was his mysterious Halloween witch.
It was too confusing to dwell on for long. All she knew was, the witch—literally speaking, only in her mind she usually referred to Heather with the b-word instead—had apparently not made it clear to him that she wasn’t the woman he’d been searching for. The two of them appeared to be getting very cozy. Grr.
“He even invited her for Thanksgiving dinner, can you freaking believe it?”
That should definitely have earned a few That skank, bet she’s not even a real redhead comments from her gal pals. But she didn’t get them.
“You have to tell him the truth,” Amelia said, her pretty blue eyes warm and supportive.
Amelia was the nicest young woman Lulu had ever met. She never had a mean word to say to anyone, and probably did a lousy business of running her craft shop because she believed every sob story she ever heard.
But man, did she have a way of making a person feel guilty about not doing the right thing.
Lulu slunk in her chair, running her finger along the rim of her glass. “It’s too late.”
For once, Viv, who was as daring as Amelia was conservative, agreed with the other woman. “She’s right. It’s your own fault he’s hooking up with a lying ho-bag instead of you.” She grinned evilly. “You lying ho-bag.”
“Oh, shut up,” Lulu snapped, not in the mood for any ribbing.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t played games with him,” said Amelia.
“Exactly. None of it would have happened. I wouldn’t have had an amazing time with Chaz that almost led to—” She cut herself off before continuing. Lulu hadn’t given them all the details of what had happened after she’d left on Halloween night. She might kiss and tell, but she didn’t blow and tell.
“Or,” Amelia said, presenting an alternate scenario, “maybe if you’d been honest from the start, you two would have had a drink, caught up on old times, danced, and still left together. Only you wouldn’t have felt the need to run out on him and pretend you were someone else.”
Viv tossed down the rest of her second margarita. “You never did tell us exactly what happened that night. Did you two fuck or not?”
“Viv!” Amelia exclaimed.
“What? It would help in my advice-giving if I knew how far things went.”
Lulu just growled.
“Okay, I take it that’s a no on the uck-faying?”
Rolling her eyes as she translated Viv’s pig Latin attempt at gentility, Lulu replied, “Take it however you want.”
Honestly, she wasn’t sure how to answer. “Sort of,” seemed a little too ambiguous, and she did not want to go into details. How could she explain that she’d had just a taste of him inside her, but the memory of that heated moment was enough to make her shiver with the need to finish what they’d started?
“It’s a no,” Viv said with a laugh. “You’ve been acting like a woman who’s been put away wet without having been ridden hard.”
She could have had somebody ride her hard. Two or three somebodies, probably. She’d certainly had some offers lately, including from a couple of her kickball pals. But nobody else interested her. Chaz was the only man she wanted...and he was the only man she couldn’t have.
Why was that again? Funny, the more wine she sipped, the harder it was to remember.
“I missed my shot,” she mumbled, more to herself than to her friends. “He’s dating that red-haired girl and doesn’t even remember I’m alive.”
“Of course he does,” said Amelia. “It was obvious the way he came right over to you that night, not even knowing who you were. There was instant chemistry. Out of the whole, crowded club, he zeroed in on you and never even glanced at anyone else.”
That made her feel a little better, because it was true. She hadn’t tricked him into approaching her, he’d been the aggressor. He’d truly wanted her.
“Just seduce him and he’ll forget all about the bitch,” said Viv. “I can teach you a few moves. I’m telling you, lick a guy’s balls and he’s yours forever.”
Screeching, Amelia threw her hands over her ears, but Lulu snorted a laugh, inhaling some wine, then coughing it back up. Viv was over-the-top, but she was certainly always good for a laugh.
“Ignore her,” said Amelia. “You don’t have to play tricks, or, ahem, do anything gross.”
Well, having tasted him, Lulu didn’t agree that Viv’s suggestion was gross. In fact, exploring his entire body with her mouth sounded like pure heaven. But sweet Amelia didn’t need to know that.
“Just be honest. Go up to him and tell him the whole story. The truth and nothing but the truth. You can do it!”
Yes, she could admit she’d been sneaky and manipulative, and that she’d lied by omission on Halloween.
And Chaz would hate her for it. He had put up with a lot as a kid, but he’d never put up with anybody lying. It was his personal line in the sand, one he wouldn’t cross and wouldn’t forgive in someone else. Now, from a few things he’d said to her, she suspected it was an even bigger issue for him.
Damn it, she had left before things went past the point of no return on Halloween because she didn’t want to lie to Chaz. She hadn’t wanted to take advantage of his own male weakness and use him for great, amazing, world-shattering sex without ever revealing who she really was.
So now this Heather chick was probably using him for great, amazing, world-shattering sex without ever revealing who she really wasn’t. Namely, Lulu!
It just wasn’t fair.
“You know, Lulu,” said Amelia, sounding cautious, as though she wasn’t sure her comment would be welcome, “you haven’t mentioned anything about this being just a fling, like you planned when you were going after Schaefer. Is that still all you want, even with Chaz?”
She stared, unsure how to answer. Yes, on Halloween, she’d been after only a brief, sexual adventure. Now, though, especially having spent the past several weeks getting to know Chaz all over again, she feared she wouldn’t be content with that. But was she really ready to try for something real, something honest, that went beyond sex? It wasn’t just an issue of Chaz wanting to; she, herself, had to be sure she was ready to trust someone.
You can trust Chaz. You know you can.
With her life, maybe. He’d never physically hurt her, or allow anyone else to. But with her heart? Well, that was a whole other story. His career meant everything to him; she’d only ever be a distant second in terms of importance. She might give him her heart, but he’d never completely give her his.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “We’re friends, we share a lot, and he’d never make me feel used or unimportant. But I’m just starting a job here that means a lot to me, and he’s never in one place for long. That wouldn’t
