You got any kidlets running around Vancouver?”

“No kids.” Josh pierced her with a quelling glare she deflected with an easy smirk. Stephen shifted his eyes from his beer to Libby.

“Unless you’re a monk, you can’t be sure,” Libby pressed.

“Trust me.” A monk, he was not, but his vasectomy a few years back made damn sure there were no random Grahams scampering about. He threw a sidelong look at Cass. “Besides, kids aren’t really my jam.”

Cass dipped her head and huffed a quiet laugh through her nose. “No family?”

“My sister lives in the boonies,” Josh cut in, giving Stephen a look.

“Port Moody is hardly the boonies,” Stephen said.

“But our schedules didn’t let us see each other much,” Josh finished. “My parents move wherever my mom’s latest flip is, as long as it’s west of Cambie, and I have grandparents in West Van. My mom’s family is still all back in Australia.”

Partial truths were still truths.

“Happiness is a large, close-knit family in another city,” Cass said. “Otherwise, they guilt you into babysitting every chance they get.”

“You can say no to that sometimes, you know,” Libby said, and Cass squirmed.

“I don’t know,” Stephen said. “It can be nice to be close to family.”

Josh could dispute some of that sentiment.

The silent ride back to the rental was short enough the car didn’t have the chance to warm up before Stephen was pulling up in front of their building. As soon as Josh stepped out of the vehicle, cold speared his sinuses like he had snorted crushed peppermint candies. He jammed his freezing hands deeper into his pockets and Stephen stamped his feet, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

“What’s going on with you and Cass?”

Josh shrugged his jacket up his neck and stared at the elevator’s numbers flicking down. “Not sure what you mean.”

Stephen levelled a flat look. “Don’t give me that bullshit. I know you’re the king of casual, and I don’t know why she’s doing this to herself, but whatever you’re putting her through isn’t making her happy.”

Josh glared at him. “What would you know about what makes her happy?” he asked sharply.

“Chill, dude. I’ve known Cass a long-ass time. Way back from when Libby and I were together.”

Fine, that might have come off a bit defensive. What he’d been defending himself against, he wasn’t sure. Josh brushed a melting snowflake from his sleeve and said nothing.

“Cass is one of the most optimistic people I’ve met,” Stephen continued, unperturbed. “Whatever she’s going through right now is not the Cass I knew.”

An odd pang spiked his gut. Was he jealous that Stephen had known Cass longer than him? Maybe. Or was he guilty he was making her lose her spark?

“Nothing is going on between us,” Josh said finally.

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