“But maybe he was,” Hanna says. In Hanna’s mind, the glass isn’t half full; it’s overflowing.

I shake my head. “Intentionally or not, I had an affair with his father, who is still married to his mother. It’s safe to say my first Christmas with that family was also my last.”

“You need to talk to him before you make any more assumptions,” Hanna says.

Maggie nods. “I actually agree.”

With a sigh, I study myself in the mirror and imagine Sam spotting me while I’m wearing this dress. He loved me once, right? Can that really be gone?

I wish I still believed that love could conquer all, but any remnant of that childish notion was washed away when I saw the way Sam looked at me on Christmas Day.

I smooth the dress into place and nod. “I’ll do something with my hair and put on a little makeup and be good to go.”

“You need one more thing,” Krystal says.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“A date.”

* * *

Sam

I’ve always been a “rip off the Band-Aid” kind of guy. None of that “tiny bit at a time” pussy shit. Just do it.

Which is why I’m at the gym early Saturday morning to work out with my best friends, despite knowing that I haven’t seen or spoken with them since the pictures came out.

I’ve been here twenty minutes, and neither Max nor Will has mentioned it. Assholes.

I step behind the bench press to spot Will. “So you guys probably know I’m with Sabrina Guy now.”

“Yeah,” Max says, clearing his throat as he sits in front of the leg press. “We, um, saw that.”

“And what I would give to unsee it,” Will mutters as he pushes up the bar.

“Shut the fuck up, both of you.”

“And here we thought you hadn’t left the house for anything but work and the gym since Liz left town,” Will says. He settles the bar back onto the rack and sits up, catching his breath. “Clearly, we were mistaken.”

No, they weren’t. Not really. But if I want my secrets to remain my own, I need to start here.

“So,” Max says, “you’re serious about her? The governor’s daughter—what’s her name? Katrina?”

“Sabrina. And, yeah, um, I guess.”

“Watch that enthusiasm, dude,” Will says. “She might think you want it too much.”

“Why haven’t we met this Sabrina?” Max asks.

I groan. “She’s busy.”

“Yeah,” Will says. “Looks like she’s been pretty tied up.” He dodges when he sees my fist coming for his shoulder. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

“Try,” I growl.

Max stands and cocks his head at me. “You’d tell us if you were in trouble or something, right?”

“I’m fine. I’m just not into all this spotlight crap. And now that everyone . . .” Fuck. I hate lying to my best friends. But if I tell them the truth, they’ll tell their wives, and then it’ll get back to Liz. Hell, maybe I want that. Maybe I want Liz to know I’m not attached to anyone.

But what’s the point?

“Now that everyone what?” Max asks.

I sigh. “Now that everyone knows about Sabrina and me, tonight I have to go to this bullshit fundraiser in Indy. As if I don’t have enough of that crap with my father.”

“Oh, yeah,” Will says. “Cally said something about that this morning. She was going over to Maggie’s with some dresses to help find something for Liz to wear. It’s at the reception center next to the Conrad, right?”

I stiffen. “Liz is going?”

Max arches an eyebrow at Will, who grimaces. “Sorry.”

I look at Max. “Why is he apologizing?”

“Because you get butt-sore every time someone brings up Liz. Which is awfully strange for a guy who’s telling the world—and his best friends—that he’s serious about another woman.”

Chapter 6

Liz

I’m fully capable of doing my own hair and makeup, but I let them fuss over me, and it felt good. My hair’s off my neck in a twist with only several loose curls free at the nape of my neck, and I’m wearing a pair of Mom’s diamond studs. But my favorite part of my whole getup is the red lipstick. It makes me feel sexy, bold, and confident. Definitely not like the heartbroken girl desperate to make her ex’s jaw drop.

“You look like you’re going somewhere special tonight.”

I turn to see George and smile. “Well, not in this.” Not wanting to wrinkle the dress, I drove home in jeans, a button-up shirt, and my fancy makeup. “I have a dress that’s much more flattering.”

He slides his gaze down my body. “Any more flattering and guys are going to trip over themselves to get to you.”

My cheeks warm. Just do it. “Do you know our neighbor, Mrs. Louise?”

“She brings me meals on a regular basis,” he says.

“Me too. But in addition to worrying that I don’t eat enough, she worries I don’t date enough.”

“You too, huh?” He grins, then cocks his head after pausing a beat. “Does this mean you’re reconsidering my offer?”

“Any chance you’re free tonight?”

* * *

“If I went for girls, I would totally take you to the bathroom and have you do me against the wall,” Grace says when I walk up to our table.