Page 21 of Spurred On

He blinked and shot her a cocky grin. “Sure thing, sugar.”

All the other women groaned as he looped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward the stage.

She made it a point to step on his foot. With the point being her heel.

He winced. “Hey, what was that for?”

She glared at him. “Don’t call me sugar.”

“But you’re so sweet—”

She gored him again. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Right.“Shut up and listen. We have a problem.”

He stared at her. “We do?”

“Yes. It’s Tibby. She’s shadowing Hanna’s every move.” She gave him a meaningful look. One that said it all.

He blinked. “And?”

Honestly. Why were men so dense? “Someone is going to have to distract her.”

“Okay.” He nodded.

Silence pinged between them. A long enough silence that she realized . . . he didn’t get her point. Not at all. She was going to have to s-p-e-l-l it out. “You are going to have to distract her.”

He jerked back as though she’d suggested he cuddle up in smallpox-infected blankets. “Me?”

“Of course, you. No one else can distract her enough to make her abandon Hanna.”

“No. No way.”

“You have to.”

“No.”

“Cody—”

“I’m not throwing myself under that bus. It’s bad enough as it is.”

That threw her for a loop, so she asked, “What’s bad enough as it is?”

His expression was pained. He leaned in and whispered, “She’s stalking me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not. I swear!”

“Hey.” Cade clomped down the stairs from the stage and put his hands on his hips. “What’s the holdup? We need to get the party going.”

Cody stared at his brother, then he glanced at Sidney. Without words she understood his meaning and nodded. “He’ll do.”

Cade, no doubt familiar with his brother’s expressions, and his Machiavellian ways, stepped back and narrowed his eyes. “He’ll do for what?”

“Come on.” Cody threw his arm around his brother’s shoulders and led him back up the stairs. “I’ll explain everything.” He glanced back at Sidney and winked.