Page 26 of Stunner (Whiskey Dolls 3)

“Fine,” I relented unhappily. “But what happened?”

“He met someone.”

A confused frown pulled at my brows, tilting them into a V. “What do you mean? Like, he’s dating someone?”

“Yeah. And apparently it’s pretty serious,” she said bitterly. “The asshole called me this morning because he wants Hazel to meet her.” Her words dripped with venom as she added, “They’removing in together. He was going on and on about how Hazel’s going to have her own room at their new house. Can you believe that shit?”

Maybe it was the fact that I was a man, making me inherently stupider than the fairer sex, but I wasn’t sure I saw the problem.

“Sorry, Hard, but I don’t get it. Isn’t this a good thing? I mean, you wanted him to grow up and be a better father, right? Sounds to me like maybe that’s what’s starting to happen. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

She threw her arms up in exasperation. “Itoldyou it was stupid!” she decreed so loudly Gus and Triumph both went on high alert. “And yes, Iamhappy.” She paused. “Kind of. Well, for Hazel I am.” She smacked the arms of her chair in frustration. “But, damn it, why the hell does it have to be another woman who pulls his head out of his ass and helps him get his shit together, huh? What is it about her that makes him want to try when I wasn’t good enough?” She was breathing heavily by the time she finished her rant, her cheeks stained crimson with frustration and lack of oxygen.

“Ah, honey,” I started soothingly, my heart breaking for my baby sister. “You can’t think of it like that. It’ll drive you crazy. There isn’t a goddamn thing wrong with you, I can tell you that for certain. The flaw is in him.” She blew out a raspberry and rolled her eyes, prepared to argue, so I pushed on. “Think about it, sis. That asshole needs a woman holding his hand and guiding his way into adulthood.” I lifted my brows high to emphasize my point. “You already have one kid. Do you really want to deal with another?”

She stopped to consider that, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. “Well, no.”

“Exactly. Who has the time for that kind of bullshit?”

Her eyes sparked, pushing the sadness back. “Sure as hell not me.”

My chest rose on a deep inhale, knowing the crisis had been averted and the threat of more tears was gone. “There you go.”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, riled up and full of righteous indignation now. “And I don’t evenwantthe asshole. Haven’t in years. I don’t know why I got so upset in the first damn place.” She focused on me and smiled. “Thanks, big bro.”

“Any time. Just, please, for all that’s holy, don’t cry again.”

She grinned evilly, and I know she had every intention of using that power again in the very near future. “Moving on to a different subject, you mentioned Asher.” She waggled her eyebrows lasciviously, “How is that going?”

I let out a sigh, feeling the tension build behind my temples and eyes. Truth was, things on that front weren’t exactly going how I’d hoped. I thought I’d made progress that night on my balcony. She had nearly kissed me, for Christ’s sake. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew when a woman wanted me, and I was damn near certain Asher Rose wanted me. Problem was, the stubborn woman seemed to have more self-control than the average person. Either that or she was really fucking good at avoidance.

“That bad, huh?” Hardin asked with a wince.

“I made some serious headway the other night,” I admitted. “She’s been coming by every day to see him and I thought maybe something would happen, but nothing has happened. She comes in, hangs with the dog for a bit, talks to me for a minute or two, then leaves. That’s it.”

Hardin pushed to her feet, hooking the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Maybe it’s time you stop waiting for a door to open so you can walk through, and turn the damn knob already.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? And you’re seriously leaving right now? I just talked you through your shit, but you’re going to bail on mine?”

“Hey, I have a little girl I have to get from school, you big baby.”

My mother would have said the face I was making right then was a pout, but I preferred to think of it as a manly brood.Hardin had a talent for bringing out the immaturity in me. It was a sibling thing. “See if I ever help you with anything again,” I grumbled.

She snorted, knowing I was too much of a sucker to ever leave her hanging. “Fine, I’ll help you out. What I meant is that you have to stop looking for an opening and make one yourself. You keep waiting for the right moment to pop up with this woman, and it might pass by without you realizing it. If you want her, you might actually have to do something about it.”

With that, Hardin gave the dogs one last pat before bending to place a kiss on my cheek, then she left. My sister, the whirlwind.

13

ASHER

“Damn it,” I grunted as I searched frantically through the vanity drawers. “Where the hell is it?”

“What are you looking for?” Sloane asked.

I stopped rummaging and looked over to her. She was propped on the stool at her own station in the dressing room at the back of Whiskey Dolls, putting the finishing touches on her makeup for her next number.

“I can’t find my lipstick. I just bought a brand-new tube, and I could have sworn it was right here.” My bottom lip poked out in a pout. “It was my favorite shade too.”

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