LITMIR.BIZ

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waving their paddles and tossing money for a fantasy date with Matt...well, she was jealous. There. She admitted it—if only to herself.

      Why was she suddenly so territorial? She’d always found Matt attractive, always respected and admired him. How could she throw him into the lion’s den, so to speak, and expect not to have strong feelings on the matter? They were friends. She should feel protective, but there were other feelings swirling around inside her, and none of them remained in the friend zone.

      “Tell me you’ll at least think about it.”

      Rachel met Alexis’s pleading gaze. She was here to help her friend—they were actually helping each other—and this auction was a huge deal to the Slade family. How could Rachel say no when Alexis had opened her home and heart to Rachel and Ellie?

      “I’ll see what I can do,” she conceded with a belabored sigh. “But I can’t promise anything and I won’t beg.”

      Alexis squealed. “All I ask is you try.”

      Gus rested a large, weathered hand on Alexis’s shoulder. “My granddaughter is all Slade. When she wants something, she finds a way to make it happen. So, which guy are you bidding on, Lex?”

      Alexis rolled her eyes. “Stop trying to marry me off. I’m working on raising money, not finding a guy to put a ring on my finger.”

      Rachel scooted her chair back and came to her feet. “Well, I’m pretty determined to help bring in all the money possible, but I won’t make Matt feel uncomfortable.”

      “I understand,” Alexis said, nodding in agreement. “But, I’ll wait up so I can hear all about your date and see if he agreed to be auctioned.”

      That naughty gleam in her friend’s eyes was not going to last. If Alexis knew all that Rachel, Matt and Billy had been through, she’d understand just how delicate this situation was. But she wasn’t wanting to get into all of that now. She didn’t want to revisit the ordeal that was her marriage and the gap of time she’d missed Matt.

      “Feel free to wait up, but I assure you I won’t be out long. I have a baby, remember? Early bedtimes are a must.”

      “Why don’t you leave her here?” Gus suggested. “It’s nice having a little one around, and she’s no trouble.”

      Alexis stood up and patted her grandfather’s shoulder. “If that’s a hint, relax. It’s going to be a while before I give you a great-grandchild. I’m a little busy in case you haven’t noticed.”

      Rachel didn’t miss the way Alexis’s eyes landed on the top photo...which featured the very handsome Daniel Clayton.

      Alexis Slade and Daniel Clayton had once been quite an item, but they’d fallen apart and Rachel still didn’t know what had happened. Whenever Rachel brought up the topic, her friend not-so-subtly steered their chat in another direction. Eventually, Rachel would find out what was going on between her friend and the mysterious ex.

      “What time is your date?” Alexis asked.

      Resigned to the fact nobody believed her about the nondate, Rachel shrugged. “We kept it open. He realizes I need to be flexible with a little one. I’ll head over to his hotel room later. Once Ellie wakes, I need to grab a shower and we both need to get ready.”

      “What are you taking?” Alexis asked.

      “Taking?”

      “A bottle of wine? A dessert? I’m sure we have something the cook has whipped up. She always has breads.”

      Rachel shook her head. “I’m not taking anything. You’re letting that romantic streak show.”

      “Just trying to help,” she muttered.

      Rachel patted her friend’s arm. “I know, but I’ve only been a widow for a year. I’m not ready to rush into anything.”

      Her marriage had started out in a whirlwind of lust and stars in their eyes. Rachel and Billy had lived life to the fullest and loved every minute of it. Then the pregnancy had slid between them and continued to drive a wedge through their relationship. They’d built something on top of shaky ground and hadn’t realized until after the fact.

      Unfortunately, Rachel would never know if their marriage would’ve worked itself out. Would Billy have ever settled down and stepped into the role of loyal father and devoted husband?

      Pain gripped her from so many angles, but she had to keep pushing forward for her sake as well as Ellie’s. Rumored infidelity and ugly arguments weren’t how she wanted to remember her late husband.

      “I’m going to go check on Ellie,” Rachel told them. “She should be waking soon. Lex, I’ll get you a list of the order I think we should use for the auction. If Matt isn’t onboard, then Daniel might be our best bet as the big-name draw.”

      Her friend’s lips thinned, her jaw clenched. Gus blew out a breath that Rachel would almost label as relief, and he had a satisfied grin. Whatever was going on with Daniel and Alexis—or wasn’t going on—was quite a mystery.

      One thing was certain, though—Alexis was not a fan of having Daniel up on the auction block. Ironically, Rachel still wasn’t too keen on the idea of Matt being up there, either.

      Because if that came to pass, one or both of them might just have to grab a paddle and place their own bids.

       Three

      Matt tipped the waitstaff a hefty amount for their quick, efficient service and for meeting his last-minute demands. He hadn’t known what to have for dinner for Rachel, let alone an infant.

      Infant? Toddler? What was the right term for an eleven-month-old? He knew nothing about children and had never taken to the notion of having his own, so he’d never bothered to learn.

      But he was interested in Rachel, and she and Ellie were a package deal that he didn’t mind. No matter the years that passed, no matter the fact she’d married his best friend, nothing at all had ever diminished his desire for Rachel. He’d hid it as best he could, often gritting his teeth and biting his tongue when Billy would be disrespectful to Rachel’s needs.

      Once Rachel got pregnant, the two started fighting more, and Billy’s answer was to get out of the house so they both could cool off. Those times when Matt and Billy were at the Dallas TCC clubhouse shooting pool and drinking beer or even out on Matt’s boat on the lake, Billy never did grasp that running didn’t solve the problem. He never once acted excited about the pregnancy. He never mentioned how Rachel felt about being a mother. Billy’s life didn’t change at all and Matt knew Rachel hurt alone.

      He also knew she’d been excited about the pregnancy, but how much could she actually enjoy it knowing her husband wasn’t fully committed?

      Whenever Matt would mention anything to Billy about Rachel, the other man always told him to mind his own business and that he didn’t know what marriage was like. Valid point, but Matt knew how to treat a woman and he damn well respected Rachel.

      Matt stepped back and surveyed the dinner he’d had set up on the balcony. His penthouse suite at The Bellamy had a sweeping view of the immaculate grounds, yet was private enough he felt comfortable bringing Rachel out here to talk.

      He hoped this setting was okay. For some asinine reason he was a damn nervous wreck. What the hell? There had never been a woman to make him question himself or his motives. Even when he and Rachel had been friends before, the main emotion that always hovered just below the surface had always been forbidden desire.

      But she was a different woman now. She was a single mother seeking out a fresh start, not some short-term fling with her late husband’s best friend. And he wasn’t looking for anything more than exploring the connection and seeing if this was just one-sided.

      Matt needed to curb his desire. She wasn’t coming here for

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