Nicole’s mouth fell open, but before she could berate him, Steve cut her off.

“Before you get your knickers in a twist, I’m going to get out of here so you two can hash it out until the cows come home, because that’s what chicks do, right? Talk about it, talk about it, then talk about it some more.

“In a nutshell, yes,” Kelly said.

Nicole jumped to her feet and gave Steve a peck on the lips. “Glad you know when you’re not needed.”

Witnessing the exchange, Kelly couldn’t have wished for two better friends. She wouldn’t have told Steve to leave, but he was right. Most men couldn’t possibly comprehend what she was feeling any more than she’d ever understand what made men tick.

“And for the record,” Nicole smiled sweetly. “You’ll be a eunuch if I ever find out you’ve let someone else ride your mighty pole.”

Rather than find humour in the comment, an overwhelming sense of guilt crashed into Kelly. No matter how unintentional her actions were, bottom line was she’d cheated.

As much as Kelly needed Nicole as a sounding board, she needed to sort through the jumbled thoughts in her head before she shared the heavy load weighing her down.

Kelly uncurled her legs and stood. “Don’t rush off, Steve. I’m going for a ride. I need to put my head on straight.”

In her bedroom, the sight of her black dress brought her up short. So much for seducing Paula. Actually, it was odd she hadn’t heard from Paula given it was almost midday.

Suddenly, Kelly remembered switching her cell phone to silent when she’d climbed into the cab. She’d been too busy beating herself up since to bother turning it back on. Kelly grabbed her phone off the bedside table. Sure enough, she had four unread messages, all from Paula.

Sighing, she slumped onto her unmade bed and swiped the screen.

Hey, babe. I hope you got home okay?

Kelly’s heart fluttered. It was nice to know Paula was worried about her.

Hopefully the $20 I slipped into your purse covered the cab fare.

For some reason Paula often seemed to think money was the way to Kelly’s heart. To be fair, Kelly never said no, but she certainly didn’t ask for Paula’s generosity.

When you finally wake up and drag your lazy backside out of bed, call me. Not everyone can afford to sleep the day away.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

With her emotions all over the place, Kelly typed out a quick message. “Sorry, slept in. Going for a ride to the beach to clear my head. Will text when I get back.”

She jammed her feet into her boots and stormed through the living room. Nicole and Steve stepped aside, giving her the space she needed.

Chapter 3