Page 157 of The Bluffing Game

“You’re new to town, our place is great, and like I said, I know my way around a legal document or two.”

“Is your dad an attorney?” Rosie asks.

Lucia bursts out laughing. “Not even close.” She looks over at Izzy. “What do you think?”

“Best idea ever.” She beams, and then her lips start to tremble. Her eyelashes flutter, like a thousand times, and it looks like she’s about to cry. “Sorry,” she says, grabbing a tissue and dabbing her eyes. “I’m so annoyed right now.”

“Oh, shit.” Lucia wraps her arm around Izzy’s shoulders. “Colton?”

“Yes.” Izzy sniffs and looks down at the table.

Rosie and I exchange looks. We’ve been wondering about this Colton for a while now. Ever since the incident in the diner.

“He wants us to go out to Lucky’s Valley on Friday night to barhop.” She presses her hands together. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You say no.” Lucia sounds angry. “And you tell him to go to hell.”

“But I don’t want to … he loves me.” Izzy plays with her hair, and Lucia rolls her eyes as she sits back and makes an exasperated groan.

“He loves you as much as I love picking up dog shit on a rainy day with my bare hands.”

“Lucia!” Izzy glares at her. “That’s not nice.”

“Colton’s not nice. He’s a dick. One that never fully formed either. Small-dick energy.”

“What happened?” I ask because I’m dying to know what’s going on.

“You ever have a friend who dated the worst man on earth, but didn’t seem to realize it?”

“Um, maybe. Or maybe that friend was me. I’ve dated some losers in life. That’s why I’m looking for a billionaire husband now. If he’s going to be a loser, may as well be a rich one.”

“Oh, I love it.” Lucia laughs. “I want to hear more about that, but I need you both to help me convince Izzy to dump that cheating jackass.”

“He’s not cheating,” Izzy protests, but she says it half-heartedly. “He’s a man with needs, and we’re not legally wed, so he’s just fulfilling those needs right now.”

“Huh?” Rosie looks confused as she leans forward. “Can one of you explain?”

“Izzy here is a virgin,” Lucia exclaims. “Which is good for her. She’s saving herself for the right man and marriage.”

“I mean, I’m just waiting for it to be with the man who will be my husband,” Izzy says slowly. “I want it to be special.”

“Uh-huh.” Lucia nods. “She’s been dating Colton, the small dickhead, for six months, and because she won’t have sex with him, he asked if they could open up the relationship so he could have his needs filled.”

“Oh, shit, and you said yes?”

“Not technically.” Izzy sighs. “I told him I wasn’t comfortable with it. I told him it wasn’t a no or a yes and that I had to think about it.”

“And he took that to mean he could fuck around.” Lucia makes a face. “What a jerk face.”

“He says he misunderstood me. He claims he thought I was saying I didn’t know if I wanted to be in a relationship anymore, and that he thought I was thinking about whether I wanted to be with him. So, he went out and found someone to …” Her voice catches. “Well, you know.”

“He’s sleeping with two different women that we know of.”

“I’ve met both of them. They both know I’m his girlfriend. Plus, I’m free to be with other men as well. He wants it to be fair. He wants us to explore together.”

“He’s totally gaslighting her. What a jerk.”

“He’s not all bad,” Izzy protests. “He took me to Napa Valley for a weekend, and we had so much fun. He’s so thoughtful. He even bought me roses and a box of chocolates. He says he wants to marry me one day. He just wants to experience all life has to offer before he settles down.”