Page 34 of His Hot Mess

“Oh my god, I’m sorry!” Casey said. “Trust me, Graydon wants to be a dad. Have you seen him with Sam?”

“Where is Sam, anyway?” I asked. Casey usually brought her son to these barbecues—with his precociousness he was a highlight for all the adults.

“He and Chris are out on the back field playing catch.”

My stomach flipped at the mention of Chris’s name. So hehadcome.

Casey was eyeing me strangely. What kind of face had I made just then? But she turned back to Lucy when she spoke again.

“I know Gray wants to be a dad,” Lucy said. “If we can ever make it happen.” Her lip started wobbling again and her eyes filled with tears.

“Lucy… you said you got your period this morning?” I asked.

I knew my sister well enough to know she tended to get weepy on her first day. And while her feelings were absolutely valid, if she was on her period they were definitely going to be amplified.

“It’s not just that!” she said.

“But it’s a little that,” I replied.

Lucy harrumphed, but I could tell the reminder that her feelings were a bit over the top for hormonal reasons eased her mind the tiniest bit.

Still, there was one more thing I could do to help take her mind off fertility.

“I’ll be right back,” I told the two women.

I strode through the patio doors into the house and found the cupboard I was looking for. Three minutes later, I was back with three fruity cocktails. Of the strong variety.

“That must be some kind of drink-making speed record,” Casey said, laughing.

“Sadie was a bartender at this outrageously fancy cocktail bar in Manhattan,” Lucy said.

“For like, a month,” I clarified. “It wasn’t exactly my style.” The other servers were snobs and I had to wear super-uncomfortable high heels all night, even though I spent half my time behind the bar.

“God, I’d love to drink this,” Casey said. “So much. But I’m driving. How about you have it?” she said, thrusting her drink next to me.

For a moment, I was confused. My drink was in my hand, in plain sight. But Casey wasn’t handing it to me, she was holding it out to someone behind me.

The back of my neck prickled.

Even though I knew it would be him, when I turned and saw Chris there, my stomach still swooped low. He was standing a few feet away, not quite turned to us. He looked like he’d been trying to slip by unnoticed. He also looked hotter than I remembered from a couple hours ago, if that was even possible; his t-shirt clinging to his broad chest and shoulders. For a moment, I almost thought he wasglowing,until I realized it was the long pink rays of the sun setting over the lake that were bathing him in warm, skin-tingling light.

I scowled, turning back around and slurping my drink noisily.

Lucy raised her eyebrows and sipped her drink. I could tell she was trying not to laugh. At least I’d succeeded in cheering her up.

“Wait, unless you don’t do pink drinks?” Casey said.

Chris looked at me and when his eyes met mine I felt a wave of molten heat roll down my spine, spreading across my whole body.

Despite the fact that my knees felt loose, I held his gaze, daring him to look away. His hair was mussed and he had a baseball glove tucked under his arm.

“Mom!” Sam called, darting through partygoers chatting on the deck. I let out a breath.Thank you, Sam.

“I’m hungry!” the boy said when he’d reached us. When he saw Chris, he held out his hand, which Chris high-fived without a word.

Well, that was sweet.

Chris took a step, like he was going to try to keep going, but Casey was still absently holding the drink out at him as she talked to Sam.

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