Page 63 of Dr. Sexypants

“No?”

“No, I mean, maybe tomorrow I can wear my new t-shirt. Tonight I just want to go back to your house and cuddle. If that’s okay?”

“Yeah, baby. That’s more than okay. Do you need to pick up Dora and an overnight bag?”

“Yes. I can’t tell you how nice it is not to be stressed about how she’s doing. I usually have to lock her in my closet with her thunder vest on and the radio turned up.”

He kissed my temple and opened my car door for me. “Tonight was a big hit. The animals in Haven Springs thank you.”

I paused before sliding into the driver’s seat. “Do you really think it was a success? You saw people while they were packing up; did it seem like they enjoyed the show?”

“I heard a lot of positive comments. There were a few people complaining about the lack of booms. But it was obviously lost on them that was the whole point.”

I sighed while I tried to come up with a solution to placate the naysayers. “Maybe next year we could—”

Justin forcefully cut me off. “No, baby. Fuck those people. You’re not going to please everybody. It was a great show. We need to celebrate.”

I loved that he had my back.

“How about milkshakes followed by cuddling with benefits?” I suggested.

“That sounds fucking perfect.”

It really did.

And that made me nervous as hell.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kristy

Alan and Jessica decided to get married after knowing each other like, four days.

As much as I believed marriage was not for me, I was a hopeless romantic when it came to other people’s love stories.

I thought Alan was the perfect man for Jess and her newborn baby girl, Ruthie. I was rooting for them and was excited to help her plan the wedding that was taking place in less than two weeks.

As the August first nuptials approached, Lainey and I were in the bakery kitchen rolling out the croissant dough, and she asked, “Are you going to invite Justin to the wedding?”

I lied. “Jess didn’t include a plus-one with my invitation.”

“Yes, she did. She even asked if she should, and I told her yes.”

Lainey’s response was exactly why I always tried to tell the truth. Because inevitably whenever I lied, I got caught—even as a little kid.

“I must have missed that. I’m sure he’ll have to work, anyway.”

“Don’t you think you should ask him?”

“Asking him to go to a wedding with me is something a girlfriend would do. I am not his girlfriend.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“It’s no one’s ‘fault’. It’s a preference.”

Lainey scowled at me. “You’ve been seeing him for over two months—at what point does it become a relationship?”

“One, it hasn’t even been a month. Two—”