Page 48 of The Best Kind of Bad

Jealousy slices through me. “Dusty has a girlfriend?”

Erin sits beside me. “You two aren’t…?”

“No.” l put my hands up, like I’m warding the idea off. “We’re not really… I mean, not like that…”

Andy and Erin exchange knowing looks.

“Must have gotten our wires crossed.” Andy settles next to me, handing me a beer from a cooler at her feet. “I heard about you from Bo. I sent him over to Dusty’s to snoop.”

I’m a little overwhelmed by Andy’s instant familiarity with me. But there’s a frank openness to her that I find appealing. “And what did Bo find out?”

“Very little. He failed at his job.”

Erin shakes her head. “Never send a man to do a woman’s job.”

Andy glances at me. “You’re from Lincoln?”

I nod.

Erin peers at me. “What part?”

“Near south.”

She lights up, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “Get out of here. I lived in Near South before I moved to Silver Bend. Andy did, too.”

“She owned Mimi’s.” Andy says.

My heart twists in my chest at the casual drop of that name. I’ve been able to shelter that hurt in my chest, because most of the people out this way didn’t know about it. Didn’t know what I lost.

“Shut. Up.” Erin says. “I love that place. Your gluten-free donuts are out of this world.”

Andy winces, glancing at me.

“It burned down.” I blurt.

Erin stops short. “No.”

“Yeah. Afraid so. But I’ve already got a job out here. I’m doing the cakes for RayAnne Elliot’s wedding.”

“I’m going to that wedding.” Andy says. “RayAnne used to babysit me.”

“Small towns, am I right?” Erin asks, rolling her eyes. “Andy grew up here. I’m a transplant, though.”

Andy nudges me. “Oh. Here you go, Marnie. Dusty’s up to bat.”

I see it’s going to take some work to disabuse this woman of the idea that Dusty and I are an item. I glance over just as Dusty looks our way. Our gazes connect and I feel a zing of heat travel straight down to my center.

Judas. Is it fair for any one human being to be that beautiful?

He sets his beer down, ambling casually over to home plate.

Bo passes him a bat, clearing out of the way.

“He’s going to bunt,” Andy mutters, leaning forward on her knees.

“How do you know?” Erin asks.

“It’s what he always does.” Andy laughs. “Look, Ben’s team is moving in.”

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