Fred!”
Ava scoffed. “It was Bill. Greg was last month, and I’veneverslept with anyone named
Fred.”
“Then who’s Fred?” Jade scratched her head, looking baffled. Then her eyes lit up as she remembered. “Francis from my yoga class is sleeping with Fred.”
Lauren and Ava sank into the cushions of the couch in a fit of giggles.
When Ava caught her breath she said, “Bill was never my boyfriend. We only went out a couple of times, and he wasn’t any good, so I told him I was going to be busy for a while.”
Ava’s idea ofgoing outwas drinks and sex at her place, or his, or the bathroom at the bar they were at. And if she said he wasn’tany goodshe meant the sex had beenreallybad.
“I’m surprised you gave him more than one chance,” Lauren said.
“Oh, he was sooo cute, just looking at his face was worth the bad sex,” Ava said, her words slurring.
Shaking a finger at Ava like she was a naughty girl, Lauren said, “I’ve told you hundreds of times never, ever, ever get fooled by a pretty face. Don’t you listen to me? They are no good. You need to keep far, far away.” She picked up her glass and swallowed the remainder of the sweet liquid. “I saw a pretty face today, actually a really hot face. He bought a super-expensive mirror for his mother, but do you see me falling into bed with him? Noooo. He’s a snake. I know to keep away from Mr. Pretty.” With that she nodded, making her head spin. She pulled her shoulders back and puffed her chest out, pleased that she had resisted the temptation.
Her friends stared at her with their eyes wide and their mouths dropped open. “You noticed a Mr. Pretty?” Jade finally asked.
Lauren realized the mistake she’d made and stuffed her mouth full of potato chips so she couldn’t answer.
Stumbling over to Lauren, Jade sat on the other side of her and put a palm on Lauren’s forehead. Lauren swatted the hand away like it was a pesky fly, managing to slap her own face in the process.
“She must be sick.” Jade turned to Ava, looking concerned. “She noticed a Mr. Pretty.
That never happens.”
Ava picked up Lauren’s wrist and put her fingers on her pulse. “Hmm, her heart rate’s a little fast. This Mr. Pretty is getting her very excited.”
With a sharp tug, Lauren pulled free from Ava’s grip. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” She frowned at the empty glass in her hand, banged it back down on the coffee table, and pointed an accusing finger at it. “That’s what made me tell you. I can’t keep anything to myself when I drink more than I should.” She threw a dirty look at the glass.
“So how pretty was he?” Excitement lit Jade’s face.
“What would you rate him out of ten?” Ava asked.
Lauren swiveled her head from left to right to look at them. Feeling dizzy from watching them like a tennis match, she covered her eyes. Dammit, she wanted her friends to stop asking questions.
Ava removed Lauren’s hands from her heated face. “You have to tell us. Spill. Now.”
They were determined to get this out of her, so the quicker she got it over with, the better. “He was more than a ten. So he wasextremelypretty. There, happy now? I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I want nothing to do with Mr. Pretty, so don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay! And yes, it is a big deal.” Jade’s voice rose. “Well, when it’s been…I don’t know…eight years since you’ve noticed one, I’d say it’s a major deal, and since you’ve never taken notice before, this might mean something.”
Lauren shook her head. “Nope, means nothin’.” She hiccupped. “Not one little thing.” She put her hands on Jade and Ava’s knees and pushed up onto legs that wobbled like jelly. “I need to pee.”
And with that she made her way into the bathroom, hoping the tight feeling in her belly was the result of too much wine and not becauseMr. Prettywas still having an unsettling effect on her.
Chapter Three
The smells of roasting meat and baked vegetables surrounded Jack as he entered his mother’s kitchen. His mouth watered, and his stomach grumbled. Jack knew how to slap a few things together to get by, but the alluring smells reminded him of how much he missed his mother’s cooking.
“Hey, Mum, smells great in here. Is Dad home?”
Pausing at the stove, she glanced over her shoulder. “No, I sent him out to buy wine, and it’s about time you came home.”
Her voice sounded stern, but the glimmer in her eyes couldn’t hide how happy she was to see him. At fifty-six his mother looked like she was only just entering her forties. Light brown hair fell in gentle waves and brushed the tops of her shoulders. The emerald green wrap-around dress she wore highlighted her green eyes, a feature Jack had inherited.
