challenged.
Mack was another story. Red-haired,
thoughtful, and relentlessly cheerful, Mack was like a sitcom
sidekick come to life. Nothing ever got him down...but he never
seemed to get very much screen time, either. Riley had a suspicion
Mack's "very special episode" was still in his future.
"Hey, Riley! Come join the fun," Bruce
called. He spread his arms wide. "I can't handle all these babes by
myself."
Grinning, Riley entered the cluster of
women. Someone handed him a cookie. He decided to settle in.
The plan tonight was simply to let everyone
get acquainted, since the group would respond better to guides they
knew and trusted. The guides, in turn, would have a better
understanding of the techniques to use with their group members if
they knew the women personally. Satisfied that everything was
satisfactorily underway, he choose a seat on the leather sofa to
watch the proceedings.
An Oreo-munching Jayne sat down beside
him.
"Glad to see you," she said breezily,
sending a gentle waft of her perfume his way. "After the way you
left this afternoon, I started to think you might not come
back."
"Of course I came back. I have a
responsibility here."
She seemed to consider this. "So do I. These
women are depending on me, Riley. I won't let you mess things up
for me."
"I don't plan to."
"Good."
"Good!"
Well. That was that. The sounds of
socializing swirled around them, punctuated with laughter and the
occasional risqué punch line from Bruce. Riley and Jayne sat
stiffly, their apparent truce having affected nothing.
He glanced at her. In her soft oversize
pajamas she seemed fragile. Vulnerable, even. His heart
softened.
Riley was tempted to hug her, to cheer her,
to make things easier for her somehow. But he refused to give in to
the feeling. Everything was different now—now that he knew what
Jayne was really here for. Knowing she was leading the
anti-heartbreak agenda put an entirely new spin on his plans to
show her how decent a man could be. He felt stupid for having
thought up the idea in the first place. And he couldn't help but
wonder...
Had she used her best-selling techniques to
get over him ?
The possibility hurt his pride. And it did
something else, too. Something he refused to contemplate, but which
felt suspiciously like stirring up regret. He was bothered by this
in ways he hadn't begun to untangle. Even his time alone today
hadn't brought him closer to a resolution.
On the other hand, there was still bozo-boy,
Jayne's former boyfriend, to consider. Riley was sure he was
the guy who'd inspired her book. Because after all, Riley's breakup
with Jayne had been clean.
But did that really matter? Could a
woman get over a man because of a bunch of touchy-feely
anti-heartbreak techniques? And if she could...where did that leave
the men of the world, when they were heartbroken? Because
after he'd left Jayne, he'd sure as hell felt—
No . He wasn't going to turn all
introspective and girly and helpless, damn it. The fact of the
matter was, Riley didn't consider himself easy to get over. No man
did. And nothing would make him believe Jayne's self-help stuff
really worked.
"I guess you were surprised to find out I
was the group's leader," Jayne said, breaking into his
thoughts.
He looked at her. "Surprised isn't the half
of it. I actually thought you were here because of a broken
heart."
"Well...I am."
Riley stiffened. He knew he'd
detected the signs in her.
"Indirectly, of course," she went on
blithely. "The techniques in my book are inspired by an actual
broken heart." She raised her palms. "I know, I know. You're going
to say I'm not an expert or anything. But I do have a knack for
helping people, Riley. I really do. Talking to the women who've
read my book made me see that."
She twisted an Oreo in half. Closed her eyes
while she carefully scraped off the icing with her bottom teeth.
Licked her lips with delight after swallowing the sweet filling.
Smiled at him when she caught him
Mack was another story. Red-haired,
thoughtful, and relentlessly cheerful, Mack was like a sitcom
sidekick come to life. Nothing ever got him down...but he never
seemed to get very much screen time, either. Riley had a suspicion
Mack's "very special episode" was still in his future.
"Hey, Riley! Come join the fun," Bruce
called. He spread his arms wide. "I can't handle all these babes by
myself."
Grinning, Riley entered the cluster of
women. Someone handed him a cookie. He decided to settle in.
The plan tonight was simply to let everyone
get acquainted, since the group would respond better to guides they
knew and trusted. The guides, in turn, would have a better
understanding of the techniques to use with their group members if
they knew the women personally. Satisfied that everything was
satisfactorily underway, he choose a seat on the leather sofa to
watch the proceedings.
An Oreo-munching Jayne sat down beside
him.
"Glad to see you," she said breezily,
sending a gentle waft of her perfume his way. "After the way you
left this afternoon, I started to think you might not come
back."
"Of course I came back. I have a
responsibility here."
She seemed to consider this. "So do I. These
women are depending on me, Riley. I won't let you mess things up
for me."
"I don't plan to."
"Good."
"Good!"
Well. That was that. The sounds of
socializing swirled around them, punctuated with laughter and the
occasional risqué punch line from Bruce. Riley and Jayne sat
stiffly, their apparent truce having affected nothing.
He glanced at her. In her soft oversize
pajamas she seemed fragile. Vulnerable, even. His heart
softened.
Riley was tempted to hug her, to cheer her,
to make things easier for her somehow. But he refused to give in to
the feeling. Everything was different now—now that he knew what
Jayne was really here for. Knowing she was leading the
anti-heartbreak agenda put an entirely new spin on his plans to
show her how decent a man could be. He felt stupid for having
thought up the idea in the first place. And he couldn't help but
wonder...
Had she used her best-selling techniques to
get over him ?
The possibility hurt his pride. And it did
something else, too. Something he refused to contemplate, but which
felt suspiciously like stirring up regret. He was bothered by this
in ways he hadn't begun to untangle. Even his time alone today
hadn't brought him closer to a resolution.
On the other hand, there was still bozo-boy,
Jayne's former boyfriend, to consider. Riley was sure he was
the guy who'd inspired her book. Because after all, Riley's breakup
with Jayne had been clean.
But did that really matter? Could a
woman get over a man because of a bunch of touchy-feely
anti-heartbreak techniques? And if she could...where did that leave
the men of the world, when they were heartbroken? Because
after he'd left Jayne, he'd sure as hell felt—
No . He wasn't going to turn all
introspective and girly and helpless, damn it. The fact of the
matter was, Riley didn't consider himself easy to get over. No man
did. And nothing would make him believe Jayne's self-help stuff
really worked.
"I guess you were surprised to find out I
was the group's leader," Jayne said, breaking into his
thoughts.
He looked at her. "Surprised isn't the half
of it. I actually thought you were here because of a broken
heart."
"Well...I am."
Riley stiffened. He knew he'd
detected the signs in her.
"Indirectly, of course," she went on
blithely. "The techniques in my book are inspired by an actual
broken heart." She raised her palms. "I know, I know. You're going
to say I'm not an expert or anything. But I do have a knack for
helping people, Riley. I really do. Talking to the women who've
read my book made me see that."
She twisted an Oreo in half. Closed her eyes
while she carefully scraped off the icing with her bottom teeth.
Licked her lips with delight after swallowing the sweet filling.
Smiled at him when she caught him
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