While Ryan glared at me, Mike stealthily gazed at Marie. Our dear bodyguard’s face might have been impassive, but his eyes definitely gave it away that he was considering her, weighing out his options.

Marie had a hell of a figure on her, including the kind of boobs that got women into trouble.

There were several times I wanted to dig into Mike’s business, beyond knowing he spent ten years in

the Marine Corps and was capable of killing someone a hundred different ways with his bare hands, but I never wanted to embarrass him. His love life was something that never came up in conversation. I suppose living on the road like he was was not the most conducive situation to try to maintain a relationship.

The possibility that he could be gay flitted through my brain once, but that quickly dissipated when Mike took a bit of an interest in Trish. That interest, however, was nothing compared to how he was now hanging on to Marie’s every word as if she were the most intriguing woman on the planet.

A woman in aisle three did a less than inconspicuous gaze when she spotted Ryan. Her skin flushed as if she was both excited and unsure, but still she never approached. Too nervous, apparently.

I pushed my cart, enjoying the view of Mike trying to talk to Marie, attempting to be casually cool as he spoke.

“You never did specify the terms of the bet. Ten, twenty? Decide quickly. Stretch Pants Lady is fumbling with her purse.”

Marie looked confident but slightly bashful. I noticed she rubbed the finger that used to have a wedding ring on it. There was nothing there now but bare skin and the hopes of a fresh start.

“How about dinner?” she tossed back. “If you win, pick out anything in the store and I’ll cook for you.

But if I win, you’re wearing the apron.”

Mike laughed, surreptitiously placing his body between Ryan and some older man coming down the aisle. “You may want to rethink that, unless you really love mac-’n’-cheese and ramen noodles and want to see me in an apron. Then who am I to disappoint?”

Nothing but an apron, I amended silently for her. Yeah, she’s smirking. Dirty minds think alike.

She quickly recovered. “Not much of a cook?”

“Well, I have tried to make celery-rock soup once before. It probably wasn’t as good as yours, though.”

Ryan grabbed a jar of spaghetti sauce. His arms were piled with things. He walked up to Mike. “Wait, I thought we planned on taking them out to dinner tomorrow? That’s what you said you wanted to do.”

Mike looked like he wanted to throttle Ryan on the spot, that is, until several customers started leering down the aisle. One girl pulled out her cell, aiming it to take a quick snapshot.

Son of a . . . why, people? Do you think that famous people don’t eat or shop? Come on! I darted to Ryan’s side, bumping shoulders with Mike and blocking Ryan as much as possible. He couldn’t be left alone for two minutes without someone taking a piece of him.

Marie whipped out her phone and aimed right back. The girl quickly started to back up. “Wait! Where are you going? I need to update my Facebook page.”

Ryan frowned, showing his disapproval. “Don’t do that. Just let them take their pictures. You start saying shit and that gets recorded . . . Just do me a favor and don’t.”

“Sorry,” Marie said quickly, not looking sorry at all.

Mike gave her an elbow nudge. “Troublemaker! Seems as though you need a keeper, too.”

I was starting to wonder if he was volunteering.

I smiled at Marie. No matter what Gary thought he could do to hurt her, I had no doubt she’d bounce right back on her feet.

The following evening, Marie and I shared the bathroom mirror to get ready. She was in a much better mood after we spent a full day shopping with a nice, leisurely lunch in between.

I was still a bit peeved that Ryan hadn’t returned my personal credit card, leaving me no choice but to use our joint card. I knew it was his way of making sure he was taking care of me, but I didn’t like being at someone’s mercy. I figured some new risqué bras and panties were a nice way of saying thank you.

Marie tugged at her new top and then abruptly stopped to hug me. “Thank you for buying this outfit for me. Once I get financially stable again, I’ll pay you back. I swear.”

I rubbed my hand over her back. “Not necessary. You’re the one who told me I’d have to get used to spending my future husband’s millions, remember? Consider it a gift from the ‘Ryan says he owes you big-time for what you did for us’ fund.”

She dismissed my words with a wave of her hand. “I still feel bad, though. I hate not being able to afford the things I want without relying on Gary’s money. This totally sucks.”

I looked at her knowingly.

“Okay, okay, I get it now,” she said. “I won’t tease you about spending Ryan’s money anymore. You and I weren’t raised that way. We’re used to earning our keep.”

I put my makeup away, straightening up the counter. “Exactly. Oh, I’m sure there are millions of women out there who wouldn’t even blink at becoming a pampered little house pet, doing nothing but gossiping and shopping all damn day. But that’s not how I want to live. You remember Melanie’s favorite saying?”

Marie smirked.

“‘I don’t owe you shit,’” we said in unison.

A second later Marie huffed, tucking her extra cleavage away. “Cripes. Mike is going to take one look at me in this getup and think that I’m some sort of desperate psycho ready to pin him to the wall. I just wanted a break from the stress to get my head together, not force the first warm, completely gorgeous body I come in contact with into an uncomfortable situation.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t view it that way.” At least I hope not. “No one is forcing either of you into a situation here. And by the looks of it, Mike seems more than willing to spend time with you.”

Marie rolled her eyes, but it was the truth and she knew it. His eyes had traveled up and down her body quite a few times, often fighting to decide between her face and her endowed chest.

“Is it too soon? Shouldn’t I be in mourning or something for a year?”

“I don’t know. I guess if you don’t feel sad then what does that tell you?”

She didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been unhappy for a long time. He’s treated me like crap for so long; I guess I’m numb to it. But when I just look at Mike, I feel it all the way down into my toes.”

“I can tell you he’s a great guy. I’ve really gotten to know him better these last few weeks. But I feel bad for him. His life consists of waiting on whatever Ryan has to do. Most of the time he thinks he’s intruding on us, and when he escorts us safely someplace and then quietly steps out of the picture, my heart breaks for him. He’s probably looking forward to hanging out and not feeling like the third wheel for once.”

“Well, I’m not looking at this like it’s a date. I’m sure he is just being nice so I’m not going to read into anything.”

The doorbell rang and Marie gasped. It was go time.

“Sorry I’m late.” Mike had on a pair of black dress slacks and a thin gray button-down shirt that left no curve of his upper body a mystery. As soon as I closed the door, I noticed something shimmer on his back.

“Turn around,” I said discreetly, pulling the XL size sticker from the fabric. I quickly balled it up in my hand. I’d never seen Mike blush before.

“Oh shit. How embarrassing is that?” he mumbled.

I was delighted that he felt the need to buy a new outfit for tonight. “Don’t worry about it. It will be our little secret. You look really nice, by the way.”

Mike seemed genuinely nervous, brushing his hands over his slacks. “Thanks, Taryn.”

The minute Marie stepped into the room I saw it cross over both of their faces—that flush of excitement caused by extreme attraction to another human being.

Mike had eyed Marie quite a few times in the past, but he left it at that. I also noticed him scowl at Gary once or twice as well, when Gary was being less than polite to her. But Marie was unobtainable at the time. Now the playing field was wide open. Her wedding rings were off, leaving only a faint indentation on her finger of a period in her life that would eventually fade and fill in time.