Page 76 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

It was some sort of strange mind control again!He didn’t even like the woman all that much.She was a hypocrite, getting upset with him for not revealing his princely title.

But nobody is perfect, he reasoned.Maybe he had simply come to like her as a friend, despite her many faults.

“...and that was when I got into more realistic photography,” his date, the woman in the cardigan, blathered on.“I have to show you these pictures of snails I took.They’re fascinating!”

“So, what’s your favorite pastry?”Luke suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” she said indifferently, “Danish, maybe.”

“This is not going to work at all.I find myself extremely bored.”He stood up abruptly and left, ignoring the woman as she gaped in outrage.A clean break was always better, he believed.

Luke paid the bill on his way out but did not look back at the woman.

He decided to call his male friends instead.Most of the guys he was hanging out with that fateful evening when Hallie had picked him up were already out on the town, and it wasn’t long before he found himself in a crowded bar enjoying a cool beer with his pals.

“We haven’t seen you around in a while,” Rick, one of his most reliable drinking buddies, said.

“Yeah,” Connor joined in.“I thought you got kidnapped by those two smoking hot babes!Whatever happened with them?”

Yeah, what did happen?Luke wondered.Maybe he had gone too far, blaming Hallie for his accident.In fact, if he really thought about it, he shouldn’t have done it.It was kind of messed up.But he hated to admit he was wrong.

There would always be other ladies, he thought as he downed another glass of beer.

***

BEING BACK HOME WASputting Hallie into a depressing state of déjà vu.

Everything seemed to go back to normal.Her parents didn’t even give her as many important tasks.They probably thought she wasn’t mature after all since she had chosen a boyfriend stupid enough to ride a wild horse and break all the bones in his body.

“How is your boyfriend, sweetheart?”her mama asked one day over breakfast.

It had been three days since that upsetting talk in the hospital, and Luke hadn’t called her at all.He probably went back to work and forgot about her.

“I don’t know,” Hallie shrugged.“We haven’t talked much since he’s gone back to work.”

“Did you break up?”Terry asked with poorly suppressed eagerness.

“No, he’s just busy,” Hallie said despondently.

Maybe she was going to go through life this way now, lying her way from one situation to another.

“Is everything okay?”Vivian asked, picking up on Hallie’s low vibe.“Did you two have a fight?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m sure if you call him, you’ll feel better,” Vivian said in a reassuring, motherly tone.

Hallie muttered something and made an excuse to leave the table.

Of course she wouldn’t feel better.Talking to Luke would involve more of his stupid smugness, and Hallie had had just about enough from him.But now Terry was getting smug too!

Hallie needed to decide whose smugness was worse, and quickly.

She drove to the Lonesome Cactus that evening, looking for some relief.It was always comforting to be in the relaxed atmosphere of the bar, and a few people she knew would likely be there.

Easy rock was playing in the neon-lit space, but customers were few.Hallie went up to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila.

“To drown your sorrows?”the bar tender asked.She was a tall woman with massive biceps, and Hallie was pretty sure she was the one who snitched on her to Terry.