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I’m surprised she’s the one asking. With the little I know about these two, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bryce told me to go for it, but Shayna seems more practical and levelheaded.
I tick off all the reasons on my fingers. “Because he’s my boss. Because it would make things complicated. Because we’d have to hide it from Theo. What if it fizzled out quickly and then I still have months left of living and working with him?”
I don’t list my last reason. Amara is the only other person in the world who knows about it, and I don’t want to go digging up that particular mistake of mine tonight. But she must know it’s on my mind because she squeezes my knee.
Shayna shrugs. “I worked with Lee when we started hooking up. That all worked out. Even before I got my job back with the team, he was worth it in the end.”
“You guys are supposed to be telling me what a horrible idea this is, not trying to convince me to sleep with my boss.” I toss back the rest of my martini and flag down the waitress, motioning for her to bring me another one.
“You’re not going to be working for him forever, are you?” Bryce also motions to the waitress for another drink.
“No, just until Theo’s mom comes back in another couple of months.”
“Then what’s the problem? Get things going now and keep them going once you’re not working for him.” Bryce shrugs as if it’s that easy.
“Do you not want a relationship with Brady?” Shayna asks.
I glance at Amara, knowing that if I have to explain why that might be the case, I’ll have to open up about my ex… and potentially the rest of my history with men.
Before I can answer, a pretty, petite woman with long, dark curls approaches us.
“Twyla! You made it!” Shayna jumps out of her seat and envelops her in a hug, then looks at Amara and me. “This is Miles’s sister, Twyla. Twyla, this is Amara and Violet. Violet’s Theo’s nanny.”
“Hi,” she says in a shaky voice and raises her hand in a halfhearted wave.
Shayna’s forehead wrinkles and she yanks Twyla’s left hand toward her. “Wait. Where’s your engagement ring?”
Twyla bursts into tears, covering her face with her hands. I feel horrible about this girl’s pain, but at the same time, I’m thankful to be out of the hot seat.
“Oh my god, what’s going on?” Shayna pulls out the chair at the end of the table and gently helps her sit.
I glance at Amara. I’m not sure what to do. Should we leave these three alone, the two women closest to console Twyla?
“Whose ass do I need to kick?” Bryce asks, and I’m pretty sure she’s not kidding. She’s clearly a ride-or-die kinda girl. She flags down the waitress. “Round of Patrón, please.” Her finger whirls around the table.
“Mathew called off the wedding. He said he met someone else.” More tears streak down Twyla’s face and my heart squeezes for this poor woman.
“That bastard!” Bryce shouts, getting the attention of some guys at the next table over. She waves. “Turn back around.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Shayna rubs her back.
“Can you believe that he’s ditching me for someone he finds more interesting? He shouldn’t be interested in anyone other than me, his fiancée!” Her voice picks up and she’s moving into the anger stage quicker than I did.
“Were you together for a long time?” I ask.
She nods. “Since college. We’ve been engaged for almost a year. The wedding is all planned for October.” She wipes the tears with the back of her hand, not bothering to blot them with the drink napkins.
“What a piece of shit,” Bryce mumbles.
“He broke it off a few days ago. I wasn’t even going to come on this trip, but I figured a few days away would be good. Everyone I know there looks at me with pity and I just want to scream.”
The waitress comes over and sets down the shots. “Can I get you anything else?” she asks Twyla a little warily, given her current state.
She downs the shot and says, “Yeah, another shot of tequila and a spiked Arnold Palmer please.”
“Anything you want.” The waitress nods and heads toward the bar.
“What did Miles say?” Shayna asks, giving Bryce a warning stare to keep her mouth shut about him.
