Page 1 of Saving Sarah (Blissful Bets)

Chapter 1

The crowded Cajun restaurant grew louder the moment Sarah spied Evelyn, Julie, Melissa, and their newest friend, Natalie, walk in. For over a year now, the four of them, minus the new brunette, met here for lunch. It was the place where they could relax, be their crazy selves, and also the place where the game Bets came to life. The game itself blossomed into a whole new reason to look forward to the weekends. All thanks to Evelyn.

Out of pure boredom, her genius friend came up with a way to distract themselves until the hot guys came to the island for Spring Break. Now, weeks later, and with the holiday over, Evelyn was officially tied down with two men. She’d conveniently replaced herself in their little game with Natalie, a girl Sarah didn’t know.

Even though she had met the brunette on occasion, this technically was their first lunch together. The girl’s beauty made pretty sound plain, but she couldn’t be a day over twenty-five. At thirty-two, Sarah was the oldest out of all the girls. Melissa wasn’t that far behind her. For some reason, age had recently started to become a major factor in her everyday thoughts. Even Bets wasn’t helping anymore. What would the girls say if they knew she hadn’t completed a single one since Evelyn got shacked up?

“I told you Sarah would already be here. How did the sale go, honey?”

Hugging Evelyn, she smiled as they all sat down. “It went smoothly. The clients absolutely adored the house. How was your day? I noticed you weren’t in the office for very long.”

Her friend’s pale face blushed before she quickly looked down. “Yeah, well, I had a trouble leaving the house once I went back to grab my phone.”

All the girls started laughing, and Sarah couldn’t help but shake her head in humor. “I can’t believe they even let you out of the house. Brandon and Stephen pretty much have you locked down as their love slave.”

“If I had two men that looked like that, I’d lock myself in,” Melissa said, laughing.

“The usual, ladies?”

Sarah turned to see the petite, blonde waitress standing next to her.

“Natalie, they pretty much have us memorized here. What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll just have what you all are having.”

“All right, ladies, I’ll have your drinks and food out shortly.”

They all watched the waitress leave, and, in sync, they all turned back to Evelyn. “So spill, earlier you said you had some interesting news. I want to know what it is.”

A hint of a smile crossed Ev’s face. She brushed her black hair back over her shoulder while she leaned forward. “Stephen tells me some of his friends are coming in from out of town. Supposedly, Brandon knows them too, but from what I hear they’re very unattached. And, from the pictures Stephen showed me, they’re jaw-dropping gorgeous. Now, for the fifty-million-dollar question. Who wants first dibs?”

Every hand at the table rose. “I’m the oldest,” Sarah said, smiling, “I get first pick.”

“Okay, but don’t worry, ladies. From what I’ve been told, there’s a total of five.” Evelyn paused while the waitress placed the drinks on the table and walked off.

“So what’s the occasion?” Julie asked, picking up her glass.

“Wedding ceremony,” Evelyn said, beaming. “You all know my friend Nicole. Well, she’s kind of getting married.”

“Kind of? To which one, Ayden or Trevor?” Sarah bit her lip trying to figure out her and her friend’s ménage relationships. She had no idea how they managed one man, let alone two.

“Both, love. That’s why I said kind of. She’s marrying both of them, but she’s taking Ayden’s last name since they met first.”

“Weird,” Melissa said, grabbing her drink. “No offense, Evelyn. I envy you. I just don’t understand the whole threesome thing. Isn’t there jealousy with the other partner? Do you have to plan around who and when they get time with you?”

“Not at all. I’ve never been happier. And I’m ecstatic for Nicole.”

The sound of Sarah’s phone ringing saved her from the fifty questions running through her mind. Looking at the number marked private on the caller ID, she quickly hit ignore and turned her phone on vibrate. There was only one person she knew that did that, and she wasn’t up for dealing with him right now. “Sorry, now where were we?”

“Who was that?” Evelyn said, peering over.

“No one, just a bet that doesn’t get the point. You know, I have no idea how he even got my number. How many times do you have to tell a guy no before he gets the picture that you’re not interested in going out again?”

“Too many,” Melissa said, rolling her eyes.

“Be careful. If you have any problems, call me. I’ll have Stephen pay him a visit. I’m sure a police officer showing up at the guy’s door will put a stop to it.”

“Thanks, Ev. But I’m sure he’ll eventually get bored and stop.”

The waitress walked up, delivering their food. Sarah immediately got lost in her thoughts. This guy was becoming a pain in her ass. This had gone on for months, and he definitely wasn’t getting the picture. Tom was one of her first bets, very good looking, but the last thing she needed was a relationship with an arrogant asshole. He carried himself well, could swim in the amount of money he hid in the bank, and completely turned her off with his overpowering personality.

In a daze, she finished off her food, oblivious to her surroundings. It wasn’t until Evelyn nudged her that she realized everyone quietly sat, staring at her.

“Sorry, what?”

“We were asking if you were going to the Martini Bar tonight. You know, it’s Bet Night.”

She looked at Melissa and tried to make herself smile. “Of course I am. Have you lost your mind? I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on a good-looking man all week.”

Laughing, they all stood and walked outside to their cars. Sarah ran her fingers along the roof of her red Corvette. A lot of people assumed things about her. No one knew the complete and honest truth about who she truly was. The girls thought she wanted some rich man to sweep her off her feet, but that wasn’t the case at all. A rich man taking care of her was the last thing she wanted. It was the whole reason why she had her friends target them for bets. Did they really take her for a woman who needed a man to take care of her? No, she’d taken care of herself too long to allow that.

Chapter 2

Sarah stood in the bathroom of her small one-bedroom apartment, the same one she’d had for the last ten years. Silence filled the enclosed space, threatening to suffocate her. Her platinum blonde hair hung in waves to her elbows as she took in her reflection. Overall, she looked good. The short, sexy, black dress gave off the impression of what she supposedly would be looking for, but she’d kill to throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Out of nowhere, she started shaking. Panic penetrated all the way to her bones. Her mind was screaming for her not to go out tonight. The air even felt electrically charged while she continued to take in her five-foot-eight-inch frame in the mirror. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. The last week had been full of panic attacks.

“It’s nothing. You’re going to be fine, Sarah. You worry too much, that’s all. Maybe you need this. What’s one guy? After tonight, you can take another break.” She looked at herself and laughed. “Great, now you’re talking to yourself. It’s only downhill from here.”

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