Page 5 of Lost in You (Flirting with Forever 1)

When I finally return from the storage room with a roll of paper towels in hand, the ladies are scooting out of the booth, exchanging hugs. A few of them take off pretty quickly, but Sophia, Madison, and another girl who I seem to remember as another science teacher, stick around chitchatting. Quinn, maybe? I’m not great with names, but give me a song, and I’ll remember every last lyric.

“Hey, Shawn, come here a sec, would you?”

With a slightly raised brow, I wander through the tables toward Sophia and her friends. “Hey. Did your book club meeting or whatever go well?”

“Our ‘whatever,’” she cackles. “Yeah. That sums it up nicely.” She shoots her friends a sassy grin. “I want to introduce you to some of my new friends. This is Quinn, who I think you may have met before. She works with me and Heath in the science department.” She gestures to the tall, thin brunette with hazel eyes.

I nod and hold out a hand to her. I guess my memory is better than I thought. “Nice to see you again, Quinn. How the hell you put up with Sophia and Heath all day, I’ll never know.”

She chuckles, shaking my hand. “Your guess is as good as mine. It’s been a wild ride so far this year.”

Sophia pokes her in the stomach. “Hey!” She gives us both a fake pout and then gestures to Madison, whose pale skin has flushed pink from her neck to her cheeks. “And this is Madison. She’s our librarian.” Sophia winks at me, making me assume she’s already heard from Heath that I was asking about her.

Fucking hell, Heath. He wasn’t supposed to have said anything to Sophia. So much for just casually mentioning that I’d seen his fiancée with a new friend—a friend I happened to know. I didn’t mean for him to actually say anything to Sophia, knowing how she delights in her matchmaking talents.

I hadn’t been asking for a reintroduction. I’d just been … curious about the girl I used to know. My former best friend’s ex. I’d do well to remind myself that this is the girl Chase had boasted he was going to marry … that is, until he screwed things up so badly. Total idiot.

As I look into Madison’s bold jade-green eyes and hold out my hand, my throat goes dry. She’s even more gorgeous now. She accepts my handshake with a cautious grin. Some unknown feeling hits me square in the chest when our hands connect. I blow out a quick breath and try to follow the conversation, even though my thoughts have scattered in a dozen different directions.

Her shoulders lift to her ears and she giggles—a sound so pure, it works its way inside me, warming me to my very soul. “Shawn and I actually know each other already, Sophia. Sorry to burst your matchmaking bubble.”

Caught by surprise, laughter barks out of me. “I see you are getting acquainted with the meddling woman who has weaseled her way back into my brother’s heart.”

Sophia looks from Madison to me and back to her again. “Well, I thought it was worth a shot with your little issue, Madi.”

“Thanks, but I used to date his friend.” Madison wraps an arm around Sophia, and I notice the two of them sway on their feet just a tiny bit. Hmm. Maybe it’s time for some water.

“Right.” I have no idea what to make of her comment, but I need to talk about something else. I jerk a thumb toward the bar. “Why don’t you all come sit over at the bar with me. I assume you’re waiting on Heath?”

They nod and follow me over, each taking a seat on a stool. Madison sits directly in front of me. I don’t bother asking, but pour a glass of water for each of them and slide the drinks across the bar.

There’s something that I’ve only admitted to myself—I’d wished, more than once, that it had been me dating Madison instead of Chase. But she’d been one hundred thousand percent off limits as my best friend’s girl.

Back then I still had eyes and a brain, so I couldn’t help but see Madison and appreciate her beauty, inside and out. It hadn’t been easy for me to hang out with the two of them feeling as I had, but I’d done it.

Fortunately for me, it hadn’t been long after she and Chase had gotten together that I’d met and started dating Dana. She’d provided the distraction I’d needed from the growing, unrequited, impossible feelings I’d developed for Madison.

There’d been a few times we’d gone out for drinks as a foursome, and I remember many of the conversations I’d had with Madison revolving around her trying to find a job. She’d just finished up her degree in library science and had struggled to find an open position. I remember thinking it had been adorable how excited she’d been when she landed the job as the librarian at the high school.

I study Madison for a second, bits and pieces of memories bombarding me. My favorite is a night out at a karaoke bar when she’d sung numerous times. Her voice might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I’d listened with my eyes closed as her dreamy, breathy voice had flowed over me like thick honey.

My attention returns to the three ladies, who alternately seem to be steadying each other on their seats. One of my favorite parts of my job is observing people and their interactions. I can’t even help but be amused by these three. I’ve always found women to be more interesting to study after they’ve had a few drinks because they are each so different.

For instance, Quinn has come completely out of her shell, talking and laughing, and seems younger than the quiet, in-control woman who had come in earlier. Sophia, aw, hell. Sophia isn’t that different yet, but just wait. If she gets too much further into her cups, she’ll mistake me for Heath. She has the world’s best alcohol goggles ever. And then there’s Madison. I eye her for a moment—she’s totally not paying attention to me. In fact, she’s turned quiet and introspective. Sure, she smiles and laughs when it’s appropriate, but I can see the gears in her head working so hard that she has smoke coming out of her ears. Each woman is completely unique in her personality, as is the change brought on with alcohol consumption.

Men? We’re easy. We think with our dicks half the time as is. Then we get drunk and think solely with our dicks. And then we act like dicks. And then everything goes all to hell from there, which is why bar fights break out. That’s my theory, anyway, based on years of research and observation from behind the bar.

The bell above the door jingles and in walks Heath with my niece, five-year-old Ava, in his arms. “There’s Fia now, see?”

Sophia turns on her stool, hops down, and bends over, holding her arms out to Ava as Heath sets her on her feet. “Hey, pumpkin! How are you?”

My heart squeezes in my chest. Someday. Someday I’ll have that.

“I’m good, Fia. Daddy says I just have one more day of school and then Santa’s coming!” She gives Sophia a big grin, several of her teeth adorably missing.

Sophia smiles right back at her and delivers a peck to her little nose. “Yep, soon. Santa’s coming soon.”

Heath looks up at me with a quick flash of a grin as he looks at the line up in front of me. “How’d things go tonight, ladies?”

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