Page 65 of Toy Boy

“You’re Megan’s sister, right?”

“Laney, yes. And it’s nice to finally see you up close, Xander. I didn’t get a proper look at you last time.”

Is she for real?

“Seriously?” I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes, but Xander just laughs, a sound that vibrates through me, sending a cascade of tiny shivers running up and down my spine.

“So good looking,” Laney breathes, leaning forward to get a better look at him, and I swear, I could quite happily kill her! “How did my little sister manage to bag someone like you?”

He laughs again, and those tiny shivers I’d felt a moment ago appear to be multiplying now, but I’m also dying of embarrassment here.

“Haven’t you got somewhere you need to be?” I fix Laney with a look that’s telling her to stop this, now.

“Yes, actually, I do.” She lets out a somewhat frustrated sigh as she unhooks her handbag from the back of her chair and slides it up onto her shoulder. “Another short and sweet meeting, Xander. But it was very nice to see you again… Actually, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you and Megan come to ours for dinner one night? Russell and I would love to have you both over. How about Friday?”

Alright. I didn’t see that one coming. “Maybe Xander has other plans…” Oh, God, I hope he has other plans!

“I don’t. Friday sounds good.”

Really? He’s up for that? “Okay… Well, it looks like we’ll see you Friday, then, Laney.”

“Great!”

Yeah. I’m not so sure.

“I’d better head off to my meeting. You two have a good night now.”

I wait until she’s well out of earshot before I say anything to Xander. “Are you really okay with having dinner with my sister? Because you shouldn’t let her railroad you into something you don’t want to do. She can be pretty full-on sometimes, and just because she threw that invitation at you…”

“Iwantto go, Megan.” He sits back and steeples his fingers together over his chest, his ridiculously handsome face one huge grin. “It’ll be fun.”

“I wouldn’t bank on it.”

“Laney seems nice. Very open.”

“Oh, she’s that alright.” I take a swig of beer and try not to look over at Scott again. But I’m forcibly having to restrain my head from swivelling in that direction. “Bit too open, sometimes.”

“What’s your brother-in-law like?”

“Russell? He’s almost the complete opposite of Laney, to be honest. But I think she needs that. He’s a very calm, very patient man, but at the same time he has a wicked sense of humour, him and Laney are actually pretty much perfect for each other when I think about it.”

As I’m saying the words, I’m realising how true they are. Laney really has found her soul-mate. I thought I’d found mine, but I’d been badly misguided.

Dropping my head, I start fiddling with the beer mat again, tugging at the already peeled-back corner.

“Hey, you okay?” Xander asks, and I shift my gaze to the hand he’s lain gently over my wrist.

“Yes, sorry, of course I am.” I give myself an inner shake and smile, I’m fine. How can I not be fine? I have a successful business, a pretty little house, my health is good, and I’m sitting here with a man who’s teaching me it’s okay to just have fun. A super-hot, sixteen-years-my-junior man… Did I just use the term super-hot…?

“I’ll go get us some drinks. What about food? You hungry?”

I nod, and he smiles again, pushing his seat back to stand up. “I’ll bring some menus over.”

I watch as he makes his way through the crowded terrace, greeting those people he’s already become familiar with, the smile on his face growing wider as he exchanges handshakes and hugs, he seems to have settled into life here in Beachcastle Bay in almost record-quick time. It hasn’t taken him long at all, and I’m glad. But, at the same time, he isn’t going to stay here forever, he told me as much when we first met. Just a handful of days ago… Jesus! That revelation shocks me; makes me realise that I have a habit of falling into relationships far too fast, and now I’m not sure that Iamfine. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do that again, after Scott, and yet, I’m doing it. Again.

Without Xander or Laney here to stop me, or make me feel guilty about doing it, I let my gaze shift back to Scott’s table, but he’s not there now. And I’m hit with another shock as disappointment swamps me. And I don’t understand why I’m feeling it, but I am, it’s there, and I sit back, pick up my beer, and drain the last of it from the bottle.

What I vowed I was never going to let happen, it’s happening, right now.

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