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Sinead shrugged and decided to tell a little white lie. “Oh, you know me. I’ve always got some hot guy on my arm. Maybe this one is worth paying more attention to than the others.”

“That’s not true,” Kendra said. “I’ve seen you get a bit wild in the Enchanted Captain when you meet someone cute, but you never stick with the same guy for long.”

“You know what I say. I’m here for a good time—”

“Not a long time. Yes, we know.” Kendra tilted her head and stared hard at Sinead. “Maybe some guy has convinced you to stick around for the long haul.”

Sinead chewed on her bottom lip. It would be good to share her secret. She didn’t have a clue what to do about Talyn. The right thing was to find a way out of their contract and end the partnership before it began.

And her friends were right. She never stuck with the same guy for long.

But when she’d offered to help Talyn, he’d pulled away. He was hiding things from her again, and she couldn’t figure out what. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Then she remembered those kisses and the touch of his mouth on her skin, and her stomach tightened. She was in such a mess.

“We won’t say anything if you’re into someone,” Avril said. “He’s not married, is he?”

“No! I don’t date married men.”

“But he does exist?”

Sinead let out a slow breath. “There might be somebody.”

Kendra clasped her hands together. “Who is it?”

Sinead couldn’t hold her secret in any longer. “It’s one of our potential new clients. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but we’ve gotten to know each other. He’s sort of amazing. He’s got this way about him. It’s hard to explain, but he makes everything better. He chills me out.”

Kendra and Avril shared a worried look. “What kind of alien is he?”

“A Lillip,” Sinead said.

“They have that amazing empath ability,” Avril said. “It’s a little freaky how they tap into your feelings. You like that?”

“He does more than tap into how I’m feeling. He takes away the anxiousness inside me.”

“You don’t come across as anxious,” Kendra said. “What have you got to be anxious about? You always have a smile on your face.”

“I know. That’s just me.” Sinead forced a smile. The trouble was, it wasn’t really her. She just hated other people to see when she was down and feeling sorry for herself. Her mom always said to paint a smile on your face and ignore your worries. They’d go away if you didn’t pay them any attention.

“Is that where you were yesterday?” Avril asked.

Sinead nodded. “He wasn’t well, so I looked after him. I didn’t mean to spend the whole day with him, but it just happened.”

“I’m more worried about him being on our new client list. You need to be careful,” Kendra said. “If Diadora figures out what you’re up to, she’ll be furious. She’ll think you’re stealing business if you start dating this guy.”

Sinead sighed. “I know. That’s why I’ve been keeping quiet. I haven’t figured out what to do.”

“He sounds keen.”

“He is, really keen. Or, he was, until yesterday. It’s messy.”

“What do you think about him?”

“There’s something special about him, but it’s too complicated. I’m not ready to get serious. You know me, good-time girl until the end.”

Kendra exchanged another glance with Avril. “Maybe this is the end. You’ve found the person who can give you a good time all the time. You don’t always need to keep looking. When you find someone amazing, you end the search.”

That wasn’t terrible advice, but it conflicted with what Sinead had seen her mom do. She always knew there was better out there and kept searching for it.

“Look out. The boss is coming.” Kendra grinned as Vegas walked through the doorway. “Did you have a good girls’ trip with Diadora?”