Lethal Exposure by Lori Wilde

so soap opera–like.
    It was all too complicated and way more than she bargained for. She had to bail out of this thing before she got in too deep. “I’ll call you,” she said as the doors slid closed, but she knew in her heart she was never going to make that call.

    “YOU’VE BEEN AWFULLY quiet all week, Jules,” Elle said. “Anything you want to tell us?”
    It was Friday evening and Elle and Dante were throwing a backyard barbecue as a housewarming for the new home they’d recently purchased together.
    Julie hadn’t talked to Sebastian since their conversation in the elevator. She hadn’t called him, nor had he called her. She told herself she was glad, but she was lying.
    While the women were sitting at the picnic table munching on crudités, the men gathered around Dante’s high-tech barbecue grill he’d purchased for the occasion. The group included Dante, Tanner, Carlisle Jones, who was the head of maintenance at Confidential Rejuvenations, and anesthesiologist Brad Mertz. They were grunting and high-fiving over the butane setup and stainless-steel utensils.
    “Are they actually making caveman noises?” Vanessa asked, dredging a baby carrot in ranch dressing dip.
    Elle waved a hand. “Boys and their toys. As long as the meat gets grilled, I don’t care what they do. So fill us in, Jules. What’s happening with you and that hunky spin doctor?”
    “Um, it didn’t work out.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Julie shrugged. She didn’t want to talk about it in front of Carlisle’s wife, Bridget, or Brad’s date, Sabrina, a new scrub nurse who’d just started working at Confidential Rejuvenations. “His brother is marrying my ex’s daughter,” she said, hoping her friends would pick up the clue without her having to elaborate in front of Bridget and Sabrina. “Kinda complicates things.”
    “Ah,” Elle said. “Gotcha. We’ll talk later.”
    Julie breathed a sigh of relief as Elle steered the conversation toward safer territory.
    “Steaks are done,” Dante called out. “Load up your plates everyone.”
    Grateful for the distraction, Julie grabbed a paper plate and headed for the buffet. The filet mignon did smell delicious.
    They were all sitting down at the patio picnic tables, when the redwood gate swung inward.
    “Is this where the party is?” asked a masculine voice.
    A very familiar masculine voice.
    Sebastian.
    “Hey, you made it.” Dante rose from the table to cross the yard and clap Sebastian on the back. “I thought we were going to have to send out a search party.”
    “Come on in.” Elle got up to join her husband.
    “Thanks for inviting me….” Sebastian said, but his words broke off when his eyes met Julie’s.
    “We’re happy to have you. Come on, get a plate,” Elle encouraged.
    “She invited Sebastian?” Julie hissed between clenched teeth to Vanessa who was sitting beside her.
    “She thought you’d like the idea.”
    “I don’t like the idea. Bad idea. Bad Elle. Why didn’t she tell me she invited him?”
    “You know how Elle likes to play matchmaker ever since she hooked up with Dante. She got Brad and Sabrina together.” Vanessa put an arm around her. “It’ll be okay.”
    “I don’t need a match made. That’s the whole point. To have sex without getting emotionally involved. No matches should be made where I’m concerned.”
    “Sebastian’s coming this way. You can yell at Elle later. In the meantime, smile.”
    Yes, he was looking delicious in a long-sleeved forest-green polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans that molded to his muscular butt and showed off his long, lean athletic legs. He had a bottle of wine tucked under one arm and the expression of a man who’d been caught by surprise, but was too adroit to show it.
    Clearly, he hadn’t expected to see her any more than she’d expected to see him.
    Sebastian blinked, unable to believe his good fortune. Julie was here. Immediately, his spirits lightened. And to think he’d almost decided