Lexie sat back and let one eyebrow lift.“You could’ve fooled us.”
Maxie’s expression turned gentle.“That was some kiss, Rox.”
Roxie blew out a breath.Hadn’t it been, though?She still couldn’t feel her kneecaps.
“Just because two people are good in the sack, it doesn’t mean there’s something more between them.”Carefully, she put the saltshaker back in its holder.“It takes more than hormones.”
Because hormones led to other complications and the relationship had to be strong enough to handle the fallout.
Theirs hadn’t been.
And that was that.End of story.
She began scooting across the bench seat.“I need to get back to the party.I’m not being a good hostess.”
“They can wait a little longer,” Maxie insisted.
“Yeah.”Lexie surprised them all when she planted her Steve Madden knee-high boot on the bench across from her, blocking Roxie’s escape.When her sister gave her the evil eye, she lifted a bottle off the seat beside her.“Let’s have the party here for just a little while.”
A weight lifted off Roxie’s shoulders.Just a tiny weight, but it was enough to let her breathe again.The corner of her mouth twitched upwards.“Is that bourbon, Lexie?”
Maxie was a bit more stunned.“I thought you stayed away from that stuff like the plague.”
Lexie also produced three glasses.She poured fast, letting the liquid splash.“Sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.I’ve just got to say one thing.”She slid the tumbler across the table and leaned forward.“Damn, but he’s pretty.”
Maxie picked up a glass of her own.“Isn’t he, though?”
Roxie swirled the copper-colored liquor around and watched the whirlpool that formed.She could feel it pulling at her, tugging her down.Tilting her head back, she drank a mouthful.
That was Billy.
So pretty, it hurt.
* * * * *
“Hey, Charlie,” Billy said, sticking out his hand and giving his old friend a firm handshake.“Congratulations, man.”
Charlie’s wizened face split into a wide smile, and he stood from his chair.With a yank, he pulled Billy in closer to give him a slap on the back.“I didn’t know if you were going to make it.”
Neither had he.The date and time hadn’t been an issue.He just hadn’t known if he could go through seeing Roxie again.
Or if he could keep his hands off her.
The knot in his chest pulled tighter.Strike number one.
“Are you kidding me?”he said, keeping it light.“I wouldn’t have missed your big send-off.”
Charlie was still patting his shoulder, as if to make sure he was really there.“The season just ended last weekend,” he said, offering an out.“I wasn’t sure if you could get away.”
Actually, that part had been tough.“Yeah, well I had some time coming, and I told them I had to go celebrate with my old man.”
Their gazes connected, and Charlie’s grip tightened on his shoulder.Billy cleared his throat.Biology had nothing to do with it.This man had been the steadiest influence he’d ever had on his life.Too bad he’d already been a wild teen with a chip like a cement block on his shoulder when they’d met.
“How long do you plan on staying?”his mentor asked.
“A few days, maybe a week or so.You know me, I’m not big on planning.”
“Enough time to go fishing?”
