Page 5 of Just My Luck

“What has you grinning?” the man asked, making me blush.

“Sorry,” I groaned, utterly embarrassed.

“It’s okay. You looked like you were up to something,” he laughed. “Perhaps, we can escape this brutal wind and head inside?”

“Why are you out here anyway?”

“Running late to my own party,” he chuckled. “Work took longer than expected.”

“Ah. I see.”

“I saw you pacing back and forth as I was walking down the sidewalk. Are you waiting for someone? Stalling?”

Lie. Just lie.

“Well–” I began but stopped when the pub door flew open and music came blaring out.

“Elaina!” Mallory announced, stepping onto the sidewalk. “Why are you standing out here?”

“Mal, you know this beautiful woman?” the man asked. Mallory looked at him and grinned before locking her arm with mine.

“This is my best friend, Elaina,” she proclaimed. “The same best friend you’ve been avoiding letting me introduce you to for quite some time now.”

My ears perked up at Mallory’s words. What did she meanfor quite some time now? What was my sneaky bestie up to?

“Ah. I see,” Maxwell chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess it’s my fault we hadn’t met sooner, Elaina. My apologies.”

“Oh. She isn’t innocent in all this,” Mallory shook her head. “She’s avoided coming to your party every year.”

I elbowed Mallory in the side.

“Ow. What the hell? It’s the truth,” she grumped. “You’re as much to blame than his ass.”

“Hey! I’m standing right here,” Maxwell chuckled.

“Yeah. Well, you’re both ridiculously stubborn,” Mallory said, dragging me over to the pub door. “If you’re lucky, Imightlet you talk to her again.”

With that, she opened the door and pushed me inside before Maxwell could say another word to either of us.

CHAPTER FOUR

MAXWELL

Nearly half an hour had gone by since my secretary, Mallory, had dropped the bomb on me. All this time, she had been holding an ace in her pocketandI had avoided taking it from her. All because I thought she was trying to set me up with a troll– Elaina was far from that.

Outside she had been wearing a jacket so I wasn’t able to check out anything more than her face. She had olive-colored skin, jet black hair that was pulled up into the messy-bun women wore these days. Her eyes were the most beautiful color I had ever seen. They were like an explosion of greens. When she smiled up at me, my heart had skipped several beats and I fought the urge to kiss her.

“Are you even listening?” Genevieve fussed across from me at the booth.

“Nope. He’s been staring that woman,” Calleb pointed at Elaina, “for a hot ass minute.”

“What? What woman?” Genevieve asked, turning her head to see where Calleb was pointing. “Which one?”

“The one with the brownish-red hair, green top, sitting at the bar with Max’s secretary.”

“Ooo! She’s beautiful, Max! Go talk to her,” Genevieve gushed. She turned her hawkeyes on me and grinned. “You go talk to her orIwill.”

“Genevieve. Please. Don’t,” I muttered.

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