Page 48 of Good at Being Bad (Rock Canyon, Idaho 8)

“You’re right,” he said suddenly. “Things just started getting good between us, despite a few little hiccups. Why ruin it when we both know it will never work?”

Hearing him say the words out loud hurt, but he was just being honest. Mike was different. He was looking for the real deal, and that wasn’t her.

“Exactly, so we’re on the same page. I’ll keep helping you find someone, and you help me clean up my reputation.”

“Absolutely,” he said, with his hands in his pockets. “I should get you back to your car so you can go to work.”

Mike walked past her and she followed behind, her stomach tied up in knots. If they were both right, and acting on their attraction was wrong, then why was she so disappointed?

Later that night, Ellie was mixing drinks for a couple at the bar who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Every time she looked up, they had their tongues down each other’s throats.

It was gross. It was annoying.

Ellie hated the fact that she was jealous of them.

She wanted someone serious, for once. She wanted someone who was hers alone, a guy she could kiss and hug and touch whenever she wanted.

She set the two drinks down in front of them and cleared her throat. “Ten bucks.”

The guy set twelve on the bar and went back to playing tonsil hockey with his girlfriend.

With a roll of her eyes, she took the bills and went to add them to the till. When she turned around, she saw Mike walk in with Drew, Travis Bowers, Chase Trepasso, and her brother-in-law, Gabe Moriarty. Ellie almost laughed as the group of them together turned every woman’s head in the bar, even the ones currently taken.

She couldn’t blame them. All of the guys were hot, but her gaze kept straying to Mike. The five of them took a table at the edge of the dance floor and she smoothed back her hair as she came around the end of the bar toward them.

She stopped right behind Mike and when Gabe caught sight of her, he smiled, the white of his teeth flashing in his dark face.

“Hey, El. Didn’t realize you were working tonight.”

“I traded with Simone so she could have the night off. Are you guys getting drinks or a thirteen-dollar pitcher of beer?”

“I’m good with beer,” Chase said.

The rest of them murmured their agreement, and Ellie nodded. “I’ll be back with your pitcher, then.”

She walked away, ignoring Eric’s curious gaze. She normally didn’t leave the bar to take orders, but hopefully he would just think it was because of Gabe, who was family, and had nothing to do with her protégé.

“You don’t have to bring those back to the table.”

Mike’s deep voice startled her and she almost dumped the pitcher on the ground. She turned around, disgruntled, and set it on the counter. “It was fine. I was just saying hi.”

“To who? Me?”

She didn’t like the way he was grinning at her, or his ability to read her mind. “You wish. I was saying hi to my brother-in-law. You know, the future father of my niece.”

“My mistake.” She set the mugs on the bar and before he picked it all up, he set a twenty-dollar bill on the bar.

“I’ll get your change,” she said.

“Keep it.” His brown eyes met hers and she could have sworn they actually smoldered. “Have a good night, Ellie.”

She watched him head back to the table, looking too good in his new T-shirt and jeans.

Before long, Ellie was slammed with customers, but her gaze kept straying to the table. Women were flocking to the group of men, but before long, Travis, Chase, and Gabe headed home, leaving Drew and Mike alone to handle the ladies.

Ellie noticed that the blonde from last week was among the women surrounding Mike, and when she sat down next to him, Ellie tried not to grit her teeth. This was exactly what was supposed to happen. It was the goal of all of this. She was helping Mike get a girl and keep her.

Except, Ellie wanted to be the girl stroking Mike’s arm and smiling coyly at him.

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