Page 16 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

“No.”She gasped, clapping a palm over her mouth.

“Yes,”I confirmed, pacing back and forth with my hands on my hips.

“Holyshit, what are the fucking odds of that?”

“I’m too drunk for this.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and faced the mirror. The movement and my vision were delayed, and I was pretty sure I was staring at a slightly different human being in the reflection than the one in my body. Like an evil twin that thought the right next move was to pour a drink on the guy I'd met for a few hours that morning.

“Frankie is Matty’sbestfriend. Oh my god,this is nuts.” Natalia cackled and fixed her hair next to me.

“Your boyfriend has terrible taste in friends.”

“Agreed.” Her laughter stopped.

“He’s a player.”

“Totally.”

“Misogynist.”

“Definitely.”

“He unmatched me because I was too much of a cock-tease.”

“Were you though?”

“Natalia!”

“Sorry!” She sighed, reaching over to pat the creasing green eyeshadow on my eyelid.

“Fucking shit. Why does he look so hot in those shorts?” I groaned.

Nat pressed her lips together to keep from grinning. Obviously she knew Frankie to a different degree than I did, but it didn’t change the fact that he played me for a quick ride on our shared flight, and Inearlyfell for it. I didn’t even want to think about what it meant for the next three weeks that my host’s boyfriend was roommatesandapparently best friends with the guy.

My mind raced with the hours-long conversation I’d had with Frankie. The comedic quips he gave about the military, his long-standing relationship with his roommate, the girlfriend who moaned like a ghost.

Oh my god.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Nat asked, tucking her long black hair behind her ear on one side and applying a new layer of red lipstick. I bit my tongue, recalling the way Frankie mockingly moaned next to me in the flight cabin.

“Right now?” I sighed, unwilling to let the night get away from us over a freak coincidence. “I’mgoing to go back out there and keep getting my drinks paid for until sexy Santa whose name I can’t remember—Lewis?”

“Lucas.”

“Lucasrealizes I was never gonna let him take me home.”

“If I’m the meninist’s worst nightmare, you’re the photo they use on their dartboards.”

“As we should be.” I kissed her cheek and entwined our fingers. “Let’s go,Tally.”

Already,thewickedpinchof a hangover brewed behind my eyes, but I was way past the point of no return and opted for another sweet cocktail despite it. I’d rather black out and face the consequences than sober up before the rest of the party did and still end up bent over a toilet.

The bar must have run out of the coconuts, because when my new drink arrived it was in a plastic cup with noticeably less ice, and therefore warm all the way down my throat. I scrunched my nose and shrugged, taking several long swigs anyway.

“You move on fast.”

Fuck.

My eyes rolled involuntarily. I’d never forget the cocky drawl of that man’s voice for as long as I lived.

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