Page 36 of Cold Foot Cash

“Nope.”

He stood straight up and asked, “Why not?”

“Because friendship, and also, you called me a ho.”

“It’s a pet name.”

“Pick a new one. I reject that one.”

“I bought you licorice.” He handed her a brown paper bag.

“I strongly dislike licorice, so…two strikes.”

“Well, negative one strike, because I got you two other options. Ho.”

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, swatting him. “I’m the opposite of a ho.”

She shouldered her purse from the table next to the door and walked down the hallway beside him. The paper bag crinkled in her hands as she rifled through the candy options. He’d nailed it on the other two—sour lemon candies, and gummy worms.

“Share?” she asked, biting into the gummy worms packaging.

“Obviously.” He held the door open. “Just so you know, the ho is my favorite garden tool.”

“Cashew.”

“Okay, okay, truce. No more pet names tonight.”

She had worn a smile since the second he’d texted, and as she made her way through the door he opened for her, Harley just felt…relieved.

Outside, she walked backward and offered him a gummy worm. Cash stooped easily and snatched it out of her hand with his teeth. She burst out laughing. “I just mommy-birded you.”

His smile transformed his face and made him even more handsome, and the spark in his eyes as he looked her up and down had her heart pounding a little harder.

“I mean this in the friendliest way, but you clean up nice,” he complimented her.

“Yeah?” Heat flooded her cheeks and she ducked her gaze to hide just how pleased her smile probably was right now. “I went shopping. I picked this out just for tonight.”

He chewed the candy and looked thoughtful as he picked up walking right beside her. “Five more days.”

“Hopefully.”

He cast her a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You do. You know how I know?”

“How?”

“Because you mentioned it. Lay it on me. What’s going on?”

She pouted. “If I say it, can it just end there, and us not pick it apart too much?”

“Yep.”

“My lawyer just messaged me to check my email.” Gah, why was she telling him this? It was her burden to deal with, and she hardly knew Cash. She wasn’t usually this open with people. Being open only got her hurt. “Lance is wanting to meet for some kind of mediation before Tuesday.”

Cash snorted, and gestured to the gummy worms in a silent request for more. She pulled another one out and lifted it up for him to grab from her fingertips, but he bit it out of her hand again. Meh, that was okay. She liked being this comfortable with him.

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