Page 11 of My Stupid Heart

Several heads bobbed around the room.Several, but not all.Not Olivia or Kate.Their eyes formed matching thin slits.

“Well, I don’t like the heroines in my books being whores,” Kate said haughtily.Olivia nodded and sipped her Pinot Grigio.

“We all know your favorite trope is the virgin trope, Kate,” Susannah said, an eye roll in her voice.“Let’s not forget that these characters are fictional people.”

Sienna nodded.“Annabel gave up a lot for Damien.She settled down, she moved from the city to the suburbs.She changed jobs.The woman literally went from being the managing partner at her law firm in New York, to running a family law practice in Westchester.”Sienna glanced at Molly for support.“Damien went no-contact with his overbearing parents.That was it.And it was really not much of a sacrifice since he’d basically done it already.”

“His parents had a reason to be concerned about Annabel.Her history with men in the city was no secret.”Olivia uncrossed and recrossed her legs while giving Molly some seriously questionable stink-eye.

The French door from the deck opened, and all eyes and bodies pivoted to watch the hunk of handsomeness that was Ryker McKnight walk across the threshold.“Good evening, ladies,” he said, flashing that famous Ryker smile.

Every single one of them sighed.Even the married women.

He had twigs and pine needles in his dark hair and a few dirt smudges on his cheeks, but that only made him sexier.Stopping at the island to grab a deviled egg and pop into his mouth whole, he kept his eyes on Molly.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to yourfamilyfriend?”Susannah probed, nudging Molly.

Molly cleared her throat and smiled, avoiding not only Ryker’s penetrating stare but also the continued rage eyes that Kate and Olivia were shooting at her.“Ladies, this is Ryker McKnight.He was friends with Brendan, and has remained a constant …friendin our lives over the years.He comes and helps out whenever he has time.”

Ryker’s smile grew.“I had some time off and gave Moll a call and asked what needed to be done around the place.No big deal.Always love visiting and catching up.”

“Well, when you’re done here, you can come and trim my hedge,” Sienna purred, eye-fucking the bejesus out of Ryker.

Rosalie and Evelyn snorted, but also nodded.

Ryker merely chuckled, then focused back on Molly.“I’m gonna jump in the shower.”

All she could do was nod.

Then he disappeared down the hallway.

Nobody said a word until the bathroom door snicked shut and the shower started.Then all eyes were on her.

“Tell me you’re hitting that,” Susannah said.“Please.”

Molly shook her head.“He’s just a friend.”

“So, he’s gay?”Rosalie asked.

Sadness swept into her heart, and she swallowed.“No.He’s not.He’s just … he’s just a good friend.”She glanced down at her lap, where she’d shred her bookmark without even knowing it.“There were ten of them all together.A team.Then Brendan passed when Sasha was just a baby and all his friends took it really hard.They also vowed to always take care of us.And over thirteen years later, they still do.Ryker and his twin are the only two who aren’t married with families, though, and Decker—his brother—is a lot quieter and low-key.Ryker is always the first to volunteer to come.He’s also the one who checks in the most.”

“You’re telling me there are two ofthose?”Rosalie asked, pointing down the hallway.“Two?”

Molly giggled and nodded.“Yeah.”But there was only one Ryker McKnight.

“Can we get back to the book, please?”Olivia asked with irritation in her tone.

“Is there something you’d like to discuss, Olivia?”Susannah asked.“You and Kate have both been rather hostile this evening.”

“We just weren’t fans of the book,” Kate said quickly.

“Then why are you so eager to get back to discussing it?”Evelyn countered.

“Because this is abookclub,” Olivia pointed out.“It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

“No, it’s a group of women who agree on a specific book to read for a month, then get together, drink wine, eat food, bitch about life and the patriarchy and maybe talk ten minutes about the book.”Susannah rolled her gray eyes.“And up until now, you two have been fine with that.So that tells me something else is up.”

Olivia and Kate’s cheeks were as pink as Pepto Bismol.

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