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She glances back. “Don’t worry, Iknow not to be a third wheel.”
****
I can’t believe Roxie has set meup. Mindy’s quite pretty and probably fun, but I’m having a hardtime focusing on what she’s saying. My eyes keep darting toward thebar, where Joe massages Liz’s shoulders, and Roxie is next to them,closer to me. She faces away from the bar, her elbows leaningagainst it, one knee raised, foot resting on the ring of abarstool. She’s people-watching, talking, and laughing. She looksrelaxed, like I haven’t seen her in weeks, and I feel a pang ofsadness that she’s no longer like that around me.
I consider her profile, with herlong nose and her stubborn chin, her sensitive neck, her breastswith dark brown nipples, her strong legs and spectacular ass. Ireally should have spent more time on her ass before I freaked outand put a stop to the whole thing. Why exactly did I do it? At thetime, I thought it would protect our friendship, until Roxie wasready to see us as something more. But according to Joe, it wasalways going to be more, I would never be irrelevant to her, so Iblew everything up for no reason. Or for a reason that he says ismine alone. I want to say I have no idea what he was talking about,but a tiny, very faint voice somewhere deep inside me whispers,Liar. You know why.
Roxie is scanning people in thebar. Even though I can’t stop staring, like a goddamn psychopath,somehow she never meets my gaze, which tells me she’s very aware ofwhere I am and avoids looking at me on purpose. Which means she’snot as indifferent as she’s pretending to be.
I try to listen to Mindy, who istelling me something about a recent case she’s assisting on. Ishould really pay attention, as this is right up my alley, and Igive it the old college try. She is cute and bubbly andgesticulates a lot, and her reddish hair goes really well with herdress.
But I am only halfway listeningbecause I keep glancing toward the bar—
Which is why I see a very tall,very handsome guy in a polo shirt and khakis flashing hisblindingly white teeth as he approaches Roxie. She smiles back andtosses her hair, and her hips reposition ever so slightly, tiltingtoward him, and I fucking see red.
Oh, no, you don’t.
I get up and offer my hand to theslightly confused young woman across the table. She really islovely, but she’s not for me. Not when blood whooshes in my ears atthe thought of Polo Mountain putting on moves, or any part of hisbody, on Roxie.
“Come on, Mindy, let’s go join theothers,” I say. “I’m not the greatest company tonight, and yourdress is too pretty not to be admired.”
She smiles brightly and gives meher hand, and we walk through the crowd.
I park at the bar, right next toRoxie, and leave Mindy beside Polo Mountain. He and Mindy quicklysize each other up, and they both light up like Christmas trees.Bingo! They are exactly what the other one wanted.
Roxie does the introductionshalf-heartedly—Polo Mountain’s name is Derek, which is very fittingand which I look forward to forgetting forever—but Mindy and Derekare so enraptured with each other that they barely pay attention toRoxie or me. It’s not long before he offers to get Mindy a drinkand a place to sit down, and they’re off.
“Thanks for cock-blocking me,Dunn,” Roxie says, but she doesn’t seem upset, mostly amused. “Isend you a nice, cute girl and buy you drinks, and this is how yourepay me?”
“Seems like I did you a favor.Them, too.”
“Yeah, shocker. Dude startsdrooling over Pastel Pixie.”
“Polo Mountain.”
“What?”
“Polo Mountain drools over PastelPixie.”
Roxie chortles and spits out someof her beer, then smacks me on the shoulder.
“If the stain doesn’t come out,you’re paying for this shirt, Dunn.”
I smile. “I will. It was worth it,though. To see you laughing and giving me shit like you usedto.”
Her face turns serious.“Chris—”
“Look, I know you don’t wanna talkabout it. And I know you’re not angry, but hurt. But I promise Ithought I was being valiant… Or something.”
She looks at me seriously, but notunkindly.
I lean toward her so she can hearme better, which is a terrible idea for me because she smellsphenomenal, and it’s a combo of her hair products, which Irecognize, and a perfume, which I do not, and… Where the hellwas I?
“Look, Rox, I talked to Joe… “
“You talked to Joe?”
“Well, yeah. A bit. Didn’t youtalk to Liz?”
