Page 27 of Never Quiet

“My nephew is fairly convinced you’re going to be married.”

“Ah. Yes. He’s quite the ladies’ man.”

“I should take lessons.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think you do alright.” The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to call them back. She looked away and quickly covered the slip. “Sterling uses passive blackmail and I have to do some fast talking to turn the tide in my favor. Definitely don’t do that as a grown man. It’s frowned upon.”

“Mandy…”

“Let’s not, Erick.” Swallowing, she said, “Tell me more about the new features you developed. I want to know everything.”

If all else fails, switch to science.

As Davis swam toward them, she asked cheerfully, “Did you solve the problem with the weight?”

“God. You two are nerding out again?” her best friend asked. “Can you turn it off for a damn minute?”

“Will do. I’m going to get drinks. I’ll be right back.” She stood and Erick grabbed her ankle. Startled, she realized he was looking at a deep green and purple bruise on the back of her calf. “Sparring.”

“Bullshit.” Davis laughed. “She totally whipped this guy’s ass yesterday. Shawn told me all about it on the way down. Total spy shit the way she did it, too.”

Erick slowly released her ankle. She said, “It’s not that interesting. I’ll be right back.”

Dropping a sundress over her one-piece bathing suit, she made a tray of drinks and grabbed a bowl of diced watermelon from the fridge she’d helped Chaz prep before he left that morning.

Wrapping her long braid into a coil, she tucked it in place. She grabbed her sunglasses and headed back outside.

Erick was gone.

She looked at Davis. “What happened?”

“He said he needed to grab something and ran around the side of the house to his place across the street.” Her friend winked. “You’re scrambling his brain.”

“Untrue.”

“Very true. I barely see you as female…”

“Wow, thank you, Davis.”

“But other dudes, they see you as the hottest female.” He shrugged. “Erick is in that category.”

She arched her brow. “Not in the category who doesn’t see me as a human?”

“Female. Of course you’re human!” He grabbed her in a head lock and gave her a smacking kiss on her temple. “I thought you were smart, kid.”

“Sometimes, I dislike you.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie.”

“Sterling! Watermelon?” He came running and stood beside the table, shaking his little butt to the music playing on the house system.

They sat under the umbrella of one of the patio tables and were laughing when Erick returned with a jar in his hand.

Choosing the chair on Mandy’s other side, he bent and lifted her heel to his thigh. Opening the jar, he rubbed a tingling ointment into her bruise.

“Erick…”

“Dakota and Chaz use this stuff to help fade bruises and get the blood flowing around it.” He rubbed it in fully and carefully put her foot back on the patio. Closing the jar, he sat back and stared at her.

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