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The Heartbreaker for Hire

Page 76

by Melanie Shawn

“Sure.”

His smile turned smug. “I give it six months. Tops.”

Something hot and furious flashed through me. Six months. He gave us six months.

Full transparency, in that moment, I wanted to march straight to Damon, drag him to the nearest courthouse, and marry him out of pure, unadulterated spite.

Which was obviously insane.

I was not a woman who made major life decisions based on petty revenge. I made spreadsheets first. Color-coded ones. But the idea of marrying Damon didn't horrify me nearly as much as it should've.

And if I took a fearless inventory of my feelings, I might've discovered that Kenny wasn't the only reason the idea appealed to me.

Which was precisely why I wasn't taking inventory.

Ever.

“Thanks for your prediction,” I said sweetly. “I'll be sure to give it all the consideration it deserves.”

I walked past him.

“Mikayla, wait.”

I kept walking.

“We need to talk about what happened between us.”

“No, we really don’t.”

“You can't avoid me forever.”

“Watch me.”

I pushed through the locker room door. And for the first time all day, I felt completely relaxed. Apparently, telling off my ex was more effective than a ninety-minute massage.

Who knew?

Twenty minutes later, I was walking across the ranch toward Damon's house. I'd changed into jeans and a loose white blouse, my hair pulled back into a ponytail.

My phone was in my hand. Naturally. I'd just finished answering an email when I heard the familiar hum of a golf cart approaching.

“Need a ride?”

I looked up. It was Dylan Lockhart. The youngest Lockhart brother. He wore a baseball cap backward and a grin that suggested trouble was his favorite recreational activity.

“Sure.” I climbed into the passenger seat. He took off.

“So,” he began.

I glanced at him. “So?”

“You have any brothers or sisters?”

The question caught me off guard. For one split second, I almost said yes. Deacon. I'd grown up believing Deacon St. Claire was my half-brother. For years, that had been part of my identity. Then my mother had detonated that particular foundation.

“Nope,” I said. “No siblings.”

“Huh.”