Page 52 of It's Not PMS, It's You

Barney lit up. “Seriously? I’ve been thinking about getting solar! Give me your card.”

Max glanced over at me, hesitated, then pulled out his wallet, giving Barney a card.

“Great! And I have something for you!” Barney pulled out his business card and handed it to Max.

Those big bright red letters printed on the front of the business card almost blinded me again.

“That’s me!” Barney gestured to the card. “The king of bagels. Plain, asiago, blueberry, sesame, onion, garlic, egg, you get the idea. Over seventeen varieties and ten different spreads, everything homemade. With three locations to serve you. Turn the card over!”

Here we go. The free bagel show.

Max flipped the business card over to the other side and nodded his approval of the frequent bagel bingeing program and the ten boxes that had an X stamped in the middle of them. “Thank you.”

Barney smiled. “Christmas came early. You’re welcome!”

Like a broken record.

“I’ll give you a call later after work to chat about the solar. Does five or six work for you?”

Max winced. “Oooh, can you make it tomorrow? I have bowling league with the boys tonight. First night of the new season. I can’t miss that.”

“Seriously? Lucky you. I used to bowl way back in the day. I had a pretty high average. Man, I miss those days.”

“What was your average?”

“Two hundred.”

Great.

Talking about bowling would rank up there with the boredom of the board meeting mixed with the pain of a root canal and a couple of slaps to the face.

I glanced back at the door, wondering if I should walk out right now.

Max nodded. “One of our guys had to drop off the team. You’re welcome to join us. We could use someone with your average.”

This can’t be happening.

Barney’s eyes lit up. “I wouldloveto! I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I can always make time for bowling. Hey, let me give you a dozen free bagels to show my appreciation. Maybe we can meet up for an early dinner before bowling, if you’re open.”

Max nodded. “I’d love to.”

I smirked. “You’re like two peas in a pod.”

“Good one!” Barney said, turning back to Max. “Let me show you what I’ve got, my friend.”

My friend? Just like that?

It looked like it was a match made in heaven.

Why am I even here?

There was no reason to be. Because it looked as if Max and Barney were going to be best buds. Which meant I would be seeing Barney again in the future on a regular basis if Max and I dated.

No freaking way in hell.

I would rather shave my legs with a cactus and then dip them in jalapeño juice.

Barney put his arm around Max and led him toward the display case like they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.