Page 20 of Mess With Me
She tossed her hair. “This is our book club night, you know.”
He tugged a lock of her hair. “And does your book club discriminate against men?”
She bit back a smile. “That depends if men enjoy reading hot romance. Hmm?” Her blue eyes danced with good humor, like she knew she’d got him.
He smirked, his mind already going to menacting outhot romance when Hailey, the leader of the book club and notorious matchmaking wedding planner, suddenly appeared at his side. He casually eased away from her. Hailey had pulled out all the stops flirting with him last month in a heavy-handed attempt to prove he was not a sex addict, but actually great boyfriend material. Though it was clear she wasn’t interested in him, more like her flirting was for the benefit of everyone around them. He’d felt steamrolled.
Hailey beamed at him. “We’d love to have you. We’ve been trying to get more men in here from day one. The male perspective on romance could be very useful.”
He eased back another step. “I’m probably not the guy you’re looking for.”
He and Ally exchanged a smile. He lifted his to-go cup. “Back to work. Enjoy your book club.”
“Bye!” Ally wiggled her fingers at him.
He wiggled his fingers back and quickly dropped his hand, embarrassed at the wimpy gesture. He turned and resumed his usual tough-cop swagger out the door.
It was a strange situation he’d found himself in. He could see competing with another man for a woman’s attention, but to compete against a woman’s attention to herself was a much trickier situation.
Hell, he lived for a challenge.Bring it on, Ally. Let’s both pay attention to your sexy self. Maybe then you’ll believe a man is better than a vibrator.
He smirked and got into his cruiser.
Ally settled into her seat in the circle of women at the Happy Endings Book Club meeting at Something’s Brewing Café, a cozy space with dark wood tables, deep red walls, and golden sconces around the hanging lights. The nine of them sat in the center of the room, the tables pushed to the edges.
She was bursting to share. She crossed her leg, resting her ankle on the knee of the other leg, and then gripped the black jeans over her calf with both hands, waiting for a lull in the conversation. Finally, she got her moment and boldly declared her new philosophy. “These stories are escapist fantasy. I love them, but it’s no longer anything I expect for myself.”
She waited breathlessly for the explosion of protests. She’d just rocked the foundation of what the Happy Endings Book Club stood for. These were her closest friends, a sisterhood founded on their shared love of romance. Everyone loved the happy endings. Everyone wanted that for themselves.
Silence. Everyone stared at her.
Oh-kay, perhaps further explanation was necessary. “I’m no longer looking for a man to bring me my happy-ever-after. I take responsibility for my own happiness.”
“With you, girl,” Missy, a tough practical woman, replied. She’d recently dyed her beautiful red hair back to dark brown and it made her look even more tough and serious. “I only read these books for the hot sex.”
“Me too,” Lexi declared. She was a vivacious, terribly-jaded-about-men corporate event planner. “Like a happy-ever-after is real,” she scoffed.
“I used to feel the same way,” Mad declared. This was not surprising. Mad was the youngest and only girl in the Campbell family and a total tomboy. Mad leaned forward in her V-neck T-shirt, giving them all a peek at the hawk tattoo above her heart. “But, ladies, happy-ever-after kind of loveisreal. I’ve got it with Park. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”
Everyone got quiet. The group was now about evenly split between single women and coupled women, and Ally felt that divide even more keenly.
Hailey, their fearless leader, looking radiant as ever in a designer tan A-line dress with matching heels, spoke up. “We can agree to disagree on the truth of these stories we all love. But remember—” she paused, queen of the dramatic pause “—sometimes love blooms where we least expect it.”
Ally leaned forward, shoving her blond bangs out of her eyes. “What ever happened to Make Love Bloom (TM)?” That had been Hailey’s fledgling matchmaking program with another book club member, now happily engaged in spite of Hailey’s efforts.
Hailey huffed and smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her dress. “I just decided to let things happen more naturally. With a little assist when needed.” She gave them all a small smile.
They all stared at Hailey in shock. This went against everything the woman had stood for in the two years their book club had been meeting. Hailey was a self-proclaimed love junkie and happy-ending facilitator. Why was she backing off after making it her mission to see every one of them coupled up for their very own happy ending?
“Did something happen, Hailey?” Ally asked gently. “Did you get together with someone or break up? What brought on this new attitude?”
Hailey flicked her long strawberry blond hair over her shoulder. “Nothing happened. I just realized a subtler approach might be more comfortable for everyone.” She stared at the floor for a moment, an unusually subdued expression on her face. She looked up suddenly and pasted on her beauty-queen smile. She was a former beauty queen and that smile popped up in high-stress situations. “Ready to begin with chapter one, ladies?”
“Sure,” Ally said, giving her an out. Hailey always liked to read chapter one of each new story out loud with the group so they could experience it together. She was quite a good actress too, acting out all the voices.
Hailey stood and began reading from her e-reader, chapter one ofSecond Chance Love. Ally had been the one to suggest the story, excited at the time about her own second chance at love with Dean. Now, not so much. Her mind wandered to running into Ethan. She hadn’t seen him since the hike four days ago. Not like she counted the days to see him again. It had been…nice to see him. He’d smelled amazing—woodsy and clean—and he’d looked so solid and sexy in his uniform. Those wide shoulders and muscular arms, that chest. His gorgeous smile that lit up his face. She felt herself flush.
Oh, God, I’m a terrible person.Here she was committed to a new single me, happy me lifestyle and she was lusting after another woman’s boyfriend. Augh. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she just enjoy singlehood? Her mom’s impassioned speech about the dangers of giving yourself too freely and to the wrong man came to mind, cooling her lust. Impulsive lusty tendencies had painful consequences. Her gut twisted at the memory she’d never shared with anyone.
