Page 28 of Sexy Bad Valentine

CHAPTER NINE

Evie

“What’s going on with you lately?” Erin asks.

We’re in the kitchen, baking heart shaped cookies with Abby, who is happily covered in vanilla cookie dough and red frosting. She even has it in her hair. She licks a dollop of mixture from the wooden spoon in her hand. “Evie has a friend.”

Great. One. Singular.

“Is this friend a boy?” Erin wiggles her eyebrows.

“Uh-huh. He’s got dark hair and big puppy dog eyes like his dog Barclay.”

“Oh, that guy.” Erin smiles.

“Thanks, Abby.” I mock scowl at her and then tickle her, leaving crumbs on her shirt. “What would I do without you to tell my secrets?”

“It was a secret?” She stares at me, confused.

“No. Not really,” I reassure her.

“So who is he?” Erin asks.

“Max. Max. Max,” Abby begins chanting.

“Who’s Max?” Garrett strides into the room and glances at the pile of cookies in front of Abby. “Can I have one?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Abby nods enthusiastically. “Later we’re going to take some to Uncle Paynt and Uncle James too.”

“That’s nice.” He grabs a couple. “Best get my share now then, before those two eat them all.”

“So Max,” Erin brings the conversation back to the very topic I don’t want to discuss. “Tell us about him.”

“Not much to tell. He’s part of the show I told you I was going to do.”

“The one with the dogs?” Garrett asks. “Beats the heck out of me why you’d think finding a guy through his dog is a good idea. He is one of the dog guys, right?”

“No. He works for the company sponsoring the show, actually. Looks after the dogs while they’re on set,” I explain. “Anyway, he’s not, I don’t know...a nice guy, like Paynter. And he’s not totally absorbed in work, like James. He’s more...” I glance at Garrett.

“Is he one of those guys who doesn’t understand women at all?” Garrett asks.

“The type you wouldn’t normally give the time of day,” Erin supplies.

“He’s got a track record. You know,” I say. “A wham-bam guy.”

“Oh.” Erin gazes up at Garrett.

“I have a radar. It’s like that’s the only quality I’m attracted to.”

“This guy is having slumber parties all over the place and what, flirting with you on set?” Garrett asks.

“Um, not exactly.” I shake my head. “He’s been very attentive actually.”

“When you say attentive...” Erin starts.

“It’s not going to last though, is it,” I tell myself out loud. “It’s stupid to think it could be something.”

“Don’t know,” Garrett says, stealing another cookie. “But from where I’m standing it’s always possible that the right girl might change a man’s life. It worked for me.”

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