Page 60 of Smoke Show

Gwen bit her lip. "Maybe."

Zander looked to Ivan. "Bro, help me out here."

Ivan shook his head. "Don't look at me. I'm a happily married man.And I want to stay that way."

"Pussy," Zander grumbled under his breath, glaring at his brother. "You're no fun since you got married."

"Correction: I'm havingallthe fun since I got married.You'rethe one missing out. Best correct that."

"No, thanks."

"I dunno, Z. The bachelor auction is right around the corner. It might be your only chance."

Zander's expression crumpled into a long-suffering one. "Don't remind me."

"Hey, now. Eve has worked hard on that event. Show some respect," I said.

Zander rolled his eyes at me. "You're just saying that because your girlfriend is going to bid on you. You've got no skin in the game. Same with mister married here," he said, thumbing toward Ivan. "The rest of us poor schmucks are anyone's game."

Feeling smug, I nodded. "Yep."

Izzy leaned into Ivan, whispering in his ear. From the way his eyes darkened at whatever she said, he looked perfectly content with his marriage.

Ivan cleared his throat. "Hey gang, we're going to head out. Congrats again, Eve and Brady – great show."

Ivan's long stride ate up the space between them and the door. He practically carried Izzy along in his eagerness.

Zander shook his head and dropped his chin, looking dejected.

"What's wrong, Nemitz?" Gwen asked.

He heaved a heavy sigh. "They were my ride."

Gwen laughed, the sound erupting from her in a good-natured chuckle. "Serves you right."

"Gwenie, will you drop me off at home? Please?" Zander turned on the charm.

Eve's hand slipped into mine, and I squeezed it, avoiding her gaze so I wouldn't laugh.

It'd be funny if it weren't so sad. I'd never met two such hard-headed people. Gwen categorically refused to admit that she was attracted to Zander, choosing to publicly eviscerate him on her billboard instead of just asking the poor man out. To be fair, Zander was every bit as much of a fool, stubbornly spurning treating Gwen with anything but suspicion or ill-hidden awe. Like she was too good for him. And maybe she was, if he couldn't pull his head out of his ass long enough to realize that she was right there in front of him, totally free and single, and already half in love with his fool ass.

Growing up with both of them, it was hard to ignore the sparks that flew when they were together. For a long time, Zander had dated Maya, the closest thing to a rival Gwen had in our grade. It'd begun the divide between them, and I had a sneaking suspicion my friendship with Gwen had driven the wedge deeper. Zander treated me like we were a couple, even though we'd never so much as kissed. Gwen was like a sister to me. She'd kept me sane in the wake of Joe's death, and I owed her. I'd never repay her by betraying her confidence, but part of me wanted to lock them in a room together to see if we could knock some sense into them. Even I was growing exhausted with the way they circled each other, parrying and thrusting, simultaneously looking to score and afraid of hurting the other.

Gwen's eyes lit with mischief as she considered Zander's request. "I'll make you a deal. If you rip out the bamboo along our property line, I'll drop you off at home."

“You act like planting that shit was the worst mistake a man could make,” he complained.

Gwen lifted one shoulder. “I can think of a few others you’ve made.”

Something sizzled in Zander's gaze as he contemplated her offer. "Fine. If you want the bamboo gone, it’s gone. But will you help me?"

Gwen practically preened under his request. Only Gwen would get excited about yard work. Then again, she was a one-woman campaign against invasive species. Zander had planted a line of bamboo as a natural fence between Sprouts & Sprigs and Nemitz Construction not long after he took over the business from his dad. To say Gwen reacted poorly was a major understatement.

"Done," Gwen said.

Glad she'd saved me from volunteering to drop Zander at home, we wished them a good night. Slowly, the auditorium emptied, and I chased out a couple of stragglers making out in a corner before locking up.

"You're awfully quiet," I said as we pulled up in front of my house. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked as I unlocked my front door, ushering her in out of the cold.

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