Matching Mr. Right(36)
“I’d be glad to take that extra beer off your hands. It looks kinda heavy.” He shot her a naughty grin just as he always had. A bad boy to the bone, that one. She’d borrowed many of Ben’s antics as a kid for Chester.
She thrust the beer out to him. Greg had a full one anyway. “Too lazy to get your own? You haven’t changed much have you, Senator Wright?”
He laughed. “That’s why I ran for Senate. That way I’d only have to work once every six years, at reelection time. So, what’s new with you, Shelby? Found the man of your dreams or are you still pining after Greg?”
Shelby grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. “If you don’t want your wife to know about how you cheated on her during college, I’d keep it down.” Ben had been spying on her and Jo during one of their many sleepovers at Jo’s house when they were in high school. He’d overheard a conversation about Shelby’s love for Greg and he’d made her life a living hell for months. She’d made a point to find dirt on him and was still not above using it.
Ben scowled. “We weren’t married yet.”
Shelby took a deep drink, pleased she’d rattled him. “No, but you were engaged. And I imagine it’d still upset her to learn it was with her best friend.”
“Okay, truce. Geez Shelby, promise you’ll never run against me for my seat. I wouldn’t have a chance.” Then he beamed his wicked but charming grin at her again before he tapped his bottle against hers. “I never told him, you know.”
“I don’t believe you, Mr. Smoke and Mirrors.”
He took a long pull from his beer. “Greg always won at everything when we were kids. I hated he’d beat me to you too, so I never told him, Summer Sinclair.” He held her gaze for a moment before he added, “My kid loves your books by the way.”
A chill raced up her spine at the way he’d said her pen name. She’d never known he’d liked her when they were young, and it felt a little creepy. “I’d be happy to sign a book for him. But, now I’ve got to go find Jo. See ya.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” His hand slipped around her upper arm as he whispered, “That hot outfit tells me you’re a woman on a mission tonight, so let’s go. I want to see Greg’s tongue fall out.”
Before she could protest, Ben dragged her toward Greg. Tiffany saw them and her frown deepened with each of their advancing steps.
Ben pushed her forward. “Look who I found, Greg.”
Greg smiled warmly, then leaned down to lay a soft kiss on Shelby’s cheek. “Hey, Shelby.” She begged for his gorgeous blue eyes to gaze at all the places she’d hoped, but they stayed locked firmly on her face. “Too bad for the rain, huh? I was looking forward to reestablishing our neighborhood record.” Then he turned toward Ben, “Right, buddy?”
Ben’s lips tilted into one of his slimy smiles. “We’ll have to do that real soon. But we’d probably bore Tiffany to death if we start talking football.”
Tiffany flashed a fake smile and batted her eyes at Greg, “Not at all. I just adore football. Especially our Broncos.”
Tiffany was one of those women Nick talked about on the way to the country club. Pretending to like football. “So who’s your favorite player on the team?” Hah! Take that, Big Chest.
If Tiffany’s eyes had been laser beams, Shelby would have been disintegrated. “The quarterback, of course.”
Ben laughed. “Mine too. But your glass is empty.” He slipped his arm around Tiffany’s waist. “Let me get you a drink, darling. I’d love to hear your views on the cheerleaders’ outfits. I think they’re a little snug, myself.” He sent Shelby a wink before he left her alone with Greg.
Shelby’s mouth went dry and her mind blanked. She, of all people, who had memorized every conversation starter known to man, had nothing. Luckily, Greg saved her.
“So, I hear the writing’s going very well, and Jo says your matchmaking business is growing. But do you miss working for your uncle?”
“Nope. I’m considerably poorer at the moment, but I love what I’m doing. How about you? What are your plans now that you’re home?” Well that was lame. She needed to flirt with him, not ask the same questions his parents probably asked him.
“I’ve just accepted a job and I start tomorrow. I’m the new guy, so I’ll get the crappy shifts in the ER but it’ll be a real change to work in a modern, well equipped hospital instead of the jungle.”
“I can imagine. But I’ll bet the native girls were sad to see you leave. None of them captured your heart, huh?” That was better.