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“And this conversation, it stays between us. I’ll text you the details,” Conrad says, and I head toward the front door, letting Myles inside my place.

“You’ve cleaned since the last time I was here,” Myles says. Not even so much as a hello.

Yes, my house was a bit of a mess, pure chaos, when Myles was over, but it’s not like I invited him inside that night. I didn’t plan on anyone coming inside; coffee was my tipsy-ass way of offering my date some time to sober up before going home.

Not sex.

But the guy took it to mean sex.

My stomach tumbles thinking about that night.

Bailey wiggles excitedly at the presence of another new person to meet. She barks profusely, and Myles swiftly shuts the door behind himself, as if that will keep our neighbors from hearing Bailey.

“You ready?” Myles asks Conrad.

“Where are you two off to?” I ask, heading into the kitchen to unplug Conrad’s phone and hand it back to him.

“Checking out some places I can board Bailey for pup camp when I have overnight games out of the area.”

Bailey is cute, but there’s zero opportunity for me to help. I grab my phone. “I have someone you might want to try⁠—”

“Thanks, we have it handled,” Myles says, interrupting me. “We don’t need your help.”

Eleven

Myles

The silver dress shimmers under the chandelier light and hugs every curve of her body. Juniper looks positively stunning.

“Why the hell is she here?” I grumble at my best friend.

Conrad gives a half-shrug and silently steers me toward the bar.

“Good call.” I order a whiskey neat and he gets a beer. Thankfully, the bar is open, and it’s not too crowded yet.

“Excited about tonight?” he asks. Drinks in hand, we head toward our table. Little place cards were on a table when we first came in, with our name and table number. It didn’t take long to find where we were seated.

I’d be pissed if I weren’t sitting with Conrad. Archer is also at our table, but we ended up with a half dozen tables for tonight’s event. The three of us could have been seated apart. I’ll have to thank whoever made the seating arrangements.

This night could get very boring if I’d have been forced to sit with coach, his wife, and the owner.

Pulling back one of the chairs, I grab a seat, making myself comfortable. There’s music playing and an empty dance floor as guests find the way to their tables. We didn’t get here particularly early, but we’re also not the last to stroll in.

Coach would have had our heads if that were the case.

There’s a glimpse of silver again, sparkling under the crystal lighting, and her eyes lock on mine.

“Who invited her?” I grumble, unsure why she’d be at event like this? Sure, it’s a charity for kids’ cancer, but she’s not a celebrity. She’s not really anybody, and I doubt she has money for a ticket, let alone a donation.

But that dress on her is fire.

Absolutely stunning.

“I did,” Conrad says and stands, abandoning me as he walks over to Juniper and leans in, whispering something into her ear.

She smiles, blushes, and laughs intimately as she turns to face him. Her fingers reach up into his hair, playing with the strands, messing it up in a way that actually looks good, makes him look more like himself and less like the forced way all of us look, dressed up right now, rigid, and uncomfortable, like a stick is up our asses.

Conrad brought Juniper tonight?