“And she took that well?”
“Nah.” James laughed softly. “It triggered her again.”
With a smile tugging at his lips, Blake glanced off toward the bathroom where the women were.
Blake played with the idea of letting his friend know about his wingman idea. But James wouldn’t be thrilled to hear he was helping his sister find a lover.
“Women, man.” Blake grunted and shook his head.
“Seriously.”
*
“What are youdoing?”
Kristen flushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?”
Tory closed the small bathroom door behind her and locked it. “You fired me and made your failed hookup your wingman?”
Kristen leaned against the counter and sighed. “I don’t know, he made a good argument for it. You’ve got school all week and your job at night. Hitting the bars and clubs would be exhausting. I’d be monopolizing all your free time, Tori.”
“No way—I’ll skip some classes and call in sick.”
“You don’t have to do that for me. Keep your employment and your 4.0 intact.” Kristen softened her tone. “Listen, you know I love being in Seattle with you and getting to crash at your place, but you don’t need to put your life on hold for this stupid little mission I’m on.”
“Kind of the best-friend requirement.” Tori folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the sink. “So, what is Blake arguing? That he knows how to read guys better than me?”
“Yeah. Maybe even said that exactly.”
“I’m an expert on reading men.” Tori paused and lifted a shoulder. “For instance, your brother both hates me and wants to nail me.”
Whoa.
Usually, Tori was dead right in reading the male population, but her friend couldn’t be more wrong about this.
Kristen cleared her throat and said as gently as possible, “Yeah, he’s in a super committed relationship, Tori. I don’t think he’s looking at you that way.”
“So where is she tonight?”
That made Kristen pause. Good question.
“And I know you’re not that naïve,” Tori continued. “Being in a relationship doesn’t stop someone from looking—or wanting—another person.”
“Okay, maybe not”—Kristen gave a small sigh—“but this is still my brother we’re talking about, so I try not to analyze who he does or does not want to bone.”
Tori gave a soft laugh. “Forget I said anything. We should get back out there.”
“Coffee’s getting cold.”
“But I have to ask you first, are you still attracted to him?”
Kristen’s heart quickened. She didn’t even pretend to not know who her friend meant. “Blake? Yeah, is it that obvious?”
“A little. You could have him, you know.” Tori gave her a thoughtful look. “You could play the player. He wouldn’t even know what happened until too late.”
“You’re mistaking me for someone who has a PhD in seduction.”
“Go with him. Flirt with other guys. Make him a little jealous.”