Free She's the One (Lowcountry Lovers Series Book 2) by Kim Boykin

great.”
    “Maybe I will.”
    “Well, I’d better get going.” The asshole kissed her again on the cheek. “See you tomorrow night, babe.” Shane wanted to kill the guy as he sauntered off toward his car. Then he turned, like he’d suddenly remembered something. “Oh, yeah, you did see us play together. Saturday night. Man, that was something the way you left with that chick.” He grinned at Melissa. “Night, babe.”

Chapter Seven

    L ately, the first thing on Melissa’s mind when she woke up was Shane. But after three nights of practicing with the band, and being wooed by Bo, her thoughts were of him. And why not? He was sexy as hell and seemed to know the perfect thing to say or do every moment they were together. Of course the music was huge part of the seduction, but as pretty as the whole package was, it just left her more confused than ever.
    She’d let Shane and Bo cloud her mind, and thoughts of wanting both was a huge distraction. Of course, any woman in her right mind would be attracted to either man, and Shane hadn’t made things any easier. He’d sent flowers, taken her to lunch and didn’t once mention anything about her playing in band.
    He was just waiting until the skinny, redheaded kid was done with exams, Melissa knew that. And he probably thought things would go back to the way they were when they’d had dinner on the beach, but she wasn’t so sure about that—knowing Cassie was Shane’s soul mate, or damn close to it, and vice versa complicated everything. Could Melissa be happy with Bo? Could she have a relationship with Shane, knowing he was meant to be with Cassie? No, but when Shane kissed her, nothing had ever felt more right.
    Maybe Auntie Jo was wrong and Melissa wasn’t always meant to be the bridesmaid, maybe she was meant to be with Bo. Or Shane. But going against her gift for selfish reasons? Wrong . Really wrong. Why did she feel so conflicted, why couldn’t she just forget about Shane?
    Things with Bo were uncomplicated. No ex, who was also his soul mate, hanging around, and playing music together was a big plus. The way they played off of each other was delicious, and having an audience tonight would only add to the attraction. Melissa was well aware of Bo’s past of being a bit of a rake, but he seemed laser-focused on her, not just sexually. And it felt genuine.
    Her cell phone rang, her mom. “Hey.”
    “Hey, sweet girl. You’ve been on my mind lately, how are you?”
    “Good.” Conflicted as hell, but good. “I’m glad you called, Mama. I have questions for you. About Auntie Jo.”
    “Honestly, honey, if it’s about your gift. I don’t know anything about it except, Jo was right about your father and me. And a slew of other folks. You’re just like her.” She paused for a beat. “Soon as she saw you had it, she and Gramma sat you at their feet and taught you everything they knew.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.”
    “Honey, I believe Jo was wrong, always believing there was someone for everyone except her—and you. I always sided with Gramma on that one. She married and was happy, didn’t affect her matchmaking one iota.”
    “But, what if they didn’t teach me everything?”
    “They loved you too much to leave you with questions you couldn’t answer. Look, I know I sound like a nosy mother, but—is this match for you?”
    “Yes.”
    “That’s wonderful news, honey. I was wondering when that was going to happen. Who is he?”
    “There’s more than one, Mama and I’m so confused.”
    “That’s how the rest of us live, honey. We go through life thinking we know who the one for us is. We have doubts.”
    “Did you have doubts about Daddy?”
    “Of course, and loving your father was hard, especially with him gone so much. But I did love him,” she whispered the last words like the loss was still raw. “Truth is, the rest of us don’t have a compass giving us a definitive answer. We have to trust our hearts. Sometimes we’re