Instant Attraction

when she made it to town with no problem. Driving down the main street, she realized she had no idea where Harley’s garage or shop was, so she pulled up to Wishful Delights. Serena was just turning the CLOSED sign around on her front door, and she didn’t look overly thrilled to see Katie.

“I’m only going to let you in if you buy something,” she said. “Something big.”

Katie hadn’t come for anything to eat, but at the scent of the place, she decided that her mind could be changed. “I wouldn’t turn down some more cookies.”

“There’s a three dozen minimum.”

“Since when?”

“Since you came to town.”

“Serena,” Harley said mildly from a barstool at the counter, “that shade of bitch doesn’t go with your Prada.”

Serena rolled her eyes and moved aside for Katie to come in. Harley waved at her and Katie smiled back, her gaze locked in on the fresh delicious cookies in the glass displays.

Serena moved back behind the counter. “You know, typically women having great sex don’t need as many cookies as you do.”

Katie left that statement alone and looked at Harley. “What do I owe you for fixing and delivering my car?”

“I’ve already been paid, and I didn’t deliver it.”

“What? Who paid you?”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Serena bent behind the counter and came up with a bottle of vodka and three shot glasses. “I’m going to need reinforcements for this.”

“Me too.” Harley nodded in appreciation. “I smashed my finger with my own hammer and I got a C-minus on my test. In fact, make mine a double.”

“You and me both, babe.” Serena doubled each of theirs, and then on second thought, tipped more into Katie’s as well.

Katie had never had a shot of vodka in her life, much less a double. She wasn’t a big drinker. In fact, on the few rare occasions she imbibed, she’d gone with a pansy-ass wine cooler.

But today she figured she could use a little heat.

“Cheers.” Harley lifted her glass.

Serena clicked hers to Harley’s. “Cheers,” she said, waiting for Katie to lift her glass.

Katie then watched as both women tossed back their drinks in one swallow. While in Rome…She tossed hers back as well, and nearly choked to death when the fire burned its way down her throat.

Harley slapped her on the back a few times. “You okay?”

When she could breathe, Katie nodded, eyes streaming. “Yikes.”

“Don’t worry.” Serena poured them all another. “The second goes down easier.”

Katie wrapped her fingers around her glass. “Who paid you?” she asked Harley.

“Oh, please,” Serena said. “We all know it was your knight in shining armor.”

“Cam?”

Serena lifted her second shot. “What, you have more than one boyfriend in town?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“So you’re not sleeping with him?”

“You didn’t ask that.” The vodka seemed to be making thinking a slower process. “You asked if he’s my boyfriend.”

“True,” Harley told Serena. “You did.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “Fine. Are you sleeping with him?”

Katie paused. “Isn’t it over between you two? Which technically makes it none of your business.”

Harley grinned at her. “You are way tougher than you look. I like that.”

Serena lifted a shoulder. “So you know the story of Cam and I.”

“Like you said, small town.”

“And you catch on quick.” Serena pointed to Katie’s still-full glass. “You drinking with us tonight or not?”

Katie tossed back the shot. Serena was right, it didn’t burn nearly as bad this time.

Serena poured again and turned up the radio. Harley began singing along with it at the top of her lungs, until Serena lifted a brow. “Who sings this song?”

“Alicia Keys.”

“Yeah? Well, let her sing it.”

Harley laughed and kept right on singing. In fact, she stood up to add an ass-shaking boogie to go with it.

“Don’t quit your day job, Harl.”

Katie wanted to sing too. And her toes were tapping, though she managed to stay seated. Then she remembered that she no longer held back, that she lived every single second, so she got up and joined Harley. But even though she knew the words, she couldn’t quite get in sync, with either the song or her own vision. “Wow.” She straightened her glasses, but that didn’t help.

“It’s the vodka,” Harley told her helpfully.

Serena raised her glass again. “To letting go. Dammit.”

Katie stopped dancing to grab her glass. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted.”

“Not your fault.” Harley nudged Serena meaningfully. “Is it?”

Serena sighed, then tossed back her third shot. “She’s right. It’s my fault. And as long as we’re sharing, you should know. I loved the idea of Cam much more than I loved the reality of him. So don’t worry, I’m done being a bitch.” She lifted a shoulder. “Mostly.”

“There you are.” Harley hugged Serena. “Good girl. You did your best with him before it was over. You told him what you were feeling. You couldn’t have done more.”

“Let’s be honest. I could have done more.”

“Okay, well, except maybe you could have dumped him before you slept with someone else.”

Serena winced. “Yeah. That.” She covered her eyes. “I know, dammit. But when you’re right, you’re right. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Katie drank her last shot. Didn’t burn at all, and actually, it went down like smooth silk. However, she was having some trouble balancing on her barstool and grabbed on to the counter for balance. “I told Cam some of my feelings, but not what I should have told him.”

“Yeah?” Serena looked at her speculatively. “Like what?”

“I should have told him that-” She hiccupped, then covered her mouth. “’Xuse me. That he’s hiding behind all those muscles and cool eyes. That he’s really just a scared little boy, scared of one woman.” She sighed. “So dumb.”

“You could tell him now.” Katie’s cell phone was sitting on the counter next to her empty shot glass. Serena put a finger on it and pushed it toward her.

A small voice inside Katie said drunk dialing was never a good idea, but there was a louder voice saying, Do it. Have your say. And the next thing she knew, she was punching in Cam’s number.

He answered with that low, raspy, sexy voice, and she tried to find her tongue.

“Hello?” he repeated.

Oh God. She’d lost it. She’d lost her tongue.

“Katie?”

She blinked. “How did you know?”

“Caller ID.”

Right.

“Tell him,” Serena whispered.

Katie held up a finger to Serena. She was getting up to the telling part. “Cam.”

“Still me.”

Was he amused? Dammit, she had a way of cracking him up at her own expense. “I want you to know, chickens aren’t sexy. Not to me.”

This was met with silence.