Page 84 of Bad Luck Club

She was the one to kiss him this time.

Her lips seared him, and it took everything in him to keep from reaching for her. From saying to hell with her mother and his appointments, because the only thing he wanted right then was to take her to a hotel and spend all day exploring her body. But he sensed she needed to see her mother, even if she seemed to have reservations. And his siblings were counting on him to bring in more clients.

Still, she was the one who pulled back. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

Then she got out of the car and walked into her mother’s building, leaving him to watch the sway of her perfect butt, her hair nearly long enough to reach it.

* * *

Lee thought about her statement all day, to the point that he was slightly distracted during his two afternoon meetings. Nevertheless, he’d walked away from both of them with orders. If he managed to pull off tonight, after Blue’s big win this morning, it would be the perfect day—a long series of wins.

So why couldn’t he get her statement out of his head? She thought he was jealous. There was no doubt it was true, but he hadn’t wanted to let on. And sure, part of the reason he’d hoped to keep it to himself was that he didn’t like being vulnerable. But he was also worried about what she thought. Did she think his jealousy meant he had the potential to be controlling like Remy?

After meeting with the bar’s manager in his office, Lee went out and started setting up his mini kegs and his whiteboard and fishbowl. The contest had been going on for about an hour when he looked up and saw her.

She was standing back about ten feet, a sweet smile on her face as she watched him. Her hair, still long and loose, shone in the bar’s lighting. She was wearing the dress she’d had on this morning, but somehow she looked even sexier than she had earlier.

His heart tripped, and a powerful yearning filled his chest.

“Uh…” a woman said, her head cocked. “Can I have a sample?”

He gave himself a mental shake and turned his attention to the customer, pouring on charm. “Actually, you can have two. Then fill out this slip and tell me which one you liked best—A or B. Stick around until nine, and I’ll be taking guesses on what brewery made the brews. Someone’s going to walk away with a six-pack.”

She winked. “Is the six-pack the only thing I have the possibility of taking home?”

He laughed as he filled the first Dixie cup, which he’d already marked with an A.

“Unfortunately, yes. But once you try these samples, you won’t be disappointed. In fact,” he said with a wink of his own, “if you win, I suspect you’ll have plenty of men volunteering for your triple threat.”

“And what’s that?” she asked with a saucy grin as she took the first cup.

“Beauty, brains, and really good beer.”

She laughed at that, and after he handed her the other sample and the form, he glanced up to see if Blue was still there. She was sitting at a high top, her forearm on the table, still smiling as she watched him.

It hadn’t occurred to him when he’d invited her that she’d likely see women coming on to him, not to mention the light flirting he did in return. Would that bother her? Was this a dumbass idea?

Victoria had once pitched a fit—literally, she’d thrown her diet pills across the apartment—because he’d held the door for one of their neighbors, who’d been juggling three bags of groceries and herbaby. That had been toward the end, when a feeling of dread and inevitability twisted in his stomach whenever he thought of the ring in his sock drawer.

But Blue didn’t look upset, just proud, and as stupid as it seemed, her approval mattered to him. It filled him with more confidence and the drive to succeed.

The next hour passed quickly, and to his surprise, several people guessed Buchanan as the brewery. When the winner accepted his six-pack, he told Lee he’d heard about the contests on social media and couldn’t believe he’d been lucky enough to hit one up.

Something within Lee lit up. This felt different than selling office buildings. It felt satisfying in a way he didn’t fully understand. Maybe this was why he wasn’t as excited as he’d expected about the interview in New York. When he’d gotten the email this morning, at the literal crack of dawn, his first reaction hadn’t been relief, but a sense of…disquiet. Even though Rousseau Real Estate was the kind of place anyone in the business would want to work, with offices up and down the East Coast. Because, much to Lee’s surprise, he kind of liked his job. He liked working in the family business—a real family business, because his sisters and brother supported him in a way his father never had. And then there was the woman sitting across from him…

When Lee started cleaning up, Blue walked over and picked up the fishbowl, clutching it to her stomach. She stared at him with so much pride he thought he would burst.

“You were amazing, Lee.”

He grimaced, unaccustomed to such blatant praise.

“I’m serious,” she said, grabbing for his hand and squeezing.

“Thanks.”

“You looked happy.”

Her comment caught him off guard. Sure, he enjoyed the contests, but did they make him happy? The answer surprised him. “Yeah. I guess I was.”

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