Page 33 of The Girl He Loves

I smile. “Tonight is a celebration and, because you are almost eight, I will let you have eight toppings.”

Tyler’s face lights up.

Paisley picks up the ice cream scooper. “What flavor should I start with, Ty?”

We get Tyler set up with a large bowl of ice cream covered with a mixture of candies and syrup that I’m sure will make his stomach upset.

“Can I eat this in the living room? On TV is a Ninja Turtle marathon.”

“Booyakasha,” I say, and we pound fists.

He pauses before slipping into the living room. He points at Dax. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

Dax holds up a hand like he’s doing scouts honor. “I promise.”

“What about us?” Josie calls to Tyler’s backside as he scurries from the room.

“I see you all the time,” Tyler grumbles.

Josie harrumphs then winks. “Well, we’ve been replaced by this one.” She jerks her thumb to point to Dax.

“Message received, loud and clear,” Jayne says. “Let’s scoop some to-go dessert, and we’ll let these two be alone.”

Dax grabs a hot fudge jar. “Don’t leave on my account.” He goes to the microwave and opens it. No light comes on.

Dax points to it. “Does this work?”

“Yes,” I say. “The bulb’s burned out, but it works.”

“Unlike your garage door,” Paisley says then faces Dax. “She doesn’t park in her garage because the garage door opener jams all the time.”

I say, “Oh, my Lord, Paisley. What is that about?”

She shrugs. “Josie said he fixed your dishwasher. I figured he might want to take a look at your garage door opener.”

Josie holds up one finger. “Didn’t you have a gutter problem, too?”

I cover my eyes in humiliation. Maybe when I uncover my eyes, my friends will be magically gone.

I let my hands fall. Nope, they’re still in my kitchen and smiling at me.

The microwave chimes that Dax’s fudge is done.

“See, it works,” I say.

Josie pulls a spoon from the utensil drawer and hands it to him. “We’d like to get to know you better, Dax. Seeing as how Heather is one of our favorite people and we love her and will protect her.”

Dax pauses, spoon halfway between the fudge and his ice cream bowl. “Message received.”

Paisley smiles. “That’s good. Because Josie has a stun gun and likes to use it.”

Josie rolls her eyes. “We’ll leave you to it and then we’ll all grill you at a later date.”

I cross my arms. “No reason to grill him. We’re friends from college, and he’s here for Bike Week. He’s leaving when it’s over, right?”

Dax shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t have any plans. I’m between careers and currently trying to figure things out.”

Josie claps him on the back. “Just use a condom if you happen to find yourself on our friend here.”

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