Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3)(16)

The grumpy one grumbles and shifts in his seat. “Who the fuck would want Clyde’s organs?”

I have no idea what they’re talking about, so I just take it all in, completely dumbfounded. But Tabitha doesn’t care. She shoves me forward, like she can’t wait to get rid of me.

“Right. Well, here. This is Rhys. Take him.”

The men eye me with a multitude of questions dancing in their eyes. And I can’t blame them one bit. I feel my cheeks burn as they assess me.

The man she called West—the one who was a little too excited to see her if you ask me—speaks up first. “You’re one big bitch, aren’t ya?” he says as he claps me on the shoulder.

“You can say that again,” Tabitha snipes from behind me, and my shoulders tense, though I don’t turn to face her.

“You ever bowled before?” West carries on, ignoring her snark.

“No,” I grit out, trying not to show how annoyed I am by getting marched in here like a naughty child who needs minding.

“You a dad? We can always get you a cat or something if you’re not. Then it will still count as dads’ night out.”

“You’re going to make this guy a cat dad?” The stern one is borderline slack-jawed by West’s suggestion.

“Not a big cat guy,” I bite out, before glancing over my shoulder to glare at Tabitha. “And I’m not really a dad either.”

Tabitha barks out a laugh. “Rich.” Then she turns to West. “He is a dad, whether or not he wants to admit it. And for what it’s worth, I think you should name your team the Man-Children.”

As they laugh, she leans in, her voice dropping low enough so only I can hear her. “Want to waltz in here and play daddy? Here’s your crowd. Have fun. Hopefully, they don’t find out you’re full of shit.”

She shoots me a glare with a little smirk, and we both know she’s proving a point here. Throw my weight around like I’m a parent, and she’s going to call me out on it.

With that, she spins on her heel and marches out of the bowling alley, leaving me alone and completely out of my element.

“You’re a real ballbuster, Tabby. I appreciate that about you!” West calls back to her as she leaves.

She flips him the finger over her shoulder.

And it makes me feel a bit better that she’s just as mean to him as she is to me.

I watch her leave, hips swaying, head held high, almost regal in the way she carries herself. I should not be this attracted to her. But here I am, unable to look away all the same.

Tabitha winks and pushes out the front door, but not before taking one last glance over her shoulder at me.

It reminds me of the first day she walked away from my house. Our eyes catch for a beat. And then she’s gone.

Tabby Cat. I shake my head. More like a black cat.

I turn and zone back in, only to hear West ribbing the tall, lean man beside him about dating his sister. He rolls his eyes and mumbles something, but there’s a brand of camaraderie between the two men that I’ve never let myself indulge in.

Sure, I have friends—like work friends—but those friends come and go. And sometimes the storylines at work start to feel a little too real, and the dynamic becomes strained.

I like my massage therapist, and he seems to like me. But I also pay him, and I would never go bowling with him.

I get waved through with a “Let’s go, new guy.” And before I know it, I’m faced with an open lane and the prospect of making a complete fool of myself in front of a bunch of strangers.

“You look fucking terrified,” the older man, whose scowl puts mine to shame, comments.

I just shrug. “Confused, mostly.”

“I’m Bash.” He sticks out his hand, and I give mine back, shaking firmly.

“Rhys.”

“You’re new in town, then?”

I grimace. Tabitha practically dropped me into a small-town pot of boiling water, and we still know nothing about each other. About our situation. About what we’re telling people.

And I’m certainly not dumb enough to think she wants me to spill the beans on why I’m really here. So I shrug again. “Sorta.”

“Are you a friend of Tabby’s?” West asks, now focusing his attention back on Bash and me. “Because any friend of Tabby’s is a friend of mine.” He flashes his white teeth at me with a charming smile. He’s clearly the life of the party with this crew. And even though I had an irrational moment of envy over his familiarity with Tabitha, I suspect he’s the type of guy who’s impossible to dislike. Even if I wanted to, he wouldn’t let me.

“Something like that,” is what I settle on as I shake his hand and offer a flat smile.

“Great.” West claps my shoulder and then gestures toward the other man. “This here is Ford. My good friend and also the World’s Hottest Billionaire, according to Forbes.”

Ford rolls his eyes and lets out an exhausted sigh. West grins wider. Like a little kid who gets a kick out of prodding a parent.

“Nice to meet you,” I say, reaching forward to shake Ford’s hand. He’s got polish. He’s dressed casually, but he screams money. I don’t know if the billionaire thing is a joke or not, but I opt not to ask.

“Likewise. Even though it’s over bowling.” His lip curls as he looks around.