Page 110 of The Love Haters

“What a fantastic surprise!” Rue sang out, not surprised at all. Cole hugged her tight enough to lift her feet off the ground.

The Gals also came in for hugs, but Hutch and I both just stood there, catching our breath. I tried to classify the frown that now overtook Hutch’s face, but this one was new.

Next, the ladies parted, and Cole came through toward Hutch, holding out his hand.

“Hutch,” he said, making his voice lower than normal.

“Cole,” Hutch said back, taking his hand like they were colleagues at the UN.

“I see you’ve met my girlfriend,” Cole said then.

I looked around. Did Cole have a girlfriend?

“You made sure of that, didn’t you?” Hutch said, seeming to know who he meant.

It took me far longer than it should have to realize that Cole—along with everyone else—was looking at me.

I held very still to contain my rising panic as Cole walked around to me and placed his arm—unfathomably—around my waist.

What in the ever-loving hell was going on?

“Is Katie your girlfriend?” Ginger asked Cole, seeming delighted. “We’ve all been trying to set her up with Hutch!”

I stayed frozen in disbelief as Cole nodded, patted me on the hip, shifted into distorted slow motion, and said, “She sure is.”

Okay. Time to shut this down. “Cole—” I started, trying to take reality back.

But he interrupted by pointing at Hutch, and saying, in a pretend-scolding tone, “So, hands off the lady, bro.”

The whole group gave Cole a generous courtesy laugh.

The whole group, that is, except for Hutch.

Then Cole turned to me. “Hey, babe,” he said, pulling me into a tight, full-body, overly long hug.

I let it happen so that I could keep a tense smile on my face, hover near his ear, and whisper through my teeth, “What the hell are you doing?”

I assume his smile was similar as he whispered back, “We’ve got an emergency right now, so just go with it.”

“I don’t have an emergency. And I’m not going with anything.”

“Just trust me, okay?” Cole said. “Seriously.”

“I don’t trust you. And I amnotyour girlfriend.”

“I know that. I’ll explain everything later.”

“Explain it right now,” I demanded.

But next, before I could reply, I heard a woman’s voice behind me. “Is this her?” Then the voice said, “You’re adorable together.”

I stepped away from Cole and turned to see… Sullivan.

Our boss, Sullivan. The she-wolf.

Not back in Texas, in the office, in businesswear. But here, in the keys, wearing a sarong so bright and floral, she could’ve shoplifted it right out of Vitamin Sea.

All I could do was look back and forth between Cole and… Sullivan.

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