Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Erin’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t get an invitation.”
“I was the only one invited.”
“Aha.”
“The party went on until this morning, when I woke up in his bed.”
“Aha,” she repeated, this time with a wicked glint in her eye. “I can’t help but ask—was it…?”
“The hottest thing I’ve ever experienced? Oh yeah.”
It seemed to her that Erin was trying very hard to suppress a grin. But all she said was, “And this is a crisis why?”
“Because he’s a maybe,” she blurted.
Of all the people in the world, only Erin would get the significance of this comment. She actually stopped walking. “You’re kidding me. He’s an actual maybe?”
“Yes.”
Erin was so shocked she had trouble keeping up with Mila’s much longer stride. Finally, she scampered to catch up. “I can’t remember when you’ve been a maybe about a man. You’re always a no.”
“Well, this time I’m a maybe. Only, you know what the crazy part is?”
“There’s a crazier part?”
“For him, I’m a no. This can’t be anything serious. He actually told me that.”
Erin didn’t laugh out loud, but Mila could see her shoulders shaking as she tried to control herself.
“I can’t believe you’re laughing at me while I’m having a crisis.”
“You have to admit it’s kind of funny. Talk about having the tables turned on you.” And then Erin stepped in front of her with a devilish look in her eyes. She held out her hand and said, “I want you to pinkie swear that you’ll give this guy a chance.”
Mila was so frustrated now she wished she hadn’t even called her. “You know I hate pinkie swears with you.”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m making sure you do one. Because I know you, and the minute you get even the slightest bit uncomfortable, you will run. If he’s as good as a maybe now, then one day he might be a yes.”
Of course that was what frightened Mila the most. What if he was a yes for her, and she was a no for him? She hadn’t risked her heart in such a long time, she wasn’t sure she could survive having it broken again.
Erin continued, “Anyway, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s flighty, you know? I mean, outside of space shuttles.”
“Are you saying I’m flighty?”
“Well, you do have a tendency to take flight the minute anybody gets the tiniest bit serious about you.”
It was hard to argue with reality. “Well, this time he seems to be the flighty one.”
“No. I don’t think he is. I think there’s something else stopping him.”
Since she’d told Erin this much, she decided to share the rest. “He says he never wants to have to go on a mission while leaving behind a wife or children. He thinks it wouldn’t be fair to them because his job is so risky.”
Erin looked at her. “Are you kidding me? What about police officers and people in the army? They risk their lives all the time.”
She was so pleased Erin could see the situation the same way she did. “I know! That’s exactly what I told him.”
Erin shook her head. “Sometimes I really don’t understand men.”
“Amen, sister.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Well, I’m going to enjoy the fabulous sex, and…” She thought long and hard. “And I’m just going to enjoy the fabulous sex. And not worry about tomorrow.”
Erin shot her yet another searching look. “Are you going to bring him as your date to the wedding?”
Frustrated, she watched a spaniel run circles around them. It had crossed her mind to do that very thing. “We’re sleeping together. We’re not dating.”
“Maybe you should think about it. Then we could get to know him better. I mean, he seems like a really nice guy.”
She let out a huge sigh. “He is. He is a really nice guy.” She picked up the slobbery ball the happy spaniel had dropped at her feet and threw it. The dog raced off. “I’ll think about it.” Then she turned to her little sister. “Are you bringing someone?”
“I don’t know. I usually take Clark, the Sea Shell photographer, as my plus-one, but obviously I can’t bring a news photographer to my celebrity brother’s secret wedding that the media aren’t supposed to know about.”
Mila could see her problem. Besides, Clark was a convenient plus-one. He was nice and dressed well and never, ever challenged Erin in any way. All the world could tell he was in love with her from afar, but he wasn’t bold enough to make a move, so they were friends—and not even friends with benefits.
Mila was about to remind Erin one more time that Jay Malone was coming to Archer’s wedding, and she was pretty sure he wasn’t bringing a plus-one. His current hot underwear model was exactly the sort of person who would alert the worst of the paparazzi if she ever got wind of it. However, Mila was still mad at Jay for pushing his biopic idea at Hersch. He didn’t deserve a nice woman like Erin on his arm. And Erin definitely deserved someone nicer than Jay—someone who listened to Mila, for instance.