Down and Dirty(7)

Lacey’s lips twitched, but she held strong. “I’m serious here. I’m not saying any of these guys have been your soul mate, but I am saying that you’ll never know if you don’t let them in a little.”

“If they had their way, I’d be letting him in a lot, if you catch my drift.” Her friend’s cheeks went pink and Cat chuckled. “For all the changes in you, it makes me proud that I can still get you to blush.”

Lacey sniffed and folded the bar napkin into a neat rectangle and set it next to her beer glass. “Stop trying to derail the conversation.” The waitress passed by and Lacey held up two fingers, gesturing at their empty glasses before turning her focus back on Cat.

“So what do you suggest, Lace? I should just ignore my instincts and stick around when someone is rubbing me the wrong way? Because that’s what it sounds like.” She tried to keep the edge out of her tone, but judging by her friend’s wounded expression, she’d missed the mark a little.

Lacey lifted her chin. “Nope. What you should do is make sure you’re not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

“That’s the stupidest expression ever. Who throws out a baby? Like, ‘Oh, oops. Didn’t see you there, li’l fella.’ Not to mention, you’d think they’d cry when they landed and you’d catch your mistake in time to scoop it back into the bath.”

Lacey’s eyes went kind of evil and she poked Cat’s arm, hard.

Damn, Galen really had toughened her up.

“Stop. Deflecting. It’s fine to be like Shane said. Selective. It’s not fine for you to run every guy off within two months over some perceived flaw.”

“I’m not taking dating advice from Old Killjoy Decker. Even in high school, when everyone was being irresponsible and having fun, he was busy looking for parades to crap on. I’m sure that hasn’t changed and he’s still about as exciting as a kiddie roller coaster.” And seeing as how Cat typically selected vacation destinations based on the proximity of the best amusement park, this was the highest of insults.

A crease marred Lacey’s brow and she gave her golden head a shake. “I never understood that. He’s the most fun, interesting guy I know—besides your brother, of course. And gorgeous to boot. How could you possibly think he’s boring?”

“Maybe the way he tried to corral me my entire junior year of high school like I was some wayward cow and he was the ranch’s most enthusiastic farmhand?”

The waitress came by with their beers, and Cat leaned aside to make room. It gave her a moment to think, and she decided grudgingly that maybe boring wasn’t the right word for Shane. An image of that sexy, soul-searching stare sent a bolt of heat through her. Sexy? It wasn’t sexy. It was…invasive. And annoying.

And sexy.

When the waitress strolled away, Lacey held up a hand. “The super-hot professional hero with an amazing work ethic and one of the best men I’ve ever known is boring. Fine. You are officially hopeless. Nobody is good enough for you. So, great, you’ll get exactly what you’ve been working toward your whole life.”

Cat knew for sure she didn’t want to hear the rest of this. In fact, maybe it was time to hit the slots—

“A life alone.”

Cat winced.

“Hah! You flinched!” Lacey shouted, stabbing a triumphant finger in Cat’s direction. “You try to act so tough, but you don’t want to be alone forever, do you?”

“You didn’t just discover plutonium, genius, so calm down. It’s not that shocking. Who wants to be alone forever? I just haven’t found the ri—”

“You haven’t even tried. Twenty-five’s in the rearview mirror, and you’ve never had a relationship last longer than ninety days. That’s sad.”

Maybe it was. But it seemed to her that relationships were a constant drain. Even when the getting was good, one person always ended up compromising. Most of the time, they gave up so much of themselves they became someone else entirely. That’s why she mainly hung out with guys who were willing to give a little, get a little, and let her live the rest of her life on her terms. When things got too serious, she walked away. Maybe it was time to take a harder look at the cycle. Not to give herself over completely, but to find a guy who wanted the same things she did.

Cat plucked a bar napkin off the table and began absently rolling the edges. “Okay, so what then? I should propose to Shane so I don’t die alone?”

Lacey’s soft features went tight. “Don’t be a smart-ass. Of course not, I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be so damned hasty.”