Page 133 of My Rules

She thinks I’m joking . . .

Laughter rings out through Kingston Lane. We’re having a street get-together tonight to celebrate Henley and Juliet coming back from their honeymoon.

We’re all playing golf on our Kingston Lane green, and Winston is lingering around like a bad smell, which can only mean one thing.

“So, Doc,” he whispers under his breath as Henley takes a shot.

“Yes.”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“And . . .”

“What are the chances of you accidentally losing a prescription pad?”

Fuck me, not this again. Who the hell is this eighty-year-old man screwing all the time?

“Zero to none.”

He twists his lips as he looks at me. “Come on, it makes no difference to you. But it will make a huge difference to me.”

“Firstly, having no job will make a huge difference to me, Winston, and I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but having a constant erection does not improve the quality of your life.”

He throws up his hands. “You really have no idea, do you?”

I smirk over at him because we both know I’m telling ridiculous lies.

An orgasm is life and one that I can’t imagine living without. When I get to his age, I probably will be doing the same, overdosing on Viagra on the daily.

On that note, my dick is about to fall off with gangrene.

Henley interrupts us. “So, what happened while I was away?”

“Nothing much.”

He gestures over to the end of the street, where Rebecca is talking to the boys from the Navy House.

“Looks like a lot is happening over there.”

My eyes linger on the boys all gathered around Rebecca. She’s laughing and carefree as she talks, and they are hanging on her every word. I begin to hear my jealous heart beating in my ears.

“I kind of thought you and Rebecca might have hooked up by now,” Henley says casually.

“Why are you always rattling on about Rebecca?” I snap in frustration. “When are you getting it through your thick head? We are just friends.”

I would love to tell them all about what’s going on between me and Rebecca, but the thing is that we all live on the same street, which is already rife with gossip. There’s also the small fact that Henley is married to Rebecca’s best friend. If I tell him, he tells Juliet. Juliet tells Rebecca, and my world blows up. It’s all a bit too close for comfort, and I just need to keep everything to myself until I figure this mess out.

I’m not denying that it would be great to talk to someone about this right about now, though. The boys have been teasing me for years about my crush on Rebecca. I can’t imagine what it would be like if they knew that I actually did have feelings for her.

Are they feelings, or is it just a crush?

My eyes linger once more on her talking to the other guys, and honestly, it’s like sticking a knife in my stomach. I can’t bear the thought of her with someone else, and I drag my hand through my hair in frustration. I’ve never felt so out of control in my life.

Rebecca laughs out loud.

What’s so fucking funny?

I begin to feel unstable. Everything feels like it’s coming to a head all of a sudden, and I have no idea why.

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