Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,41

personal problems last year, and she liked her a lot. Though she didn’t have a lot of friends, Liza had expanded her social circle and included Cara, and they had fun together; over time, they’d begun to confide in each other. Now Liza and Alexa were Cara’s closest girlfriends.

They dressed like the movie Flashdance: cut sweatshirts hanging over their shoulders with big hair, chunky jewelry, and heavy makeup. Bubblegum band music alternating with heavy techno and New Wave synthesizer sounds blasted on the jukebox, and Cara was on her second Long Island Iced Tea and happily feeling the buzz when she felt a strong hand on her bare shoulder.

She glanced up and into Mike’s warm gaze, and before she could register what was happening, he leaned down and kissed her hello—smack on the lips. Not a short peck, either. A long, happy-to-see-you, tongues-included kiss that left her dazed and out of breath, her body pulsing with sudden need.

“I’m going to sit with the guys,” he said, as if the hello had been perfectly natural and expected.

Cara centered herself and had just refocused on her surroundings when both of her friends leaned in close.

“What was that about?” Alexa asked.

“Holding out on us?” Liza said at the same time.

Cara raised her hands to her flushed cheeks. She’d been keeping everything about Mike to herself, including the fling a few months ago. Only Sam had known about that. Somehow they’d sneaked out of the bar and nobody asked her any questions.

Tonight, however, was another story, and Cara knew her friends wouldn’t accept any hedging. “Mike and I had a one-night stand last time he was in town. When he came home this time, neither of us mentioned it again; I thought it was over, but it’s not.”

She blurted out all about dinner with his family, the overnight trip to Manhattan, and his most recent invitation to dinner Saturday night.

“I guess when he said he wanted to go public, he meant it,” Cara said, still dazed enough to be in shock.

“That was hot,” Alexa muttered, fanning herself.

“You can say that again.” Cara decided she deserved another big sip of her drink and treated herself to a healthy gulp.

“Easy, that’s strong stuff.” Liza’s brother was an alcoholic who’d completed three months as an inpatient at a treatment facility. As a result, she was always their designated driver if needed or, at the very least, their voice of reason.

Since Cara rarely indulged this much because of her own family history, she totally understood where Liza was coming from.

Still, Cara didn’t mind nursing a drink when the occasion warranted. She tipped her head to the side, toward where Mike sat, knowing he’d made this just such an occasion.

“You look flushed,” Liza said.

“Are you okay?” Alexa asked in her doctor voice.

“I’m in shock,” she admitted. “He totally took me off guard. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I was in a relationship that was so public.” Cara was fussy about men and figured she had good reason. She’d had an exclusive dating situation in the past and a couple of hookups with nice enough guys, but this thing with Mike was different.

He was different.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and she crossed her legs tight in an effort to rid her body of the aftereffects of the kiss. Unfortunately, the act had the opposite result.

She suppressed a shiver and focused on her friends. “I’m fine.” He’d just defined their status publicly, and she’d have to adjust as well as keep her heart locked up tight. Not an easy thing to do, but she’d known that going in.

“What about you guys? How are things going?” Between Alexa’s schedule at the hospital and her own private office hours and Liza’s at her architectural firm, they didn’t manage to catch up often enough. “Liza?”

Liza brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed. “I’m happy,” she admitted. “Happily married, my brother’s managed to stay sober so far, and I’m really really scared it’ll all fall apart any minute.”

Cara reached out and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Totally normal reaction coming from you. My advice? Push away the fear and enjoy every minute. You deserve it. You and Dare both do.”

“She’s right,” Alexa said. “You’ve been through enough. The bad stuff is behind you. Don’t look for trouble where there is none.”

Liza nodded. “I know. You’re both right.” She tipped her head to the side and glanced at her husband, who was deep in conversation with his friends. “It’s all