Then she was mentally backtracking, calculating the distance between the Main Street Café and the house. It had to have been a ten-minute walk at least. Why not drive? And why the hell was Carol there, anyway?

“Sloane and I were friends when we were younger. I came to a birthday party once or twice.” But had she? Sloane could neither confirm nor deny. Things were getting too weird out on the front porch. “As for you not knowing how to get here, well, now that the two of you are ‘out,’ you won’t need to sneak around anymore, so that won’t be a problem, will it?”

“It certainly won’t.” Brady’s smile had the power to heat Sloane up. Carol’s? Bucket o’ ice water.

Sloane’s stomach absorbed some of that cold as she cleared her throat. It was time to pull the rip cord on their “harmless joke” before the passive-aggressive comments killed them all.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Carol. About us, I mean.” Sloane took a quick breath.

Come on, Lizzo. Grant me strength.

Brady, however, was quicker to the punch.

He pushed the door open wide and turned around so he was shoulder to shoulder with Sloane. Cologne, strong and delicious, flooded her senses as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. ’Twas mouth-watering. Hump-inducing. Take-my-clothes-off-so-I-can-feel-it good.

Too much strength, Lizzo. Too much strength.

“We want to officially accept your invitation,” Brady said instead. “We’ll be there with bells on.”

Carol’s eyebrow arced high. Sloane’s nearly did the same.

Where the hell was there?

“Really?” Carol shared a look with Sloane, who in turn shared a look with Brady. He squeezed her shoulder.

“Really. Sounds like a blast.”

Carol perked right on up. Her smile went to her standard megawatt bright. She actually clapped. The movement made the screen on her smartwatch come to life. She glanced at it.

“Great! Then we’ll see you in two hours!”

“Two hours.” Sloane meant the repeat to come out as a question, but Queen Bee took it as a statement.

“Good! See you two lovebirds then!”

Carol became a flash of spandex and blond hair across the sidewalk, back toward Main Street. When she was out of sight, Brady dropped his arm and sighed.

Then he swiped the coffee cup from Sloane’s hand and moved past her into the foyer.

“I think Carol drugged me.”

“What?”

Sloane shut the door and scurried after the man to the living room, no longer caring about her slapdash appearance. Brady’s attitude with the woman in question was transforming into obvious frustration.