Page 38 of Single Mom's Guide to Love

I roll my eyes. Of course my sister who loves reading her celebrity news would take this stance. “Bask in it now. Because it’s never happening again.”

“That makes sense,” Ainsley says. “You aren’t exactly a relationship person. You’ve gone this long without even dating, let alone having a friends-with-benefits situation. And even if you were up to that, it’s not like he lives around here. What are the odds you’d run into him again?”

I try to keep my face under control, but apparently that fails as I feel Quinn’s eyes on me. She might live in Arizona now, and I only see her in person a few times a year, but the woman will forever be able to clock my thoughts a mile away. “Where does he live, Maeve?”

I lower my eyes and take a breath. “He just moved to Nashville. He was on my plane.”

“What!” The three say in unison.

I let them be in a tizzy for a few minutes as I head into the kitchen to grab my popcorn and doctor it up with extra butter and light salt, and pour myself another glass of wine. When I return to the living room, they are still shocked.

“Did you know he was going to be on your plane?” Ainsley asks.

“I didn’t. I hoped to never see him again. I even snuck out of the hotel room in the morning. I was embarrassed and didn’t want to have that next-morning talk. So I left without saying goodbye and went to the airport insanely early. Because of that, I was sleeping as soon as I got on the plane. When I woke up, there he was, sitting next to me.”

“Holy shit,” Quinn says. “What are the odds?”

Oh, if she thinks those odds are slim, just wait until I deliver the final bomb. “It gets crazier.”

“It can’t,” Stella says.

I nod. “Remember the mystery client who kept canceling on me?”

Gasps are the only sound in the room before Ainsley whispers, “No…”

“Yes…the mystery client is Logan Matthews.”

Choruses of “holy shit,” “no fucking way,” and “I can’t believe it,” fill the space for the next few minutes. While they have their freak outs, I go deal with the pizza delivery that just showed up.

“How did you figure it out?” Ainsley asks.

“When I showed up at his house for the consultation.”

“Did he know?”

“Oh he knew,” I say, my voice now laced with a touch of anger. “He figured it out on the plane and didn’t tell me.”

I fill my sisters in with the last bit of details of the story. How the meeting was magically rescheduled. My feelings of shock and anger when I found out it was him.

“So what did you say?” Stella asks. “Please tell me your stubbornness didn’t lead you to turn down the job.”

“Of course I did,” I say. “Stubborn or not, I can’t work for him.”

“And why not?” Quinn asks, grabbing a slice. “I bet it would be a hell of a payday.”

“It would. Likely my highest commission to date, and that’s without the up-charge I’d add because he lied and I feel like it.”

I don’t know why, but my eyes meet Ainsley’s, who doesn’t look as mad as I’d like my sisters to be right now. “Please tell me you’re not taking his side.”

Ainsley shakes her head and gently dabs the corner of her mouth. “I’ll always be on your side. But maybe you’re being too harsh?”

“Too harsh? How? I don’t think I’m being harsh enough. Or did you forget the fact that he lied to me when he knew who I was? And I’m still not convinced he didn’t know the whole time.”

Okay, that last part is a stretch. But the part of me that is embarrassed and angry needs to believe it.

“For some reason, I don’t think he’s lying to you about that,” she says. “And didn’t you say he came clean? I think before you cut all ties, you should maybe weigh that into consideration.”

I let out a sigh, hating that she’s right. “He did. He kind of begged.”

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