Page 20 of Pity Present

“I’m at the lodge for two weeks but I’m not sure I’ll be joining in on all of the singles’ events.” Then she asks, “Why are you doing this?” She asks this in such a way as though she’s enquiring why I’m attending the circus in my underwear.

My eyes briefly drop to my feet before returning to her gaze. “Because I’m single, I guess.”Liar.

She crosses her arms in a defiant pose. “And you can’t find anyone to date on your own?”

She might mean that as a compliment, like she thinks I’m so hot I shouldn’t have any trouble finding dates, yet there’s an underlying judgment that makes me wonder. “I could ask the same of you,” I tell her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re a beautiful woman. One might suppose you have an easy time finding dates.” Although, it might be her personality that’s the problem.

“I’m not big into swiping my way to love,” she says. “And that’s kind of the culture we live in, especially in Chicago.”

“I get that,” I tell her. “It was actually worse in Los Angeles.”

“I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I couldn’t compete with a bunch of skinny starlets.”

I smile at her appreciatively, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her soft curves. “I once heard someone say that nobody wants a bone but a dog.”

The comment catches her by surprise, and she releases a short bark of laughter. “I like that. Do you mind if I borrow it?”

“Not at all,” I tell her.

Just as I start to think we’re getting along like a house on fire, she looks behind me and declares, “Oh, hell no. Not him.”

I turn around and see that she’s looking at Kyle. Then I notice Kyle’s expression when he sees Molly. I’m about to ask Molly how she knows him, but my fear for her physical health takes precedence. Her skin turns so red I’m afraid she’s about to spontaneously combust. I ask, “Are you okay?”

“I’m … well … no … not good.”

“Can I get you some water or something?”

“I’m thinking more along the lines of a double gin with a tequila chaser.” Before I can offer to retrieve that for her, she adds, “Maybe with a nice tranquilizer garnish …” I’m about to tell her I’d be happy to fetch that for her—sans the tranquilizer, because where in the world would I find that?—but before I can, she turns and practically runs out of the room.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MOLLY

What in God’s name is Kyle doing here? He can’t have broken up with Amelia, too, can he? Thoughts spin through my head like a tornado tearing through a mobile home park. No freaking way is my ex at the same singles’ event I am. What kind of heinous crime did I commit in a past life to warrant this kind of rotten luck?

Before I can continue my flight to safety, I hear Kyle call out, “Molly, is that you?”

While I want to run, I’m suddenly overcome with the desire to confront him. Whipping around, I force what feels like a maniacal smile onto my face. Through clenched teeth, like I’ve come down with a bout of lockjaw, I sneer, “Kyle. What are you doing here?”

He shoves his hands into his pockets, but he doesn’t answer. In the silence, I stare at him long and hard and decide that he’s as handsome as ever, but there’s something else that wasn’t there before. Is that humility? If so, it looks good on him.

He finally says, “I … um … Amelia and I broke up.”

Excellent.“Really?”

“Yeah, um … well … the thing is, she married someone else.”

“Oh.” What else is there to say?You certainly got what wascoming to you, didn’t you?But I don’t go there. He’d have to be an idiot not to have already worked that out for himself.

Before I can ask for further details, Blake walks up and joins us. “How do you two know each other?”

Kyle’s face forms into a wince. “Molly is the girl I left for Amelia.”

Before Blake can comment, I ask, “How doyouknow Kyle?”

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