Third Chances (Men Of Manhattan #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,72

was all over the map.

I hit the elevator button with my fist. Hopefully I wouldn't run into her tomorrow before we left, because I had thought of a whole list of new adjectives to describe her. Arrogant and bitch were definitely the biggest contenders. I stepped onto the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. I couldn't believe I had thought she was sweet. She was anything but sweet.

I leaned against the elevator wall and pulled the card out of my pocket. It read, "talk until the sun rises." I threw it on the ground. I felt like such a chump. I wasn't a nice guy. Why the fuck was I pretending to be? I didn't need a serious relationship to be happy. I was happy exactly where I was. I loved my life.

I stepped off the elevator. There was nothing better than the freedom to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. And whoever I wanted. I smiled at the girl at the counter of the small store I just walked into. For all I knew, she was a complete psychopath too. And sure, I could flirt with her. I could probably get her into my bed when she was done with her shift. But I wasn't feeling it tonight. Tonight, I would hang out with my brother, who didn't have any problem, unlike the judgmental bitch thought.

Geez, she didn't even give me a chance to defend him. Yes, James had problems in the past. But he was good now. I wasn't in denial. It was just a fact. The girl that he was marrying saved him. I had never seen him as happy as he was with Penny. I was glad I was no longer pursuing Daphne. She didn't deserve to hang out with James. And she certainly didn't deserve to meet Penny.

I smiled when I saw the row of dirty magazines. That was just what James needed so he'd stop groaning about being horny. I grabbed one of the magazines and a bottle of lotion. Tomorrow would be better. There was still time to salvage this bachelor party. I wasn't sure why my focus had been on Daphne anyway. It should have been on my brother. I wanted to give him the best fucking bachelor party ever. He deserved it.

I grabbed a few Tasty Cakes for dessert and stopped at the wall of freezers. My eyes landed on the pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. It was Penny's favorite. That would make James happy. Besides, I liked it too. I grabbed a pint of it and went to the checkout counter.

The girl at the counter blushed when she saw the magazine. It didn't affect me at all. I was off my game. I needed time to recover from the Daphne fiasco. I had never jumped into something so quickly before. Matt was right. I was lying to myself. I didn't even make eye contact with the girl when she gave me the total.

"Can I have a spoon for the ice cream?" I asked and slid her my card.

"Sure. One or two?"

"Two."

She looked slightly disappointed. Good. She didn't need to know the truth. Not that I was embarrassed. I'm sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream with my brother. Leave me the fuck alone.

She slowly put the magazine into the bag. "Your girlfriend must be fun."

Was this chick seriously still going to hit on me after my weird purchases? "Nope. My brother and I just like to jerk off together and eat ice cream. Thanks." I grabbed my card and the bag she handed me.

"Oh," she said and laughed awkwardly.

"Have a good evening." I walked out of the store a little more cheerily and made my way back to my room. When I opened the door, James was laughing. I glanced at the T.V. He had found Wedding Crashers. We had watched the movie a million times together. I laughed and sat down next to him on the bed. "I love this movie."

"Me too. Do you think someone will try to crash my wedding?"

I laughed. "I think a ton of people are going to try to crash your wedding. It's the wedding of the season."

He smiled. "How did that happen?"

"Everyone loves you and Penny. That's how that happened."

He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry if I scared Daphne away. I wasn't feeling well and..."

"Don't worry about her." She's the fucking worst. "I got you a couple things." I tossed