Page 32 of Just a Little Prick

“Is Benny still there, too?”

“Yeah, he is. And a few other guys.” She shook her head. “It’s like they only hire hot guys there.”

Sydney raised her eyebrows. “Yeah? Tell me about them?”

“Well, there’s Ryker. He’s kind of a dog, but I think he’s a good guy deep down. Looks like a biker. Gorgeous green eyes. And, like, ripped. But they’re all ripped. I guess it’s part of the job requirement?” Kenzie chuckled.

“Wow. Maybe I need a tattoo.” Sydney took a long drink from her wine.

“Logan’s the oldest, I think. He worked at No Regrets before Benny and Bradley took over.” Her tone of voice changed. “He’s so hot. Dark hair and eyes. Kind of Mediterranean-looking. And really sweet.” She tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear. “Really sweet.”

“Hm, sounds like somebody has a crush,” I murmured.

“Shut up. I do not!” Kenzie laughed, but her cheeks went red. “He’s just…the nicest. And anyway, even if I had a crush on him, Bradley would never let it happen. Logan’s thirty-one. That’s way older than me.”

“Right, right.” I smiled. “C’mon, who’s left?”

“Right, yeah. There’s Garrett. He just moved to Richland from California. He’s our age. More clean-cut than the other guys. Brown hair, blue eyes. Real nice guy, but, I dunno. He follows Ryker around like a puppy. I’m not sure it’s the best influence for him.” Kenzie shrugged. “And then there’s Zoe. She works the counter. She likes girls, so if anybody’s ever looking to experiment…”

Sydney and I both laughed.

“I’m good,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I’m exclusively into guys.”

“Same,” Sydney agreed. “I think, anyway.”

“You’ll find out soon, won’t you?” Kenzie laughed, rising. “I’m going to open another bottle of wine. You ladies need anything?”

“I’m good. Thanks, Kenzie!”

As she walked away, she called back to me. “Lora. You’ve been to the shop. Who’s the cutest?”

Why did she have to put me on the spot like that?

Or…maybe this was the right time to tell her. Girls’ night was about being closer to our friends, sharing confidences.

“Well, I—”

“What’s this?” Kenzie looked up at me through the pass-through window. She held a piece of paper in one hand.

Shit. The note.

Think fast.

“Oh, it’s—it’s from a friend. Brittany. I grew up with her. She left that in one of my boxes before I moved and I found it a few days ago.”

Not a good lie.

Kenzie looked at the note again, then shrugged. “It’s cute. I like the butterfly. It’s like what Bradley would do if he drew cutesy shit like this.”

She put it back on the counter.

We must have all been just buzzed enough for that crappy lie to work.

Thank God.

We drank the other bottle of wine and, when the pizza arrived, ate the whole thing. I laughed more talking with Kenzie and Sydney than I had since before I’d started dating Chris.

Man, he’d been bad for me.

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