He jogged to get in front of her and started walking backward. He’d be lucky if he didn’t wipe out. “I’ll hire you.”
Liv stopped so fast that her bag fell off her shoulder. There was a pause, and then she tipped her head back and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I am not going to work for you.” She hoisted her bag back onto her shoulder. “Get out of my way.”
He slid left when she slid right.
“Liv, I feel terrible about this. Please—”
She shoved him sideways, and for the second time that night, he watched a woman storm away from him.
CHAPTER FOUR
The last thing Mack wanted to do the next morning was face the guys at a damn book club meeting, especially at Gavin’s house. But if he didn’t show up, they’d just hound him with text messages and obscene gifs. There was no avoiding it. So just before noon, he parked in front of Gavin’s house, grabbed his book and the pizza box, and trudged up the porch steps to bang on the front door.
A boisterous bark from inside greeted him seconds before the door swung open. Gavin’s wife, Thea, smiled and held back their dog, a golden retriever named Butter Ball.
“Hey,” she breathed. “Come in.”
Mack held back for a split second, studying her face for any signs that she was going to pound him for what happened with Liv last night. When no signs of violence emerged, he bent and brushed his lips across her cheek. “Hey, Thea. Thanks for having us.”
“Of course. The guys are all out back.”
“Where are the girls?” Gavin and Thea had twin daughters, Ava and Amelia, who had recently turned four.
“Napping, thank God,” Thea laughed. “They almost never do anymore, but Gavin wore them out this morning teaching them how to hit a curve ball.”
The picture that painted—of domestic bliss and family—brought a pang to his chest that soured his mood even further. Gretchen could have been the one he shared that with. He was sure of it.
Mack carried his pizza through the living room to a set of French doors leading to Gavin’s backyard. They opened to a covered brick patio, which is where he found them—Malcolm, Del, Derek, Gavin, and the Russian.
Gavin looked over his shoulder at the sound of the door. “Dude, you’re late,” he said over a mouthful of what looked like a grilled chicken sandwich. During the season, he tended to eat as healthy as possible. Which also pissed Mack off. Because he wanted to indulge in some fucking pizza and beer.
Mack dropped the pizza box on the patio table and plunged his hand into the pocket of his shorts. He withdrew the five hundred dollars he owed Del and shoved it at him.
Del wiped a napkin across his face. “What’s this?” he asked, wary and curious at once.
“What do you think it is? You won the fucking bet.”
The guys got quiet for a moment.
Del gathered the money. “So . . . you and Gretchen?”
“Congratulations,” Mack grumbled. “I think I got dumped last night. Happy?”
Malcolm cleared his throat. “You think you got dumped?”
“I swear I’m not making fun of you,” Gavin said slowly, “but how does one not know if he got dumped or not?”
Mack tossed his hands in the air. “Because I’ve never fucking been dumped before, okay?”
This time, the silence was followed by a burst of collective guffaws that vibrated windows and shook the table. Gavin laughed so hard he fell forward onto his arm on the table.
“Yeah, real fucking funny, assholes,” Mack said, yanking a chair away from the table so he could slump into it.
Del clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man, but damn. Welcome to the real world, Mack. How’s it feel?”
“Like shit, thank you very much.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. One minute things were fine, and the next, Liv dropped the stupid cupcake, and then Gretchen was backing away from me with some lame excuse—”
“W-w-wait,” Gavin interrupted, his stammer revealing his sudden tension. “What did you just say about Liv? What does she have to do with any of this?”
Oh shit. That’s why Thea hadn’t mentioned anything about it when he’d arrived. She and Gavin didn’t know. Shit. Mack swallowed hard and looked around the room. “She, uh, she didn’t tell you guys?”
“No,” Gavin said. “She didn’t. And you have about thirty seconds to start from the beginning, or getting dumped is going to be the least of your worries.”
Mack gulped. “She, uh . . . she got fired last night.”