Page 3 of The One With The Secret Crushes

"If it's so much fun then Joanne and Lucy should join us too." I shot daggers in their direction.

Joanne smirked. "I've got to run the office while the boss is getting some much-needed socialization."

"And I have a doctor's appointment," Lucy shrugged.

"Traitors. The lot of you."

Joanne covered my hand with hers and squeezed. "I can't sit back and watch you hide from the things you want anymore."

"And what is it you think I want?" I asked through clenched teeth.

She cocked her head and gave me a look that said everything she wouldn't say out loud because it would embarrass me even more than I already was.Talk to Scottie already.

"You want to spend time with your aunt, of course." Sharon replied instead. "And you're accepting my dinner invitation this week. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Oh, can we do that?" Lucy asked. "Then you're definitely coming out Friday night. I'm not taking no for an answer either."

Maeve nodded. "Excellent. I'll see you for breakfast one day this week. I'll even let you pick the day."

"How gracious of you," I muttered. Forced socialization was the kind of thing that would only happen to me. "Well, I better get this book you're going to force me to read." I waved next door to the town's bookstore, The TBR Pile.

"I'll go with you!" Everyone offered at once.

"You've got to be kidding me." I rubbed my temples as a headache began to bloom. "I can be trusted to walk into a bookstore by myself, thank you."

"But will you show up at the saloon?" Maeve's lips pinched.

"I drove." Joanne held up her car keys. "So her only escape is hitchhiking or walking."

I would not be walking the narrow mountain road that ran along the river and they all knew it. "You think I'm going to hitchhike after listening to you all talk about serial killers for months? No. I will pop into the store and buy the book, then join you at the saloon." Where I would not see Scott.

Probably.

"I'll finish my pancakes and make sure she keeps her word." Joanne grinned.

Sharon huffed. "Fine. Can you give Willow back her keys?" She pulled two sets of keys out of her bag. One for the saloon and one for Willow, the owner of the TBR Pile.

"You really commit to a bit, don't you?" She borrowed Willow's car just to spy on me. Ridiculous!

"What's the point of reading all these books if we don't learn from them, Mackenzie?"

Maybe I could steal a bottle of bourbon from the bar. I was going to need something strong tonight. Scott probably wouldn't notice it was missing any more than he noticed me when I moved back.

Knowing I had no choice but to attend book club, I grabbed my bag. "I'll see you in a few."

A chorus of voices agreed, and I rolled my eyes before yanking the blue door to the TBR Pile open and colliding with a warm, hard, masculine wall of flannel.

We stumbled back into the store. He caught me by the elbows and righted me with ease, his large hands warm and steady. My head buzzed and warmth flooded my veins in an exciting and unusual way, which was really unfortunate for me considering who I'd just run into.

Scott. Freaking. Shaw. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole. This day just could not get any worse. It couldn’t. My celebratory breakfast was a trap, then I was ambushed, and for the cherry on top, I mowed over the one man I was actively trying to avoid. I would apologize, he wouldn't recognize me, and then I'd fling myself into the raging river for a grand finale.

But before I could open my mouth, he grinned. "Hey Mackenzie."

Two

Scott

I'm always a grumpy ass.

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