Page 73 of Play to Win

“You’re such a good boy, aren’t you.Such a handsome boy.”She rubs Byron’s ears, then straightens and looks at me.“This is Byron.And Taylor.My husband, Théo.”

Taylor reaches out to shake my hand.“Nice to meet you, Théo.I hear you’ve moved into Bobby’s house.”

“Yeah.”Perplexed, I glance back and forth between Lacey and Taylor.“You two know each other?”

“We met yesterday out here.”Lacey turns to Taylor.“How was your date?”

“Omigod, the worst!”She rolls her eyes.“Dinner went okay, but just as we were leaving the restaurant, he took off running down the street.”

“What!”

“I started running after him, asking what was wrong, and he yelled ‘Cops!I have a warrant out for my arrest!’So I stopped and the police ran past me and arrested him.Apparently he was dealing crack cocaine.”

Lacey’s mouth drops open and she stares at Taylor.“Thatisthe worst!”

“I know, right?”Taylor shakes her head.“I have no luck with men.”

I’m speechless.

“You want to come over for margaritas?”Lacey asks her.“I’m going to make guacamole because I’m on a mission to eat avocado every day.”

She’s already had avocado today, but I like guacamole.

“Sure.Let me take Byron home.”

“No, bring him!I love him.”She pets Byron then turns big eyes on me.“You should get a dog.”

“Let me think about that.No.”

She laughs.“What?You don’t like dogs?”

“Sure, I do.”I hold out my hand so Byron can sniff my knuckles.“I just don’t have time for one.”

“Bah.”

Within a short time, we’re at home, on the patio, drinking margaritas and eating chips and salsa and guacamole and Manny has joined us and there’s music playing.And I should be at the office, but I’m not, because I’m laughing and drinking tequila and I haven’t been this relaxed and happy in a long time.

“You thinkyourfamily’s weird,” Manny says.“My grandma has fake plants but she puts them in real dirt.”

Taylor laughs.“That’s hilarious!My grandma—bless her soul—used to turn off the TV when she was undressing because she didn’t want the men on TV to see her naked.”

We all laugh uproariously.The tequila might have something to do with it.

I can’t take my eyes off Lacey—her smile is radiant, her jokes make me laugh, she’s absolutely fucking gorgeous.And I can’t have her.Christ.

Then Taylor tells Manny about her date last night.He commiserates.“I once had a date with a woman and when I showed her a picture of my dog, she said ‘I hate dogs’ so I got up and left.”

“You have a dog?”Taylor’s eyes light up.

I meet Lacey’s eyes.Taylor and Manny seem to be getting along great.

She grins at me and holds up her margarita glass.Okay, it’s a wineglass, but whatever.I’ll have to get some margarita glasses.

We end up cooking chicken breasts and veggies on the grill, then Manny and Taylor head home, eyeing each other like they both want to say something but don’t.

“They’ll totally get together,” Lacey says as we clean up the kitchen.

“You think so?”

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