Free Down for the Count by Christine Bell Page A

rainy Saturday afternoon. That’s what a job was, though, right? It wasn’t called happy fun play time. It was called work.
    “It’s fine, as jobs go,” she hedged. “It was a given that I would join the firm, and I really don’t have the heart for criminal law, so it seemed like a good compromise.”
    Cyrus nodded. “That’s how I feel. I work in finance, and it pays the bills, but it’s nothing to write home about. My free time is when I loosen up and enjoy life.” He leaned closer to his bride-to-be and squeezed her thigh. “Speaking of which, I know you said you’re never drinking again, but we have mojito makings and an awesome patio back at our place. Hot tub, pool, the whole nine. It’s a gorgeous night, so why don’t you guys come with us and hang out a while? It’s only half a mile down the beach. We can walk off some of this food.”
    His gaze lingered on Lacey for a long moment, and she got a weird whiff of attraction coming from him. Surely she was mistaken. A handsome guy like Cyrus with a beautiful fiancée like Nikki wouldn’t be checking out a seven like Lacey, would he? The moment passed so quickly, she was sure she’d imagined it.
    “What do you think?” Galen asked.
    She shrugged. It was a beautiful night, and she didn’t relish the thought of going back to their villa yet. Better to keep busy rather than stew over her wedding day debacle.
    “Well, I guess I could have one mojito, but then definitely no dessert,” Lacey said.
    “You guys get the check while me and Lacey powder our noses,” Nikki said, before planting a smacking kiss on Cyrus’s cheek.
    Lacey hesitated. The other couple had assumed she and Galen were an item, and it had seemed less important to correct them than it had to avoid putting a label on what they were, so neither of them had objected. Now, though, sticking Galen with the check felt crummy. He noted her hesitation and made an are you kidding me face, shooing her away with a wave of his hand. Both of them were comfortable financially, and a meal certainly wasn’t going to break the bank. She vowed to pick up the next one and trailed behind Nikki to the ladies room.
    “I’m so glad we met. We still have another week, and as much as I love being with Cyrus, all this one-on-one togetherness was driving us both a little mad,” Nikki confided as she rifled through her bright green crocheted bag. “I confess, an hour into meeting you guys, I was fantasizing about tearing you away from that hunk of yours so we could engage in some retail therapy. Maybe mani pedis?”
    Lacey wasn’t sure how to respond. It sounded like fun, but could she really go hang out with someone she’d just met? What if Nikki spent an hour with her and realized how dorky she was and regretted it? Or maybe she was like Cat and would appreciate having a dorky friend. Still, she hesitated.
    Nikki held up a hand. “No pressure. Just, after a few days, you might be bored, too, you know?”
    Lacey wanted to reassure her, but what could she say without sounding like a lame ass? I’d love to go shopping with you but, boo hoo, I don’t make friends very easily so this is weird for me. No, that would be the old Lacey who hung around guys like Marty. She was with Galen. Well, maybe not with him, with him, but…
    She opted to play it cool. “Yeah, I totally agree on the too-much-one-on-one-togetherness thing. Major snoozeville. I’m definitely up for shopping at some point, so count me in.”
    Nikki flashed a big grin. “Fab.” She went to dab some coral gloss onto her lips but hesitated. Eyeing Lacey in the mirror, she said, “I kinda had a feeling about you. About the two of you.”
    Lacey tried not to fidget under her intense stare. Great. She already suspected that she and Galen weren’t a couple. It shouldn’t bother her. Heck, anyone could see they were a mismatch. She didn’t have any illusions about herself. She was reasonably attractive but Galen? Galen was sex on a plate,