Beth had some seriously bad timing.
“Beth is my ex . . . partner . . . but she’s still my neighbor. That’s what she meant about hurry home. She’s been so busy with work I haven’t even seen her since she broke up with me a month ago, Shelby. I swear.”
Shelby opened her door and swung her legs out of the car, giving him her back. “Whatever. I don’t think I’m the right one to find you a match anyway. I’ll reverse the payment you sent. And now your other debt to me has been paid, so have a nice life.”
“We have a contract. I’d prefer you to live up to your end of the bargain. And I told them to have the limo pick me up first. We should be here about five thirty for the game on Monday.”
Shelby froze in her efforts to exit the car and then turned and faced him. “We’re going on the date? Not you and the naughty lawyer? And you chose the football game?”
“I love football.” He tossed the purse her way. “Don’t forget your lipstick.”
Shelby’s snag would make an outfielder proud. “What if I didn’t like football, you arrogant jerk? You have so much to learn about women.” She slammed the door.
He stuck his head out the window as Shelby stomped to her front door. “Good thing I have you to teach me. So, was that a yes to the game? We could make it a lesson if you’d like.”
She muttered under her breath as she unlocked her front door. Once she got it open she called out, “Only if you bring Emily along—if she’s feeling up to it. Then I’d be sure to have a ride home. You’d never ditch her!”
When her front door slammed shut, he smiled. Good idea. Emily seemed almost back to herself when he’d seen her earlier. It’d be harder for Shelby to stay mad at him when there was a cute kid like Em around.
As he backed out of Shelby’s driveway, a thought struck him. She never answered his question. Who the hell was Greg?
***
Shelby flung her purse onto the couch and then leaned down to rip off her arch-maiming heels. Tossing her shoes in the general direction of her bedroom, she lifted the front of her long dress and made a beeline toward the kitchen. She needed ice cream, if there was any left. She’d never eaten as much ice cream as she had since meeting Nick earlier in the week. He had to be the most infuriating man on earth.
She yanked the freezer door open and grinned. Jo had gone shopping. God bless her.
Mint chocolate chip or Rocky Road? Decisions, decisions.
Grabbing both, she snatched up a spoon and then plopped down in the nook. The combination of both flavors in one bite was oddly delicious.
Jo stumbled into the kitchen, yawning as she ran her hands through her tousled hair. She found a spoon and then sat across from Shelby. As was their habit, Jo held out her spoon for an ice cream toast. After Shelby tapped spoons with her, Jo sampled a mixed bite like Shelby’s.
Jo winced. “That’s just gross.” She shivered in disgust as she pulled the Rocky Road toward her. “Door slamming and ice cream? Must’ve been some night.”
Shelby took a big bite and cringed as brain freeze incapacitated her for moment. When her powers of speech returned, she told Jo about her evening.
Jo listened intently as the ice cream in it’s cardboard box steadily disappeared. When Shelby finally got to the front-door-slamming part, Jo frowned. “If he’s such an arrogant jerk, why are you going to the game with him on Monday?”
Shelby sighed and put the lid back on her container before she made herself sick. “When have I ever missed a Broncos home game? Besides, I would’ve run into him anyway because Uncle Jack donated our executive suite for the auction.”
“Ah.” Jo nodded as her face lit with an evil grin. “It’ll be fun to see the look on his face when he shows up and sees you dressed in full Broncos regalia. The joke’s going to be on him.”
Shelby chuckled. “It’ll be even better when we get to the box and he sees who else is there.”
“Could be a Chester book in the making.”
“You never know. Sorry I woke you.” Shelby stood and put the ice cream away. “’Nite.”
As Shelby gathered up her dress and headed toward her bedroom, Jo said, “So, do you still want to come to Greg’s welcome-home party on Wednesday, or will you be busy with Mr. Arrogant?”
Shelby pulled up short. “Of course I want to come. I’ve got my, ‘look, I’m really a girl’ outfit all picked out. Why would you even ask?”
Jo shrugged before she put their spoons into the dishwasher. “I’ve never seen a man get such a big reaction from you. Normally, you’d just blow off a guy like Nick.”