"I love you both, too."
They squeezed my sides.
"Okay, enough lovey-dovey crap," June said. "Now, can we talk about the sex list?"
Nessa and I both rolled our eyes, choosing to go back to arranging books and snacks over dignifying June with a response. I had already given her my answer. Maybe someday soon, I would feel comfortable dishing out the details of my sex life, but someday wasn't today.
A little later, after I finished fanning out the cocktail napkins, a bell chimed over the door. My eyebrows nearly shot up to my ponytail when I saw who walked in.
"Jared?"
"Clarke Kent." He removed his designer sunglasses and baseball cap. "What are you doing here?"
"What areyoudoing here?"
"Oh, you know." He tucked his hands into his pants pockets, rocking forward on his toes. "Just doing a little shopping. Some light reading, maybe."
I eyed him wearily. Pink had pleasantly surprised me on more than one occasion, but I never would have guessed that he was a romance reader. Or a reader in general.
"What's going on with you and Sin?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. We're just friends." I felt the need to add, "And please, don't call him that."
Soren hated that stupid nickname. A slow smile spread across Pink's baby face.
"Pretty defensive of yourfriends,huh, Clarke?"
"What ishedoing here?" Nessa hissed, interrupting my internal battle. She and June had left me to man the front for any early arrivals while they grabbed more ice from the market.I didn't think we would need it, though. Nessa's icy demeanor toward Pink would be cold enough to chill the drinks.
"Well," he fumbled, eyes searching the tables. "I heard there were tartlets. And I'm a ho for tartlets, so here I am."
Her eyes narrowed, shooting daggers back at him until he wavered under her gaze.
"So, there's a book club tonight? What are we reading?"
June and I exchanged a look. Poor Pink. Here was a guy who probably never had to work for women's attention, faced with the one woman who couldn't be bothered to give him the time of day.
"Selene," June answered."It's an age gap romance."
"What, like he's older than her?" Pink asked, confusion written all over his face. Nessa stared him down like he was a bug in need of exterminating.
"Actually, she's older than him," I said. "She's in her mid-thirties and he's in his late-twenties."
Pink scratched his chin. "Do you . . . like that? Younger men, I mean?"
His question wasn't directed at any of one of us in particular, or so he wanted us to believe. From my vantage point, he only had eyes for Nessa.
June shrugged. "Sure, they can be fun, but—"
"Excuse me," Nessa finally said through gritted teeth. "We've got over two dozen people arriving any second, so unless you plan on making a purchase, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"What if I wanted to join—"
"Ticketed event. Sold out, I'm afraid."
Pink's jaw clenched. An undecipherable expression fell over his face. This was a guy who was used to charming the pants off every woman—and probably man—he met. It looked like he had finally met his match. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, butI had a feeling that I wasn't the only person in Rose City living a romance novel fantasy come to life.
"Okay, then," he said, slapping a smile on his face. "Well, ladies, it's been a pleasure. As always." He bowed in that overly-exaggerated way a peasant—or in this case jester—might do before royalty in a Shakespearean comedy. He put his hat and sunglasses back on before adding, "Until next time."
