"Hey, love. I was so excited to hear you got a day off work that I rushed right over. Max has Ariel, and I'm in desperate need of girl time," Cassie gushed as she gave Kinsey a quick hug and stepped through the threshold.
Kinsey smiled, her heart slowing to a normal speed, happy to see her best friend.
"I'm surprised you could pull yourself away from your hunk of a husband long enough to remember where I lived," Kinsey teased.
"Trust me, you're not far off. I can't believe how lucky I was to have found him, or him finding me. I don't care as long as we're together. It still feels like we're on our honeymoon, even after all this time, and a three month old baby," Cassie gushed. Her tone softened and her eyes got all dreamy as she talked about Max. Kinsey felt the tiniest bit jealous. Not of Cassie, of course, just that her best friend had been lucky enough to find one of the good men out there.
With a sea of scoundrels, it was hard to find a true prince. Maybe that's why Kinsey was always so leery to date. She'd been burned more than once by a guy she thought was a knight in shining armor.
"I ran into Austin last night," Cassie said as she sat down.
Kinsey counted to five in her head. She didn't want to seem eager for information. She wanted to be casual, not look as if she cared about Cassie's brother-in-law.
"That's good, I guess," Kinsey replied, hoping her tone sounded bored.
"Yeah, he looked kinda miserable. Really hung up on something … or someone," Cassie persisted, like she had her own secrets. She was killing Kinsey.
"That's too bad. I hope he feels better soon. Hold on a minute. I need to check my soup."
"Put your soup away. We'll go have lunch," Cassie called.
Kinsey figured she was pulling off her whole indifferent act. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief until Cassie spoke again.
"Then you can fill me in on why Austin looks like crap, and you're trying so hard to act like you don't care."
"Damn," Kinsey whispered as she turned the burner off. She should've known she couldn't keep anything from Cassie. They'd known each other for too many years. It had been worth a try, though.
"There's nothing to tell, Cass. You know we had a one-night-stand. Nothing came of it," Kinsey said. It was much easier to try and deceive her friend if she didn't have to look her in the eye.
"That's not what I heard from Max. Apparently you two shared a hot and heavy kiss the other night in a store parking lot."
"He talked about that?" Kinsey shouted.
"Hey, I'm just the messenger. Don't yell at me," Cassie said with a chuckle. "I was eavesdropping on him and Max. He was talking about frustrating women, cold showers, and inconsiderate law officers."
Cassie deepened her voice, trying to sound like a guy. She wasn't pulling it off.
"It was just a little kiss. No big deal. Nothing to even talk about. I don't know why he's making such a big deal about it. I completely forgot about it until you brought it up."
"You suck at lying, you know," Cassie said, making Kinsey jump when she realized her friend had snuck up on her.
"Okay, so the kiss was good. Great, in fact. All of them have been, but that doesn't mean anything. I could have a great kiss with a dozen different guys, at any club in the city, on a Friday night. I don't have time to get involved with anyone right now. Besides, even if I did, it wouldn't be Austin. He's a known playboy, he's told me he isn't interested in commitment of any kind. I just … "
"You just like to lie to yourself. He's hot, Kinsey. Hot for you – for your body. He's a good guy, believe it or not. Yes, he's a bit arrogant, and definitely sure of himself, but he's got a heart of gold. Don't let yourself be so scared that you run away when you should just slow down and take what's being offered. What he wants to give."
"I love you to pieces, and always will, but it would never work. I know the thought of us being married to brothers was always the dream come true scenario, but that's not going to happen, so let's quit talking about Austin and just have an amazing day. I haven't had two days off in a row in forever. I don't want to waste them," Kinsey begged.
"You win for now, but I'm not giving up. I think the two of you were meant to be together. I've never seen him so hung up on a girl. And believe me, I see a lot of girls chasing him."
Kinsey had to fight the jealousy overriding her good sense at even thinking about Austin with other women. Of course he was with other women; he was a playboy, for goodness sake. Still, it made her see a bit of red. Nothing a pedicure and lots of chocolate wouldn't cure, though.
"I'm starving. Let's get Chinese food, pedicures and endless chocolate. I'll treat, but only if you agree not to mention a certain bachelor's name," Kinsey said with a fake laugh.