Page 18 of Bad Boy for Hire

Lou and Elliott had carpooled from Lou’s beach house, which she’d kept to use as a workspace after moving in with Ant. The man was often running a blubbering chainsaw or a bandsaw, neither of which made for soothing background sounds for Lou’s writing.

“I don’t hate you,” May conceded.

Lisa did a lot of things without asking for permission, and rarely asked for forgiveness. But her time was coming. May planned on being there to watch it happen.

“I want a pile of cheese fries,” Elliott announced, opening the menu they all knew by heart.

“Deal.” Lou slapped her menu shut and set it aside. “Why are we sitting outside when Xavier is working the bar?”

Lisa scanned her menu. “He’s not working tonight. But he is here.”

“What? Where?” May looked around frantically.

“You owe me five dollars,” Lisa said to Elliott, who promptly paid her dues.

“We bet that you wouldn’t be able to keep your cool if you knew he was here on his day off.”

“I kept my cool,” May argued.

“‘What? Where?’” Lisa’s impersonation was over-the-top but not wholly inaccurate. Dammit. May hated being transparent.

“I don’t like when you two are in cahoots.” May narrowed her eyes at Lou. “Are you cahoot-ing with them as well?”

“Me? I don’t cahoot.” Lou tried feigning innocence, but May wasn’t buying it.

The patio door opened behind May, and she heard a familiar, gruff voice announce, “Evening, ladies.”

Xavier.

His voice skated down her spine and up again, covering her arms in chilly bumps beneath the sleeves of her cropped denim jacket.

“Oh, hello, Xavier.” Lisa sounded very much in the know. “Where are Ant and Brady?” She craned her neck, looking for them.

“They bumped into Griffin at the bar. I came to find a table before the place packed out.” He locked eyes with May, who chewed her lip.

“You’re the boss. Surely you can find a table, packed out or no,” May said.

He grinned.

Mercy. She hadn’t seen him in a week, and somehow, he’d become hotter.

“Griffin’s here?” Lisa curled her upper lip. Those two had a past, but whenever they were in the vicinity of each other, their issues appeared to be more present.

“Oh, come on Lisa. You can at least say hello,” May said sweetly.

“No, thanks.” Lisa hid her face behind her menu as the door opened and revealed not only Brady and Ant, but Griffin too. Ant and Brady stopped to kiss their ladies. Lisa and May received perfunctory pecks on the cheeks as well. Griffin, with his dark hair, shadow of a beard, and suit-sans-tie attire, was holding his own in the “hot” department. He lifted his chin in a casual hello.

Lisa rolled her eyes.

May smothered a smile. Those two.

“I’m going to order at the bar. Cheese fries and what else?” Lisa stood, apparently choosing to both run and hide.

“I’ll go with you.” Elliott stood next.

“Me too. May, want something?” Lou asked.

“You’re all leaving?” May, elbows propped on the table, turned her palms up to communicate What gives?