Page 17 of Summer in Kentbury
My eyes widen in shock. “Your sisters know?”
“McKay was with Knightly when your sister was discussing our situation with her.”
I groan. “I adore my sister and I think her children will miss her a lot, I’m going to have to maim her and dispose of her body,” I say, but then frown, looking at him, my brow furrowed in confusion. “So your sisters decided that I’m not good enough to have sex with you?”
I’m appalled, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. “Why? What is wrong with me?”
“It’s not you. It’s me,” he says, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “That’s the typical line that really means, ‘But it’s totally you, sweetheart.’”
“Not this time. Thanks to your proposal, Lou and McKay spent three hours discussing my marriage, therelationships I’ve had after that, and my current situation.”
“You had relationships after that?” I ask, surprised.
He clears his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Friends with benefits.” He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “Well, we weren’t even friends, since I barely knew them and just kept them around to . . .”
His gaze trails, almost embarrassed. “The past isn’t important. What matters is that now I need to make friends first, and once I have a deep connection I can decide if it’s worth having more with any woman I meet.”
I tilt my head, a playful smirk on my face. “Oh wow, it’s like you were in the big leagues of relationships, and suddenly they sent you back to peewee to start from zero.”
His lips press together in a tight line, unamused. “Really, sports analogies?”
I nod. “So even if I tell you what I’m wearing underneath, you’d just walk away?” I say teasingly, leaning in closer.
“That’s the plan—unless we forge a deep connection,” he says suggestively, his voice low and smooth.
“There’s no way that can happen in . . . When are you leaving again?”
He looks at his watch, a confident grin spreading across his face. “Two weeks and probably ten hours.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m up for the challenge. From going to peewee to at least getting all the way to Division II.”
I scoff, shaking my head. “Cocky much?”
“No, I just feel like I need to win at something,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.
I laugh, the sound light and carefree. “You might win my friendship, but you’re not scoring with me, McFolley. I’m currently on a man embargo and I already swore off men like you.”
He raises an eyebrow, curious. “Men like me?”
“Hot, dangerous, but unavailable. The next guy I date has to be open to a long-term relationship, be a supportive partner, who wants marriage, and at least one kid.”
“You have a plan, but what if you stop living because you’re too obsessed searching for a man who fills all of those requirements?” he asks, his tone serious.
“It’s not a requirement checklist. That’s what I want in my personal life. This time, I’m voicing it out what I want even before I accept a first date .”
He nods, a genuine smile on his face. “Those are reasonable boundaries. We can still be friends, right?”
I give him a skeptical look. “Can you make a real friend without wanting to see her naked?”
“Of course I can.”
“Doubtful,” I scoff.
“Challenge accepted,” he says, a glint of determination in his eyes.
I turn to leave, waving over my shoulder. “Good night, Sinclair,” I say, ignoring his challenge and walking away, a small smile playing on my lips.
Chapter Nine
