Page 94 of Getting Lucky

It kind of rubbed her the wrong way, like he expected her to be gone by the time he got back, but she just nodded and said “likewise” before turning to Blue with raised eyebrows.

“New boyfriend?”

Blue gestured for her to sit. Biting her lip, she said, “Sort of. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

A flash of hurt must have shown in her eyes, because Blue lifted a hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I was nervous about introducing him to you and Addy. He’s not my usual type, but the Bad Luck Club has helped me realize my old patterns weren’t working for me.” She waved toward Dan, who didn’t stand out from the crowd of men he’d disappeared into. “Dan’s a good guy. He hasn’t asked to meet my friends or see my studio. He lets me be my own person, and that’s what I need right now.”

It was on the edge of Maisie’s tongue to say it wasn’t necessarily a great sign that he didn’t want to take part in those aspects of her life. Although codependency was a trap she understood, it was possible to be part of someone’s life without taking it over, and vice versa. But it wasn’t really her business to say so, and she didn’t want to give Blue any more reasons to pull away from her. From now on, any theorizing about the Bad Luck Club would have to be strictly limited to texts between her and Addy.

“Addy and I have been giving you a hard time, but we care about you. We want you to be happy,” she said. “And if you like Dan, we absolutely want to hear about him. Even if he has a doll collection like the last guy you went out with.”

Blue’s mouth twitched. “No doll collection to speak of. He might be the most normal guy I’ve ever met.”

Which didn’t bode well for their relationship, in Maisie’s opinion—Blue was one of the more unique souls she knew. But it didn’t seem like the right time to say so. Maisie knew when to shut up—she just didn’t often choose to.

“Well, I’d love to get to know him. Are you bringing him to the engagement party tomorrow?”

Blue played with her full glass of beer without taking a sip. “I wasn’t planning on it. Do you think that would be okay?”

“More than okay. Jack got plenty of food for the party, and I’ve heard there’s even some wine.” She grinned at the full beer glass. “Plus, I’m sure Addy will want to meet him too.”

Blue glanced behind her, her eyes widening. “Speaking of Jack…are you here with him?”

Before Maisie could answer, Jack came up beside her, Lee with him. If they’d had a fistfight, there were no marks she could see. Jack’s expression was closed down, and it amused her to see Lee’s look was identical. Still, she was somewhat pissed at both of them.

“Hi, Blue,” Jack said. Then he turned to Lee, presumably to introduce him to Blue. But just then, Lee doubled over and vomited on Blue’s shoes.

Chapter Thirty

Jack jumped backward to escape the splatter, then felt like a jerk because poor Blue had gotten the brunt of the mess.

Blue let out a shriek, which caused Lee to cringe and back up himself, only he nearly fell on his ass in the process. Jack reluctantly reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him.

Maisie shot Jack a dark scowl as she got to her feet. “Get him out of here. I’ll meet you at the car.”

Jack didn’t ask where she was going because it was obvious. She started dragging Blue toward the restrooms. Blue still hadn’t said anything, but from the look on her face, it was unlikely she’d ever forget meeting Lee Buchanan.

“Shit,” Lee mumbled, watching them hurry off. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

“God, I hope not,” Jack said with a wry grin. “Let’s get you outside.”

Lee’s unfocused gaze swung toward him, and his gray pallor made Jack tighten his hold on his bicep and drag him out the back door, rather than going the longer route through the front, in the event he yacked again.

It was a good call, because Lee bent over at the waist and vomited again in the alley four feet from the door. Jack wished he’d thought to grab the bottle of water he’d purchased for his brother only a few minutes ago. But Lee had promptly set it down and stumbled over to hug a man he’d mistaken for an old frat buddy. Only the man was in his seventies and sporting a T-shirt that readProud Liberal Snowflake.

Jack had glanced away for a split second, looking for Maisie, and saw her and River hugging at the bar. It seemed to go on for too long, and there was emotion glimmering in her eyes, and for a split second he felt a stab of jealousy.

What the hell was wrong with him? River was marrying his sister, for God’s sake, and he and Maisie were friends. Except a little voice in his head suggested his early suspicions had been right, and there were more layers to their relationship than either of them let on. That little voice still hadn’t totally shut up, even after the situation with Lee had required him to rip his attention away. The older gentleman, who looked like he’d lived most of his life in the sun, told him his name was Tony, not Tripp, and he’d sooner burn Columbia down than go to school there. Lee had laughed and slapped the man on the shoulder a little too hard and said in all seriousness, “Thank God. I wondered why your face looked like a raisin.” The bottle of water had been a casualty of the need to make a quick escape before Tony decked Lee.

Now, still hovering over the mess, Lee asked, “Why’re you being so nice to me?”

“Because Addy would hate it if I left you like this.”

“So you’re doing this for my sister?” Lee asked with a hint of bitterness.

“Oursister. Partly.” He paused, then added, “But I also have a soft spot for drunk losers, so there’s that too.”

Lee’s gaze jerked up, fury in his eyes, but then he saw Jack’s wry grin and his anger faded. “I guess there’s some truth to that.”

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