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n. “Sometimes I think your rep as Stiletto’s sexpert is going to your head. Why would that be your first assumption?” Then she glanced at Grace. “Did you do it in the bathroom?”
“No! It was just lunch. And then … we just did this random brewery tour, and then grabbed wings at a pub. There was no sex, no kissing—not then, anyway, and—”
They all exchanged a glance, and Grace threw up her hands. “Stop doing that. Enough with the looks. Bring me into the loop here.”
“Well, it’s just that I don’t know what’s more baffling,” Riley said. “The fact that you kissed him and didn’t tell us about it, or the fact that you ate wings. Your mother would probably faint.”
Grace waved all of this away. “So am I agreeing to dinner or not?”
“Do you want to have dinner with him?”
Yes. And I want to have the after-dinner with him.
“No,” she said. “It feels too much like I’m violating my six-month rule.”
“But your six-month rule is complete garbage,” Emma said, patting her hand.
“It’s not! Plenty of women have dedicated single time after coming out of a long breakup.”
“Sure, meaning they don’t actively go out and try to snag the first guy they can. They allow themselves to be single; they don’t force it when a good one comes along.”
“I’m not forcing it,” Grace grumbled. “Jake doesn’t even want me beyond this story.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s Jake Malone. You guys are the ones that told me the stories about him! He’s like a modern-day Lothario.”
“But you like him,” Julie taunted.
“Yes! But this isn’t the third grade, this is real life, and …”
“And you don’t want to get hurt again,” Emma said softly.
Grace let out a long breath. “And I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“But maybe Jake’s not like Greg. Maybe—”
“I’ll stop you right there,” Grace said. “Greg was practically the poster child for husband material. And if he cheated, then Jake Malone, poster child for raunchy bachelor, sure as hell isn’t going to be the steady, loyal type.”
“You don’t know that,” Julie said.
“And even if he isn’t your dream guy,” Emma added, “it’s just dinner. What if you went and just treated it like a practice round for when you do want to start dating again?”
“Does practice round include sex?” Riley asked. “Because this one needs it.” She jerked a thumb at Grace. “Also, where the hell is our server?”
Two minutes later, Riley had flagged down one of the flustered servers and they were ordering one of their usual assortment of small plates, while Grace’s mind drifted.
No, 2.0 said succinctly. Just no.
But it’s just one night.
Still no.
What’s the worst that can happen? Grace pleaded.
Crossing her arms, 2.0 glared. Crabs. Mayhem. A UTI. A broken heart.
Orrrr, the one night could help get him out of my system, Grace argued back. You know, sleep with him so I can move on.
