Page 83 of Bad Luck Club

He pointed a finger at her, grinning from ear to ear. “Brilliant idea. I’ll put frats on my list of potential customers.”

Her eyes flew wide. “I was teasing, Lee.”

He was too, but he led her on, making up half a dozen fake frat names—

“Why, there’s Alpha and Omega…Omicron, Unicorn, Delta…”

He went on for a good minute before he confessed he was joking. By the time he pulled up to her mother’s apartment complex, his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. He felt…free.

But Blue frowned as she looked up at her mother’s building.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He didn’t want to leave her here if it made her unhappy.

“Yeah,” she said, turning to him and giving him a warm smile. “I guess I’m just worried about Mom.” She gave a little shrug. “It’s hard to know what I’ll get with her, especially since things have seemed a little off lately.”

The plan was for her to stay with her mother all day and evening, until Lee finished his contest at the bar. Then he’d pick her up and they’d drive back to Asheville. Only, he suddenly wasn’t in such a rush to leave. Going home might break the spell, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

“Come hang out with me tonight,” he said. “I’ll text you the place, and maybe your mom can drop you off.”

Her eyes widened.

“Yeah,” he said, the idea growing on him. “You can see me in my element.” He winked. “I’ll even buy you a drink or two.”

She laughed. “Why do I think they’ll be Buchanan beers?”

“Hey, I might spring for a margarita. What do you say?”

“I say yes.”

But he thought about Dr. Wonderful. They hadn’t talked about exclusivity—hell, he’d admitted he had an interview in New York—but imagining her with someone else was like an icicle to his heart.

Her smile fell. “If you’ve changed your mind—”

“No,” he said, turning serious. “I havedefinitelynot changed my mind.”

The timing was terrible for him to ask her about another guy, but he didn’t want tonight to be tainted by Dr. Wonderful. They’d agreed on honesty, and even though he wasn’t in the club anymore, and she wasn’t really either, he still wanted that for them. He needed it.

“Blue, I need to ask you a question.”

Worry filled her eyes. “Okay.”

“I know you went out on a date Saturday night.” He quickly added, “I mean, obviously, you can see whoever you want. I’d never try to control you, but…” God, it was so hard for him to be vulnerable. “I need to know how it went.”

Her brow furrowed. “You want me to tell you about my date?”

God, that sounded bad. “I’m not some kind of voyeur. I don’t need the details. I just need to know—”

She put her finger on his lips. “Max is very nice. He’s a doctor who works with children. He was polite and thoughtful.”

Why had he asked? The last hour had been perfect, and now he had to listen to confirmation that Dr. Wonderful was as awesome as he sounded. Blue might still be exploring her options, but in the end, Lee wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like that.

Her eyes burned into his. “But I won’t be seeing him again.”

His breath stuck in his chest.

“Why? Did he…hurt you?” he forced out.

“No,” she said with a chuckle. “He was a perfect gentleman, but he wasn’t you.”

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