Page 33 of Finding Hope

“Good.” Walking past with my keys clasped in my hand, I point a sharp edge between each finger and slowly, tortuously,noisilyslide them along the panel.

I send up my heartfelt apologies to the car Gods, because this car is really beautiful, but he’s a cheating piece of shit, and karma is ready for delivery.

Porch lights flick on around us. Couples step outside to watch. So with a new audience – hisnosyneighbors – I turn back.

“Hey asshole, I’m really interested to know where you got thoseelf on a shelfsized condoms. They were cute.You’repretty damn useless, buttheywere definitely cute.”

A barked laugh rolls off one of the front porches, a seriously sexy guy with slightly shaggy hair holds his stomach and hoots with laughter. Too bad an equally hot chick with long dark hair and a sexy lithe body stands beside him in tiny sleep shorts and a tank.

Watching on speechless, Jack gets a front row seat as I keep working my name in the side of his car.

“I’m gonna need you to recommend doctors that specialize inyourkind of STD. God knows what you gave me, but I see you scratching your junk, I see you ass fucking your brothers in the club.”

I actually have no clue if this guy even has brothers, but I’m on a roll.

“Hey!”

My eyes flip to a man, easily the second largest in this group. A woman with long ash-blonde hair stands beside him, snickering into her hand as she shushes the big guy. “Please,” she laughs. “Go on. I’mriveted.”

“Go inside, Kit!”

“Nope,”Kitargues. “I’m staying right here. I really wanna know everything else.”

“Everythingelse?I’d ask if you’re his wife, too, but your man is easily on my list of top five sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life. Then there’s this other dude, but he’s married, too. Seems I have a type. Lucky foryou,you baggedhimand didn’t end up with that limp dick asshole.”

She laughs so hard, I jump and make the T in my name dig in deeper than it should.

“It’s seriouslysolucky,” she laughs. “I’m happy with the husband I got, andnotthe limp-dick-Jack.”

“Kit!” Jack snaps. “Go inside!”

When a single dimple digs into Kit’s cheek, I stop for half a second as something akin to familiarity whooshes through my stomach, but then another voice enters the yard of nosy neighbors and has me spinning. “Can y’all shut up? You’re waking the babies!”

No!

No. Oh no! Oh my God. Please, lord, strike me down and end my misery.

“Miss T?”

The blood drains from my face. “Mrs. Kincaid?”Oh my God.“Mr. Kincaid.” The sexy married man on my list.

Dead. I’m dead. Kill me now.Preferablybeforemy boss finds out about this.

Tina Kincaid’s eyes flip from mine to Jack’s, then she surveys the group of people, all on their front porches, all sporting giant grins.

“Miss T?” Jack’s voice shakes. “How do you guys know Bambie?”

“Bambie?” The shaggy haired guy bites his knuckles in an attempt to stop laughing. “I can see it. You’ve got big innocent eyes like the kitten.”

“The kitten?”

“Ya know what?” Jack snaps. “Forget it. Bambie! Your cab’s here. Go away.”

“Hey!” Four giant sexy guys all snap at once.

“You don’t speak to her like that!” Aiden Kincaid bites out.

Inside, underneath my mortification and the angry tears that threaten tofall, I swoon and fall in love just a little bit. Even in front of his wife, he stands up for me when his neighbor is being a prick.

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