“Who’s that?” he said, leaning down to look past Laura. She could smell his hair, the green scent of cut grass that always seemed to linger around him. She wondered if they were going to sleep together, if things were about to change that much, that fast. She wanted to quite badly, she realized. She brought herself back to the present and turned to see what he meant, happy for a distraction so she could get herself recalibrated.

Sadly, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, she looked up at the doorway and caught her breath in a hiss, her intense attraction to Bob instantly forgotten.

“No. Effing. Way,” she muttered, rapidly opening the door and stepping out, nearly knocking Bob’s arm out from under him in the process.

“There you are!” said the tall man standing at the top of the drive, starting to walk toward them. “I’ve been waiting for ages. There’s a friendly gray cat here who’s been keeping me company, but he seems to be the only one home.”

Bob felt his stomach drop, knowing from every step Laura took toward this guy that the kissing was done for the night. He sighed and climbed out of the truck. As he rounded the front, the other man reached the sidewalk and smiled at him.

“Hi there,” he said. “I’m Nick.” He swept Laura into a hug and whirled her around. “I’m Laura’s fiancé.”

•   •   •

Bob wasn’t happy about it, but he couldn’t help liking Nick. It was hard not to; he was friendly and good humored, and if he kept hugging Laura and kissing the top of her head, well, why not? Bob would have been doing something broadly similar if Nick hadn’t been there. Besides, it was clear from Laura’s reaction that Nick’s sudden appearance was (a) surprising and (b) very unwelcome. If Bob hadn’t been feeling a little thwarted by the turn the evening had taken, he might even have felt sorry for Nick, who was clearly digging himself a hole with every sweetheart, babycakes, and affectionate hair ruffle.