Down and Dirty(39)

“The redhead, right?”

He dragged his attention back to Courtney and nodded. “Yeah.”

“This is the woman who doesn’t want to be with you?” she asked, her tone incredulous.

“That’s what she tells me.”

“Well, her coming here dressed like that when you’re here with me tells me something different. Either she’s in serious denial about her feelings for you, or you have a crazy woman on your hands and might want to consider carrying a weapon.”

Shane laughed and felt the heat of Cat’s stare drilling into him. “We’ve known each other for years, and I’m fairly confident it’s not the latter.”

Courtney’s hazel eyes searched his face. “And you’re really hoping it’s the former.”

He nodded. “She’s special.”

“I wondered why you said in your message that you were just looking to make new friends. At first I thought it was a line. Guy code for, ‘Not looking for love, just looking to get laid.’” She laughed and it was pleasant, but nothing like Cat’s full-belly laugh, which he hadn’t heard enough of lately.

“So why did you want to come out with me then?” It was the logical question, although he was only half-listening to the answer as he tried not to watch Cat trying not to watch him.

She shrugged. “You had a nice face, and I figured if I sensed a player vibe I could always have one drink and leave. Once I got here, I realized you were sincere. I’ve lived here for almost two years, but was with someone that whole time, and he wasn’t big on socializing.” Her tone was light, but she’d begun to fidget with the rim of her wineglass, and it was obvious they were treading on uncomfortable territory. “I thought it was time to settle in, make friends, create roots. I’d never been able to do that before when I was with my ex.”

She trailed off, and he wondered if he should ask about her why that was. Luckily, their waitress came over and asked if they were ready to order their meals, breaking the tension. When she walked away, his cell phone buzzed. He tugged it from his jacket pocket and read the message.

Don’t worry, stud. I only came to see what ur wearing n make sure ur not boring her to death. Just pretend I’m not here.

Right. Like that was going to happen. But he found a smile tugging at his lips because, for whatever reason, she was here and she was obviously jealous and trying to play it off like she wasn’t.

I think we’re in the clear. Mostly talking turtles, which, incidentally, we both find fascinating.

“Sorry about that,” he said to Courtney as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. “Did you want to play darts while we wait for our food?”

Cat’s uninhibited laugh sounded from the bar, and he couldn’t hold back the grin. She must have liked his turtle joke.

“I take it that was your girl texting,” Courtney asked, nothing but genuine curiosity on her face.

He gave her a sheepish smile. “It was, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think it will happen again.”

“Unless, of course, we make it happen again…” She waggled an eyebrow suggestively, the move so at odds with her round, angelic face that he laughed.

“I know the look of a woman with a plan. I’m just not smart enough to figure out what that plan is.”

Her smile was pure evil. “You want to know how to get a woman to admit she has feelings for you? Get a different woman to admit she does first.” She pushed back her chair and tossed her napkin onto the table.





Chapter Nine


Did her laugh have to be so fucking musical? Cat whirled her shot glass in a circle, watching the liquid form an amber cyclone. When it slowed its rotation, she shot the contents back in one swallow.

“They seem to be having a good time,” Lacey said, spearing a cherry tomato with her fork.

“Yeah. Great for him.”

Lacey leaned forward to take the empty glass from Cat’s unresisting fingers. “If you really feel that way, then why are you drinking like it’s your job?”

“I’m not. I always drink like this on a”—she peered down at her watch through bleary eyes—“Thursday evening.”

“Sure you do.”

“I guess I just can’t figure why, with at least two dozen perfectly good empty chairs in the place, she needs to share his.” Stupid Courtney’s stupid laugh rang through the stupid room again, and Cat wanted to stab something. “Or what is so-o-o fuckin-n-n-g funny.”

The pair had been laughing it up for the past hour, and Cat couldn’t wait for Lacey to finish her damned salad so she could get out of there. The sight of Courtney forking a bite of pie into Shane’s mouth had almost sent her over the edge. Not to mention the woman was wearing the exact Michael Kors blouse she’d been eyeing at Barneys the week before but hadn’t been able to afford. It was like salt in an already excessively salty wound.