Operation Date Escape

have a chance to explain things to her at the picnic.”
    “You didn’t tell her about the blind date?”
    “Not yet. But I warn you if she gets even the slightest inkling that something’s up she’ll get it out of me.” His mouth quirked up. “She has ways of making a man talk.”
    “ Something tells me she has ways of making you do more than talk.”
    “No effort needed there.”
    Cole aimed the hose at his truck and squeezed the trigger, rinsing the drying suds off his bumper. “Thanks for checking to see where Kelsie’s head is at where we’re concerned.”
    “ You would have done the same for me.”
    Joe was right. They would always have each other’s backs, both professionally and in their personal lives.
    * * *
    “Wow,” Kelsie said as they pulled into the freshly paved parking lot in front of Wick’s. “Nice place.”
    The mirrored windows at the club entrance were lit up with tiny pink and black lights. Judging by the few parking spaces remaining, this was the place to be. Thankfully, the building looked big enough to accommodate a lot of people.
    They paid their cover charge and made their way into the semi-darkened room. Lights like those outside vined their way across the ceiling and down the far wall where the bar was. To the left of the bar was a large dance floor that was flooded with colorful, rotating spotlights.
    “Check this place out,” Nanci said in awe.
    Kelsie looked around. “I am. I wish we had a place like this in Worthington.”
    “Come on,” her friend said, grabbing her by the arm. “Let’s go get a drink.”
    They made their way through the crowd to the bar where Nanci ordered their drinks. She turned, handing Kelsie her glass. “Here’s your Diet Coke.”
    “Thanks. Guess we should try and find a table.” Try was the operative word. The place was packed.
    They weaved in and out of people, drinks in hand. After about five minutes of searching, they located a table not too far from the dance floor.
    “Perfect,” Nanci exclaimed happily. “We can watch the dance floor from here when we’re not out there dancing ourselves.”
    She nodded in agreement. “And we’re close to the bathrooms. Another plus.” She settled into her chair and sipped at her drink as she looked around, taking everything in.
    She noted that Nanci, who would normally be eyeing up every hot man to walk through the front door, was simply tapping her painted nails to the music on the tabletop and watching everyone dance.
    She reached across the table, giving her friend’s arm a nudge. “What’s up with you tonight?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “We’ve been here for nearly twenty minutes and you haven’t once mentioned wanting to grab some guy’s ass.”
    Nanci ’s posture went instantly rigid, her mouth drawing into a tight scowl as she stared past her. “You’re not going to have to wait any longer, but grabbing isn’t what I intend to do with this guy’s ass.”
    Kelsie looked at her questioningly and then followed her narrowed gaze to the dance floor. “Oh, shit.” What were the odds?
    Out on the dance floor, her ex was busily grinding away against the notorious office cleaning bimbo. Not a pretty sight.
    “Honestly, Kels, I don’t know what you ever saw in that guy.”
    “You used to like him.”
    “Yeah, well he had all of us fooled.” She took a swig of her beer. “Fool me once...”
    Watching Kyle out on the dance floor was like watching the freak show at the circus. He’d never been a good dancer. He only thought he was. Still thought so from the look of things.
    He looked different than he had when they’d gone to court to finalize their divorce, but the cleaning slut had changed her appearance in a much bigger way. At least up front where her miniscule tank top dipped down to display a new pair of surgically enhanced breasts.
    “Wonder what those cost him,” she muttered, suddenly self-conscious about her lesser endowments. Maybe her mother was right about the breast thing. Then again, Cole had appreciated her body. Very much so.
    “I’ll go ask him,” Nanci said, pushing her drink away. When she started out of her chair, Kelsie reached out to stop her.
    “Don’t .”
    “Why not?”
    “He’s not worth wasting our energy on.”
    “Can I at least go ask him if he’s misplaced his dick in his cleaning woman’s mouth lately?”
    Despite the uncomfortableness of the situation, Kelsie snorted with laughter. “Oh my God, no. Don’t you dare!”