Page 17 of A Dye Hard Holiday

“He sent a text and said he would be a few minutes late because he needed to pick up his date,” I told them.

“Date?” Mere and Chaz asked at the same time.

“Since when is he dating someone?” Chaz followed up.

“I thought he was too infatuated with Wren to even see anyone else. Wren left town for the weekend so we know it’s not him,” Mere added thoughtfully. “Who else could it be? Memphis is already here. Beefcake Andy?”

“Better not be,” Chaz said with widened eyes. Kyle still didn’t like Andy anywhere near his man.

“We’re running out of eligible gay bachelors,” Mere said.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if his date was—”

“No!” I said, cutting Chaz off. “That would not be funny at all.”

“Maybe not to you, but the rest of us would sure as hell enjoy the show,” he fired back.

I looked to Meredith for help but she was too busy laughing. Luckily for them, I blew off his remark because I knew it was his writer’s creative imagination at work. There was no way the universe was mean enough to play a trick like that on me, right? Of course not. Don’t be silly.

“Maybe he and Wren finally decided to quit circling each other and Wren decided to stay in town after all,” Chaz offered as an alternate theory.

“That would be much better,” I replied, crossing my fingers and toes that it would be so. The two men were as opposite as night and day, but there was an undeniable spark when they were in the same room. In fact, I wanted it to be true so bad that I half convinced myself that Chaz was right. I imagined the two fellas deciding to quit fucking around and start…fuckingaround.

Dare still hadn’t shown up by the time dinner was ready, so I figured he changed his mind or something came up. I set out all the food and desserts buffet style while Gabe refilled drinks. We had just sat down to say grace after loading our plates to maximum capacity when the front door opened.

“Sorry that I’m late,” Dare apologized. “I had a bit of car trouble.”

“Where’s your date?” Chaz asked.

“Oh, he’s outside taking a call. He said that he’ll be right in.” No sooner had the words left Dare’s mouth, the front door opened again. The cold breeze that entered our house with the new arrival was nothing compared to the icy chill that worked its way down my spine.

I heard a deep, rumbling growl from beside me. I wished I could say it was Buddy making a fuss, but it was my husband. “What’shedoing here?”

I squeezed Gabe’s thigh beneath the table. “Baby, I had no idea.”

“Get rid of him,” he said between gritted teeth.

I wasn’t sure how to do that without looking like a complete dick to my friends, family, and my employees who had joined us. I thought that making a big deal over his arrival was the worst thing I could do. Trent looked at me and smiled crookedly. Did he enjoy riling up my husband? Did he have a death wish? I saw Gabe lean in Jon’s direction and worried that he was hiring a hit.

“Everyone, this is Trent,” Dare said, gesturing his hand between Trent and the rest of us. He was completely unaware of the tension he had created with his guest, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Trent looked over the food on display and said, “Oh, damn. I was hoping you made that amazing apple pie for dessert, Josh.”Yep, the dumb fuck had a death wish.

IKNEW DAMN WELLthat Josh hadn’t been a virgin when we met, but neither was I. We each had lovers in our pasts and neither of us owed an apology for the choices we made before we knew the other existed. It wasn’t rational to be so angry about the other guy’s existence, but I was furious. I hated the idea of that fucking prick touching Josh or making him come, but I couldn’t really pitch too much of a fit with my ex-boyfriend—the one I had moved to Blissville to be with—sitting at our dinner table with us. But, there were two big differences between Kyle and Trent: Kyle was invited, and the gleam in Trent’s eyes said he was there to start trouble. If it was trouble he wanted; then it was trouble he would get. But first…

“You made himmyapple pie?” I asked Josh, whose face was almost devoid of color. “Myapple pie?” Okay, so I was irrational and slightly insane. I felt the eyes of our guests jockeying back and forth between me and the newcomer.

“Baby, it wasn’tyourapple pie when I made it for him,” Josh said calmly. On some level, I realized he was right, but I felt as if Trent had walked into my house and kicked me in the nuts. Trust me, a man takes exception to that!

I stood up from my chair, tossed my napkin on the table, and pointed to Dr. Dickhead. “You come with me.”

“Gabe, please…” Josh’s hand snagged my wrist before I could leave the table.

I looked down at his face and saw the silent plea in the hazel eyes I adored. I pulled his hand to my lips for a kiss. “I won’t be long, Sunshine.” I glanced back at the doctor who wasn’t looking quite as smug as when he first walked through the door. “With me.” I turned and headed toward the kitchen, knowing that he’d either willingly follow me or I’d drag him by the scruff of his fucking neck. I’ll give him credit though; he didn’t make me wait long.

“Do you realize whose house you’re standing in, Trent? Can I call you Trent?”

“Uh, sure.”