“What the hell is happening to you?” she whispered to herreflection in the rearview mirror. It had no answer for her.
Jamming her key into the ignition, she sped back to the gym. Aplace where she was comfortable and actually felt like she knew what she wasdoing. Because God knew she wasn’t feeling that way anyplace else today.
She spent the rest of the day distracted, doing her best to focuson her clients and mostly failing. The strangest part was that she wasn’tdistracted by Beth’s no-show, as she’d expected to be. No, she was distractedby blue eyes she couldn’t stop seeing in her mind and the question she’d answeredwith a lie.
Whatismy deal with Spencer?
Pretending she didn’t know the correct response only worked for solong, especially since she’d see Spencer the next day.
Chapter Eight
“Read ’em and weep, gentleman. And lady.” Dwayne Blair slapped downhis cards, revealing a full house. “Read ’em and weep.”
Groans went around the table as the other three guys and Rebeccathrew their cards down in feigned disgust.
“Are you cheating somehow?” asked Kevin Lippman, sandy browfurrowed.
Dwayne’s brown eyes widened behind his glasses as he gasped, hishandsome face an expression of horror. “How dare you?”
“I don’t know, man,” said Nick, as he reached for his beer. “Youused to suck at this game and now you’re cleaning us out. It’s suspicious.”
“Damn right it is.” Dave Goldstein jumped in and played along.“Rebecca?”
“Totally suspicious,” Rebecca said.
“Fuck all y’all,” Dwayne said, scraping the chips from the pottoward his chest. “You’re just jealous.”
They all laughed as the deal moved to Dave. Rebecca loved pokernights. Not because she enjoyed poker (she didn’t), but because she’d beenhanging out with this group of men for nearly nine years. They were Nick’sfriends—Kevin, from high school; Dwayne and Dave from college—but Nick hadalways included Rebecca in their gatherings, and because he did, so did theothers. Rebecca was simply one of the guys. They pulled no punches with her,didn’t tread carefully or watch their mouths because there was a lady present.Rebecca loved that about them. They all knew she was gay, and over the yearsshe had bitched or raved about her women just as the guys had. Except now shewas the only one left who was single.
“Quick,” said Dwayne. “Fuck, marry, or kill. The women ofBuffy. Go.”
“Fuck Buffy, marry Anya, kill Willow.” Nick looked to Rebecca withone arched eyebrow as if daring her to call him on killing off the lesbian.
Rebecca just scoffed at him. “Seriously, dude? FuckFaith, marry Willow,kill Dawn.”
Grunts and nods of agreement went around the table.
“Oh, Dawn!” Nick smacked his forehead. “Okay. Willow can liveanother day. Dawn buys it.”
Rebecca chuckled as their conversation was interrupted by Nick’swife, Michelle, her arms loaded with munchies. Rebecca was the first one up tohelp. “Here. Let me.” She took a container of French onion dip and two bags ofchips from Michelle’s hands.
“There she goes, flirting with my wife again,” Nick saidplayfully.
“Maybe she’ll teach her a thing or two,” Dave said, winking in thedirection of the women.
“Maybe she’ll teachNicka thing or two,” Michelle responded, dissolving the room into hoots andhollers. Nick shook his head as his face turned a very deep red. Michelle blewhim a kiss. “Love you, honey.”
Nick opened his arms and pushed his chair back. When Michelle hadset down the plates of jalapeño poppers, pizzarolls, and a veggie plate for Rebecca, she stepped to him and sat on his knee,gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“So,” Nick said, then waited until he had the attention of hisfriends, all of whom had turned their focus to the food. “We have a littleannouncement.” When everybody was chewing, but quiet and looking in hisdirection, he shifted his gaze to Michelle.
Rebecca watched with a mix of both love for her friends and envyof their relationship. Nick and Michelle were perfect together, his yang to heryin. They fit seamlessly and she loved being around them, envy be damned. Theirbond made her feel good.
Michelle was small, no more than five-three, but she had a bigpersonality. Her light brown hair was in a ponytail and Nick playfully tuggedat it now. She gave him one subtle nod and he turned to his pals. “We’repregnant!”
A beat of silence went by before the basement rec room burst intosound. Whoops, claps, exclamations of happy surprise. Rebecca jumped up fromher chair and caught Michelle in a bear hug. Nick stood, shaking hands with hisbuddies, receiving slaps on the back. When his eyes met Rebecca’s, she smiledand her heart filled with affection for this man, her best friend in the world.She wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck and he hugged her tightly enough tolift her off the ground.
“I’m so happy for you, Nicky,” she said softly in his ear. Hisarms tightened in response.
