Page 6 of Bad Boy for Hire

“No hot men,” Lou and Lisa said in unison.

“He’s hot, nice, and a millionaire,” Lou added. “You could do far worse.”

“I have done far worse,” May countered.

“Fair.” Lou nodded.

“Okay, I’m off. Do what you do best, May. Enjoy yourself and flirt so hard that you break something. Not literally, of course. Careful climbing that hill.”

“I’m fine.” May took another hearty swig of the beer that was making her feel more carefree by the moment. Xavier’s new brew was tasty.

“What she should break is her bullshit dating rule,” Ant offered.

“That’s not bad advice.” Lisa pecked May’s cheek next, squeezed Ant’s biceps, and headed up the hill toward her car. Ant followed, taking her arm when he was close enough. The man was chivalrous to a fault.

“She’s right, you know,” Lou told May. “If you won’t allow yourself to have sex with him, at least enjoy the dopamine hit that comes from flirting. We are happy to give you a ride home. Or rather, Ant will, because I am going to have a few more of these. Let’s sit by the fire.” Lou took May’s hand and dragged her toward the fire bowl.

“Have a seat.” Lou gestured to one of two open chairs near the flames.

Suspicious, May narrowed her eyes. “Why? What’s going on?”

Lou reached into the cross-body bag slung across her chest and pulled out an envelope.

A very familiar envelope.

“That’s supposed to be on my countertop!” May snatched the wedding invitation from Lou’s hand. “I am going to strangle Lisa. Isn’t it a felony to steal someone’s mail?”

“Out of the mailbox, for sure. I think it’s regular theft if she takes it from your house.” Lou offered a wan smile, sitting when May sank into her own chair.

“A good question for Brady,” May mumbled, flipping the envelope over.

“It’s not open. Which, as you know, took a lot of self-restraint for Lisa.”

“Yes, she’s a saint.” May rolled her eyes.

“You could open it.”

“I don’t have to open it. I know what’s in here. Prescott’s sister Posy is getting married, and I am invited to the wedding.”

“And you haven’t opened it because…”

“Because I wanted to decide whether or not I was going before I opened it. My ex will be there. I can endure him for a few hours. His mom and sisters, however…”

“You don’t want to see them?”

“I do, and I don’t. They’re going to ask me why I don’t come around anymore. Or they’ll ask me to come around more. When I have had lunch with them, they try not to talk about Prescott, but of course they do. I need to close that chapter of my life. But they mean so much to me.”

“I get that.”

“And you know he’s going to have a date. She probably has a banging career and a stable family and a killer body.”

“You have two out of three of those things. An envious career and a killer body are both wins.” Lou offered a sympathetic, if wonky, smile. “Come on, girl! You’re braver than this.”

“I used to be,” May said with a small headshake.

“When is the wedding, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I received the invite a week ago. Probably a few months from now.”