Free Laugh Like You've Never Cried (Summer Lake 5) by SJ McCoy

life. Whenever she has been around she's hurt him. I know it must have been hard to do what you did and leave Australia, but you can't claim it wasn't the best thing for him.”
    “No. I can't. I know that realistically, given the circumstances, he's better off without his mum, but that doesn't change the fact that I wish he had one. A kid needs a woman to love him, to round out everything a guy can't give him. I know I did right, making sure Kay won't come back into his life, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like I've failed him.”
    “Do you ever see yourself letting someone new into his life?”
    Michael raised an eyebrow at his old friend. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but he waited for Ben to elaborate.
    “You've been the world's biggest flirt for as long as I've known you, which is your whole life. But you've never talked about a woman since Kay.”
    Michael laughed. “I talk about women all the time!”
    Ben joined his laughter. “No. You talk about hair color and body parts. The redhead with the great ass, the blond with the long legs, the brunette with the huge tits.” He gave him a knowing look. “You haven't talked about a woman as a woman since you first met Kay.”
    Michael nodded. He had to admit he hadn't really thought about a woman as a woman, until....
    Ben put the words to Michael’s thoughts. “Until Megan.”
    He drew in a sharp breath. “I like that little lady a whole lot more than I should.”
    “Why shouldn't you?”
    “You were right. She's not my type.”
    “Well, considering that your ‘type’ are the ones you screw and never see again, maybe that's a good thing?”
    “Maybe.”
    “What's the problem?”
    “I told you. I like her too much and I don't even know her. And besides, she's short, she's timid, and she's all kinds of awkward.”
    Ben raised an eyebrow. “And you say all of that with a huge grin on your face, as though they are the most desirable attributes a woman could possess.”
    Michael laughed. He couldn't help it. “Because when they're all packaged inside baggy jeans and a sweatshirt, hidden behind huge glasses— they are! I can't get her out of my head, Ben. She's adorable!” He shot Ben a sideways glance. “And Ethan already knows her, and he thinks she's great.”
    “Wow! So you are thinking about her in terms of maybe letting her into his life?”
    “She's already in it. She's been working with him and Scotty. I don't know why I didn't make the connection on Friday night when you talked about her working at the library, but she's the 'awesome new lady' that he's been talking about for weeks.”
    “So, she's already made it past the barrier that you put up to keep women out of your real life?”
    Michael smiled to himself. “She has, mate.”
    Ben nodded knowingly.
    “What? What are you looking so smug about?”
    “I'm just thinking you might be on course to find your real success right back here.”
    Michael thought about it. It was way too early to think about Megan in those terms, but the possibility was making him smile.
    ***
    M egan put her phone back down on the counter for the third time. She really didn't need to call Missy to ask her what to wear. Missy would no doubt think she was being silly. She was being silly! Michael was taking her out for a drive. There was no need to wear anything other than her jeans. But she wanted to. She wanted to look pretty again. Even though he must have very questionable taste, she had been very aware of the way Michael had been looking at her last night. She wanted him to look at her like that again. She wanted him to kiss her again, like he had this morning. If their hugs had been a conversation between their bodies, their kiss had been a declaration of intent. When his lips had come down on hers her brain had shut down—and her body had fired up. She'd never felt like that before, but she wanted to feel that way again. She wanted him to kiss her—and more. She picked her phone back