Page 114 of Taking Sides

“She may not want to hear about all the other women he talked to,” Ruby says.

“Right.” Hannah grimaces. “Sorry.”

“No. It’s okay. He told me.”

“He did?” she asks.

“Yeah. He felt bad that you kept introducing him to people and then he scared them off.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ruby insists.

Hannah looks at her with confusion but then they share some sort of silent conversation and Hannah agrees. “They weren’t the right women for him.”

It’s sweet that they’re trying to downplay it, so they don’t scare me off or anything.

“It’s okay. Did he tell you how bad our first date went?” I ask. “I couldn’t figure out why he’d asked me on a date and then seemed completely uninterested in me. I thought he’d asked me out as some sort of dare or something.”

Both girls laugh softly.

I look across the room at Conrad again. He glances up and smiles at me. There’s so much warmth and tenderness in that simple look that my stomach flips. I press a hand to my lower belly.

I look at Hannah head on. “Anyway, I’m glad he scared off all your friends so that he was single when I met him. He’s incredible.”

Hannah’s shoulders inch up to her ears, and she makes a little squeal of delight. “You are in love with him.”

She didn’t ask it as a question, but I answer her anyway.

“No.” My denial doesn’t sound convincing even to my own ears.

Both girls stare at me with amusement.

“Okay. Maybe. But come on, who could blame me?”

He’s laughing at something one of the other guys said. Those lips curled and those blue eyes lit up with happiness.

“I’m guessing you haven’t told him,” Ruby says.

“It’s too soon and we’ve had a lot going on.” I don’t need to tell Ruby and Hannah about Victor as I’m sure they’ve both already heard from their husbands.

“Nick told me he loved me pretty fast after knowing him,” Ruby says. “Six weeks or so.”

“Yeah, but didn’t you leave first before he figured it out?” Hannah asks.

“Yes, that is true.” Ruby nods. “Any chance you’re planning to move away? Distance can be a swift reality check.”

The three of us laugh and settle into a comfortable silence.

Hannah is the first to break it. “He is stupid hot.”

“Who?” Ruby asks. “Travis?”

“Well, yes . . .” She pulls at the side of her lip with her teeth. “But I was talking about Conrad.”

I gape at her, then Ruby bursts into giggles, and I join in.

Hannah’s face turns red. “I’m sorry. I promise I’m not making moves on your man, but sometimes I look at him and I feel a little starstruck. He is just . . . I mean, wow. I could never date him because I’d be afraid to mess him up or something.” She stops talking and studies me. “Are you going to kick my ass?”

“As if I could.” I glance pointedly at her toned arms. She’s shorter than me but fit and muscular from her sport.