Page 42 of Spurred On

She’d seen the whole thing. Or, at the very least, the one part that mattered.

With a strangled sound, something like a sob, her friend whirled away.

Hell.

Sidney wrenched out of Cody’s hold and raced after her.

What had she been thinking? How could she have completely forgotten about Porsche? How could she have forgotten that half the reason she was determined to avoid Cody was because her best friend was head over heels in love with him?

What kind of horrible friend was she?

Porsche was a tough kid. She could handle a lot. But her one tender spot was for Cody Silver. She’d been in love with him her whole life.

And now, she’d seen Sidney kissing him. The thought made her stomach churn.

She found Porsche pacing on the porch and headed to her side.

Pity she had no idea what to say. Fortunately, she knew that in a time like this, it was better to let Porsche speak first. It didn’t take long.

“I can’t believe you kissed him,” she wailed.

Sidney winced. “Technically, he kissed me.”

“I can’t believe he kissed you.” Porsche threw up her hands and paced some more.

Sidney blinked. “Is that so unbelievable?”

“He’s never kissed me.”

“Only because of Ford, I’m sure.” Porsche’s brother had made it clear—to any man in town with a protuberance even resembling a penis—that his sister was off-limits.

The suggestion caused Porsche to pause in her pacing. She tipped her head and tapped her chin. “Do you think?”

“Of course. You’re beautiful and charming and everything. What man wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

“All of them, apparently.”

“Again, probably Ford’s fault.”

“Don’t patronize me. We all know everything is Ford’s fault.”

“True.”

Porsche whirled on her heel and frowned at Sidney for a long, long while. As though she was willing her to make a confession. That was not going to happen. Finally she said, in a gut-wrenching tone, “Are you having an affair with Cody?”

“No.” Not only no, but hell no. It was a one-night stand. Maybe a two-night stand. Not an affair.

“Because if you are, I’d like to know.”

“It’s not an affair.”

For some reason, Porsche’s eyes widened. “There’s an it?”

“A what?”

“An it! You have an it with Cody?”

Shit.

She tried for a cool and composed tone. “An it is not an affair.”

“Don’t try to bandy words with me.”

“I’m not bandying anything. I swear to you, Cody and I are not having an affair. We’re not having an anything.” That was kind of a lie, but it was the kind of kind-of-lie you used when your friend’s eyes were threatening tears and you really didn’t want to admit the thing that would make her cry more. Besides. Whatever it had been with Cody was over. It had to be. For so many reasons.

She pulled Porsche into her arms and patted her back and said, over and over and over again, “I swear, there’s nothing between me and Cody Silver.”

And when he stepped out on the porch and heard her, she met his gaze with all the aplomb she could muster. Because even if a part of her didn’t want it to be true, it had to be.

She was done with Cody.

And when this party was over, she would return to Dallas and find some other guy and date the shit out of him.