Free Bodywork by Marie Harte

laughed. “Your mom is way cool. Your brother, not so much.”
    Shane shot him the finger.
    George snickered. “Not to o creative with his insults either.”
    “ You should shut up and take note. At the rate you’re going, you’ll be a father before you graduate high school,” Shane said dryly.
    “No way, bro. I’m very careful about stuff like that. I may like the ladies, and God knows they love me, but there’s no way I’m ready to be a father yet. Hell, you’re thirty-one and still single. If anyone’s giving Mom and Dad grandkids first, it’s you. ”
    “ Terrific. ”
    George’s eyes brightened. “ Mom loved Shelby. Woman was pumping her for information like nobody’s business. It bummed her out big time when Shelby dodged her. I ’m pretty sure Lor r aine was trying to set you up. But Shelby managed to finesse her way out of the interrogation. It was pretty impressive, actually.”
    “You’ve hit an all time new low if you need your mom to get you dates,” Mac muttered. “That’s just embarrassing.”
    “I didn’t ask her to help, asshole .” Shane glared at his friend before turning back to his brother . “In fact, I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet about this, George.”
    “Yeah, seriously.” Mac agreed. “Don’t get your mom involved . Sex and mothers don’t go hand-in- hand.”
    “S o you just want to have sex with Shelby?” George frowned. “I don’t know if I like that.”
    “Christ. You,” Shane said, pointing to Mac, “quit talking about sex. And you…” he pointed to George… “keep your mouth shut about this. What I do or don’t do with Shelby is my business.”
    “N ot that you have anything to do,” Mac added. “ Not after you ran her over and then stalked her at her place of business.”
    “What?” George’s eyes were the size of half-dollars.
    Mac explained, and George started laughing and didn’t stop. “Oh man, you are so lame.”
    “Great. You’re a big help, Jameson.” Shane would have been more irritated if the events didn’t sound funny, even to him. Good thing he hadn’t mentioned running into her at Green Lake and kissing her. He’d keep that nugget all to himself.
    “Okay .” George rubbed his hands together. “S o Shane, the king of commitment, wants a hook up. That right?”
    Mac nodded.
    “And he wants Shelby for that?”
    “Yep.”
    Shane scowled. “I’m right here.”
    “I guess I’m okay with that, so long as Shelby knows what he’s after. She’s nice. I don’t want her hurt by a guy who says he’ll call but won’t. Or some ass who’s late all the time or stands her up.”
    “I’m not late all the time, you little punk.” Shane wrapped George in a headlock and gave him a king-sized noogie until his brother cried uncle. “Now let’s ditch the topic of my love life for something much more interesting.”
    “Like what?” Mac asked.
    “Pizza.” Shane’s answer did the trick. Now more con cerned with their stomachs than his social agenda, Mac and George argued over pizza toppings while Shane dug for the phone number to call it in. But all the while, he thought about Shelby and what to do about her. A kiss, now what? Where did he go from here?
    * * *
    Shelby rolled her shoulders as she finished her third client for the day. She normally arranged her schedule so that she had her weekends free, but two cancellations earlier in the week had caused her to work an extra day on Saturday. She watched her client leave and started to shut down the shop when a voice came from t he back door.
    “Hello?”
    She turned around and smiled as one of her favorite prior clients walked in with a smile on his face . He had dimples that would make any young girl sigh and smile. If only s he were sixteen again. “George Collins! How are you?” she asked as the lanky teenager approach ed with a familiar swagger .
    George flinched. “Shelby, how many times do I have to tell you ? I t’s Geo, like Leo . N ot George.” H e enveloped