She went into her bedroom and put on a sparkly blue dress with shoulder pads and a cinch belt. By the time she came back out of her room, Johnny had Tully pressed up against the wall, with her hands over her head and his hands covering hers, and was kissing her.

“I’m ready,” Kate said dully.

Tully wiggled out from underneath Johnny and grinned at her. “Excellent. Let’s rock ’n’ roll.”

Three abreast, their arms linked, they walked out of the apartment and down the empty cobblestone street. At Kells Irish Pub, they found a small empty table close to the dance floor.

The minute Johnny left to get them drinks, Kate looked across the table. “What are you doing with him?”

Tully laughed. “What can I say? We ran into each other after work and had a few drinks. One thing led to another, and . . .” She looked sharply at Kate. “Do you care if I sleep with him?”

There it was. The question that mattered. Kate had no doubt that if she bared her soul and told the truth, this horrible night would be over. Tully would shut Johnny down faster than a storm door in a tornado, and she wouldn’t tell Johnny why.

But what good would come of that? Kate knew how Johnny felt about Tully, how he’d always felt. He wanted a woman with passion and fire; losing Tully wouldn’t make him turn to Kate. And maybe it was time for drastic measures, finally. Kate’s hope had endured so much, but this—him sleeping with Tully—would be the end of it.

She lifted her gaze, praying her eyes were dry. “Come on, Tully, you know better than that.”

“Are you sure? Do you want—”

“No. But . . . he cares about you, you do know that, right? You could break his heart.”

Tully laughed at that. “You Catholic girls worry about everyone, don’t you?”

Before Kate could answer, Johnny returned to the table with two margaritas and a bottle of beer. Setting them down, he took Tully’s hand and dragged her onto the floor. There, they melted into the crowd, where he took her into his arms and kissed her.

Kate reached for her drink. She had no idea what that kiss meant to Tully, but she knew what it meant to Johnny, and the knowledge seeped through her like some kind of poison.

For the next two hours, she sat with them, drinking heavily, pretending she was having fun. All the while something inside of her was slowly dying.

At some point during the endless, excruciating evening, Tully went to the bathroom and left Johnny and Kate alone. She tried to think of something to say to him, but frankly, she didn’t dare make eye contact. With his damp, curling hair and flushed cheeks, he looked so damned sexy it made her chest ache.