Page 80 of Out of the Shadow

I suck in my chest away from London and extricate my arms from both of them. “While your offer sounds amazing, I’ve actually met someone.”

The twins’ faces fall in an identical expression of disappointment, then they exchange a look and shrug. Lacey swivels her head from left to right. “Where is she? I want to meet the lucky lady who captured your wandering eye.”

Have I had a wandering eye? Considering the fact that I’ve had threesomes with the twins, plus hooked up with several of the ladies here, I guess the answer is yes. That’s all changed now. “Sorry. She’s home with an awful bug.”

The women sigh and we make idle chit-chat for a while until they excuse themselves to go to the bathroom. One of the many things I’ll never understand about women.

“That looked cozy.” The voice is familiar but not welcome. I’d hoped that he was back in LA, but no such luck. Trevor appears at my side.

I take another sip of my bourbon. “We were catching up. They’re sweet.”

He raises one eyebrow. “And hot. And very flexible.”

“If you’ll excuse—”

“King.”

Although I’m satisfied with my decision to cut him out of my life, which was a long time coming, I freeze at his forlorn tone. “Yes?”

“Come on, we’ve been friends forever. Where’s the love?”

His plea doesn’t fall on deaf ears, but I remind myself of the way he hit me up for money a few weeks ago. “I think it’s better left in the past.”

“You can’t mean that.” He runs his hand under his nose and sniffs.

I pause and take a better look at him. He’s more gaunt than I’ve ever seen him. The transformation is most noticeable in his face. His cheeks are sunken. His nose, red. His hair is in desperate need of a cut. Despite myself, years of caring for this man resurface. “Hey, are you feeling all right?”

Trevor straightens. In an indignant voice, he replies, “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that you look a little…peaked.”

“Been burning both ends, you know?Myreal estate business is booming.”

I nod as if I agree, but his response rings hollow. He never was one to hustle for a sale. Not when there was a party somewhere. “Thought you might have caught something. Angie has a nasty bug and she’s down for the count.”

“Angie, huh?” He nudges me in the stomach. “Come on, you can tell me. Something going on between you two?”

“We’re dating.” The words spring free before I have the chance to censor them. “But keep that on the down low. We don’t want word to get out, considering the show will be billing us as adversaries.”

He elbows me. “Dang. Isn’t she married?”

My need to defend her honor rushes out. “No. She’s a widow.”

He touches his nose again. “Oh. Well, your secret’s safe with me, brother.” He pauses. “So, is this serious? Have you met her folks?”

I can’t help myself. A smile overtakes my face as I remember my dinner with her family. The first of many, I hope. “I did. She has a big Italian family from Brooklyn. Kind of a zoo, but they’re all really nice.”

“Huh. Who are you and what have you done with King? Has she met your parents?”

I smile around my glass of bourbon. “Well, the show taped a segment at Dad’s concert, so she met him. Not Mom. Apparently she’s shacking up with another ‘super guy.’”

He nods in acknowledgment about my mother. “Must’ve been some meeting with the band. I bet your father swept her off her feet, like he does with all the ladies. Like father, like son.”

His last comment has a tinge of bitterness to it. I clap my hand on his shoulder, ready to end our talk. “Well, it was good catching up with you, but I should be going.”

I only make it one step before he calls out to me. “Hey. King.”

I twist my head back to look at him.

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