Page 10 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

“You must be Haley,” he said, stepping forward. “I heard a lot about you back in high school.”

He extended his hand, and I shook it. The gesture felt so formal considering what I had come here to do. What we wereaboutto do.

“Don’t believe any of it,” I said with a nervous laugh.

“It was mostly good things, I assure you.” Shay’s voice was deep but measured, each word carefully chosen, like he was weighing the consequences of every syllable before letting it leave his lips. Calm, precise, and with an edge of quiet authority that made me wonder what he wasreallythinking. “Thirsty? I made a pitcher of margaritas.”

“I’d love one,” I said. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t remember you from high school.”

“Shay went to Northwest High,” Lucas explained. “Across the river in Portland.”

“I also graduated five years before you,” Shay added while pouring drinks from a pitcher. “Our parents were friends.”

“We kept in touch by playing video games,” Lucas said with a smile. “When I told him I was moving back to the west coast, he immediately offered me this place.”

“I inherited it from my parents,” Shay said, handing me a margarita in a tall glass. “I’ve been subletting it for extra cash, but my last tenant just moved out. The timing was perfect.”

That answered my next question: how Shay could afford this place. Because based off his appearance in a hoodie and jeans, he couldn’t afford a condo here either.

“Cheers,” Lucas said, toasting his margarita.

The three of us touched glasses, then moved to the living room. Lucas sat in the big armchair, while Shay and I took the couch—with a big gap between us.

I was terrified of jumping straight to the reason I was here, so I immediately asked Lucas, “What made you move back to Vancouver?”

His shrug reminded me of the nonchalant attitude he had about everything back in high school. “Needed a change, I guess.”

“What was wrong with Detroit?”

“Nothing was wrong with it,” Lucas said carefully. “I guess it just wasn’t for me. I started looking for jobs back home, and got lucky.”

“A job doing what?” I probed.

He smirked. “Car stuff.”

I snorted. “Figures. You were obsessed with your Accord back in the day.”

“Some things never change,” he said, giving me a knowing smile that felt like a caress.

That was one of the problems with Lucas back in high school: he didn’t have any real career aspirations. He loved cars, and got a job as a mechanic, but was fired because he was always showing up late. He would rather stay home and tinker with his own car than get paid to work on others. One of the many reasons he wasn’t boyfriend material.

That doesn’t matter tonight, I reminded myself.

“So,” Shay announced without any other preamble. “Let’s talk about the reason we’re all here.” His gaze collided with mine. “A threesome.”

6

Haley

Shay’s bluntness almost made me drop my drink. To cover up my shock—and embarrassment—I took a small sip.

Which turned into alonggulp until the glass was half empty.

“Sorry to be so forward,” Shay said, crossing one leg over the other. “But I’d like to make sure we are all on the same page before we go any further.”

“Spoken like a man with a law degree,” Lucas muttered.

I chuckled at the joke. In his faded jeans and baggy hoodie, Shay looked like the furthest thing from a lawyer.

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