Page 52 of False Start

“I have to tell you, we were all a little shocked to hear Kyle was bringing someone with him,” Julep said, calling my attention back to the girls. “This is the first time he’s introduced us to a girlfriend.”

“That’s because it’s the first time he’shadone,” Riley chimed in with a smirk.

The comment sent a mixture of emotions through me. I hated the first thing I felt, a lash of jealousy thinking about the women he’d been with, the parade of them he’d likely had in his bed throughout the years.

But the next sensation was a distinct and penetrating sadness, knowing how alone he must have been to have behaved that way in the first place.

Riley put her arm around me, leading me toward the lobby bar. “I heard you grew up together. We should swap stories. You tell me all the embarrassing ones from high school, and I’ll tell you about the time he had to shave my name into his head.”

“That game was rigged!” Kyle yelled from behind us, which made all the girls laugh.

Then, they were threading their arms with me and with each other, and we strolled up to the bar like a burlesque troupe.

I was quiet while they ordered us drinks, Giana promising me I would love the fruity gin one she was having the virgin version of. I’d forgotten she was pregnant until that comment, and I noticed then that she had a little bump under the flared, plaid skirt she wore.

My chest hurt a bit as I stood there watching them all, the way they so easily laughed and joked with each other. I could tell they were best friends.

I’d never had anything like that.

“So, how did you and Kyle meet exactly?” Julep asked once we all had cocktails.

I cleared my throat, stirring mine. “We went to high school together.”

“I heard you were his babysitter,” Mary said, tilting her martini glass toward me. “I’ve had that job before, too. We can commiserate.”

“Babysitter?” Julep asked.

“Long story short, his parents didn’t trust him after a massive party he threw his freshman year, and they offered to pay me to basically keep him in line. I’m only a couple years older than he is,” I said.

“Oh, God. I bet hehatedthat,” Riley said. “I can picture him throwing fits.”

“He was an absolute horror the first month or so,” I confirmed, and I didn’t know why, but a smile spread on my face as I took a sip of my drink. “Although, I think he secretly liked when I bossed him around.”

“That tracks,” Mary said. “He called me daddy when I lived with him.”

I nearly spit out my drink. “Lived with him?”

“Against my will, trust me,” she said. “Long story short, I had no place to live, and the guys let me stay at The Pit for a while.”

“Okay, but can we get back to the most important question here,” Giana said, waving her friend off. Her eyes lit with excitement when she turned to me. “How did you reconnect? How long have you been dating?”

“Yeah, and how do you put up with the smell of his cleats?” Riley added.

I laughed with the rest of them, even as my heart started pounding in my chest.

Kyle and I hadn’t talked about any of this. We hadn’t made a plan.

I didn’t want to say anything different than what he might be telling the guys right now, so I tried to get as close to the truth as possible.

“I showed him a house. I’m a real estate agent in Seattle. We went to dinner to catch up and…” I shrugged. “Here we are.”

“Second-chance!” Giana said on a dreamy sigh. “I love that one.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Sorry about G. She can’t help but romanticize everything, due to her consuming approximately four smutty books a day.”

“If you’re looking for recommendations, I have a Spicy Books for Beginners list,” Giana said to me with a wink.

“So, you’re in real estate?” Julep asked. “I have an unhealthy addiction to home renovation shows. What made you get into the business?”