Page 79 of Betting on the Bad Boy

Hard... so incredibly hard. “You have no idea.”

I took another gulp of my beer. It felt good to finally talk to someone about him, like a little weight shifted off my shoulders. Could I trust Jess with the whole story?

“It’s complicated. I don’t have time for a relationship. I don’t want to start something. I like my life the way it is.”

“Sometimes things have a way of starting, even when you try like hell to prevent it.” Jess raised her beer in a toast. “Here’s to you. You go, girl. I hope you get exactly what you need out of whatever you want to call whatever it is that’s going on betweenthe two of you.” She tossed back her head and polished off her drink. Then she turned on her stool and raised her glass toward Dante. “Bartender? Another round, please.”

“Be right there,” he called back.

I took another swig of my beer and set it down on the bar. “I take it you’re not ready to go yet?”

“And miss out on watching you with your panties all in a wad? No way!”

Dante walked back behind the bar and filled up another glass for Jess. “How are you doing?” he asked me.

“Great, just great.” I glanced over at Jess, but she was busy texting.

“Hey, Faith, good news.” She looked up from her phone. “Jake’s going to meet us here.”

“I thought you guys broke up?”

Jess shrugged. “On again, off again. Even I can’t keep up. He probably had to listen to his mom ask about me the whole time he was home for Christmas. She loves me, y’know.”

I rolled my eyes. “I thought I was taking you home from the airport. Now it’s turning into a party?”

“You got a problem with parties?” Jess asked. “Let’s go shoot some pool.” She grabbed me by the arm as she made an unsteady dismount from her stool.

I shrugged at Dante and grabbed my beer as Jess tugged me toward the pool table. The guys had wrapped up their game, and the table sat wide open. Jess racked the balls, and I studied the sticks lining the wall. I picked one, chalked it, and lined up to break. I got lucky, sending two solids and one stripe into the pockets.

“Solids, I guess.”

“Freaking pool shark. I don’t know why I even bother to play.” Jess bent down to judge the angle she’d need to send thetwelve ball into the side pocket. She lined up and took her shot, missing it by a good three inches. “Dammit.”

By the time I had run the table, Jake arrived. I walked back to the bar, my empty glass in my hand.

“How about another?” Dante asked.

“I’d better not. I need to drive home.”

“Aw, come on.” Jess flung her arm around my shoulder. “It’s New Year’s. Jake here can drive us home, right?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

“Okay.”

Dante slid another beer in front of me. This one in a tall glass mug with a handle. “A tall. On the house this time.”

“Thanks.”

“Let’s shoot some darts. Come on, Faith.” Jess grabbed her freshly poured beer off the bar and walked to the back of the room where the electronic dartboards lined the wall. She dug a few quarters out of her purse and slipped them into the slot.

The three of us played three games of cricket. I kept busting, so Jake won a round, and surprisingly, Jess won two.

Looked like Jake and Jess were definitely heading back on again. They were being pretty flirty with each other. Nothing like being a third wheel. I excused myself to the bathroom, then walked back to the bar to grab a glass of water. As Dante filled a plastic cup for me, Jess sent me reeling with a hip bump from behind.

“Hey, I just lost a bet, so Jake’s going to drive me home.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.