Page 12 of Haven

“Hey,” I answer. “Don’t look at us. We planned the perfect party. It’s not our fault Maverick tried to get the pony to trot into the lake.”

“I swear to God, my sons are terrors.” Lenny gulps half the damn glass, then moves next to Jules. Both women eye me deviously, like those two creepy Siamese cats fromLady and The Tramp. “Stop evading, Ashlyn. Who’s the stallion?”

“Why are you askingme? Maybe Jules is calling your brother a stallion,” I giggle and lick the rim of my glass. Damn. This is good. “I mean, you were just telling me—”

Lenny slaps her hand over my mouth to shut me up, so I lick her palm.

“Eww.” She pulls it away and wipes it on her shorts.

“I’m not talking about Becks.” Jules’s smile grows ridiculously wide. “However, I am talking aboutsomeone’sbrother.” She places her empty glass back on the counter, then dumps way too much tequila into the pitcher. She swooshes the pitcher a little, then refills her glass and tops mine off.

Lenny holds out her glass, clearly having a case of FOMO while she makes an ick face at the thought of Becket being a stallion. It only takes a moment before her gray-blue eyes grow wide and her entire body vibrates. “Holy shit.”

She looks from me to Jules with her lips pulled so tight, it looks painful. “Are you finally dating someone?”

“Jesus, Len.” Jules takes Lenny’s half-empty glass out of her hand. “You’ve clearly had too much already if I have to spell this out for you.”

Lenny pouts and eyes her glass longingly. “Have you dated at all since Dad died, Ash?”

I take another big gulp and this time enjoy the way my entirely too strong margarita burns my throat. And feel utterly embarrassed by the answer.

One more gulp, and I look up with humiliation thrumming through my veins, and whisper, “No.”

“Not at all?” Len pushes and snatches her glass back from Jules.

Fuck this.

I finish my glass and slam it down a little too hard on the granite counter. “No. Not at all. Happy?”

“She never dated before your dad either,” Jules adds, and if looks could kill, I’d be going to jail. Pretty sure I could rock an orange jumpsuit. Not so sure I’d do well as someone’s bitch though.

“I told you that in confidence,” I snap.

“Wait...” Lenny pulls herself up to sit on her brother’s counter, then leans back so she can see the door to the backyard, making sure we’re alone. Once she’s satisfied it’s just us, her eyes sparkle with a Machiavellian twinkle. “I’m going to ask you something...” Then she mutters, “I kinda can’t believe I’m going to ask this.”

“Then please God, don’t,” I tell her.

Hell, I beg.

“Sorry, Ashlyn. This is like a trainwreck I can’t look away from. I need to know.”

“Eleanor. You just compared my life to a trainwreck.” I brace myself for the blow that’s about to come. Meanwhile, Juliette kicks off her heels and pulls herself up next to Len. Damn it. These two. Fucking Siamese cats. The hairless little fuckers.

“Ashlyn...” At least Len has the good sense to lower her damn voice. “Have you had sex with anyone since my dad?”

And there it is.

Lenny was a few years younger than me when I married her father. We never really became close until I made her best friend my business partner. Somehow, I was lucky enough to be welcomed into their little twosome, and the three of us have been close since. But still... Some things don’t need to be discussed.

I choose to take another drink and not answer her, and the two of them gasp in sync.

But it’s Jules who lands the kill shot.

“Wait... wait, wait, wait. Have you ever had sex with anyone besides John Kingston?”

My eyes fly up to hers, and I open my mouth to answer, but no words come out. Instead, I pull up a stool next to the two troublemakers and sigh as I shake my head no.

“But Madeline is fifteen,” Lenny gasps, utterly horrified.

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