Page 233 of Smooth Sailing

She took another step forward, turned right and squealed.

She then raced to Big Petey, who, like all the other men, had come off his stool. To do it, she ran right by Hound, who had a look that many people would take in and think twice about getting close to the man, and she hit Pete like a bullet.

Hugger started at Big Petey taking that hit, as did all the other men, a telltale sign that all of them were aware that Big Petey was slowing down.

But Pete just went back on a foot and stood strong, folding his arms around Di as she did the same.

After a tight hug, she leaned away and said, “Our dining room table isn’t the same without you.”

When she said that, Hugger glanced at the other men, and that was when he saw it, plain as day.

Diana Armitage had just passed muster.

“Did Maddy call?” Di asked Big Petey. “I gave her your number.”

“Yeah, we’ve had a coupla chats, darlin’,” Big Petey told her.

“Of course you did,” Di said softly, the same kind of look on her face.

The door behind him opened and Tyra, Elvira and Millie came dashing in.

They all listed to a halt a couple feet inside the door. And they were all winded.

“Any a’ you break a heel on your sprint over here?” Tack asked them.

Tyra gave her husband a killing look.

But yeah, they saw Hugger pulling in and didn’t waste any time racing across the forecourt from Tyra’s office at the garage in order to get a load of Diana.

Diana, though, wasn’t noticing this.

She was hugging Dutch.

When they broke, she cried, “Holy crap! You have to come back down! Charlie has another gig in a couple of weeks. Ambient jam-a-palooza!”

The look on Dutch’s face nearly made Hugger bust a gut laughing.

“What the fuck is an ambient jam?” Hound asked.

“You don’t wanna know,” Hop, who used to be in a rock band, answered.

But Di just slapped Dutch’s arm and said, “Just kidding. I’ll tell Charlie that you said you’re sorry you were going to miss it, though.”

Relief hit Dutch’s face, and he replied, “Obliged.”

At that point, Diana turned and took in the rest of the men, just when High, who was probably with the women in the office, but he hadn’t sprinted across the forecourt, walked in. So Di got a look at him too.

She then turned right to Hugger, arched her brows, put her hands on her hips, and demanded, “There isn’t a hotness quotient your brothers have to meet before they prospect? Bullshit. And it looks like the women have to meet it too.”

That was when the entire room exploded with laughter.

Elvira strolled further into the room. “Girl, please tell me you drink tequila.” She jerked a thumb at Hugger and went on, “Someone melted this mountain of snow, we gotta do celebratory shots.”

Diana gave him a look like she’d fallen toward a ravine and certain death, saved herself with a spike, and made it the next day to the peak of Mount Everest.

Hugger just shook his head and smiled.

She turned back to Elvira with an expression of regret, “Sorry, I’m not a fan of tequila.”

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