Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)(27)

“I’m fine. It’s the combination of lunch and poop that has me unsettled.” Pallas turned to Natalie. “Tell us about your adventure, young lady. I’ve heard all kinds of rumors.”

For a second Natalie had no idea what she was talking about. Then she remembered her trip up the mountain. She practically bounced in her seat.

“I’m getting a new car. New-to-me, anyway, and I’m superexcited.”

“Good for you,” Carol said. “Did you sell your old one or are you using it as a trade-in?”

“It’s totaled. It fell off the mountain.”

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

“What happened?”

Her friends all spoke at once. Then Pallas excused herself to use the restroom.

“I’m fine,” Natalie told them. “I wasn’t in it.” She smiled. “Right at the beginning of the storm, Mathias and Nick realized Ronan hadn’t been in for several days and he wasn’t answering his cell phone. He doesn’t have a landline, so someone had to go check on him.”

Silver’s eyes darkened. “They sent you up the mountain in your car in a storm? What is wrong with them?”

“Nick insisted I take his truck, but I was nervous about driving it. Anyway, I made it up to Ronan’s with no problem, but I parked it too close to the edge. A bunch of trees fell and they took my car with them.”

She sighed with happiness. “I’m going to be getting a check from my insurance company. That combined with what I’ve been able to save means I can afford a new car. I’m getting a red one.”

Wynn reached for the salad. “That’s practical.”

“Now you sound like Ronan.”

Pallas returned to her seat. “Speaking of Ronan, didn’t you want to talk about your little getaway with him?”

Conversation ceased as everyone turned to look at her. Natalie felt herself blushing.

“What?” Carol and Silver said together while Wynn simply looked disbelieving.

“I so can’t see you two together,” Wynn admitted. “He’s not your type.”

“I agree.” Carol looked concerned. “I’ll admit he’s really good-looking, in a brooding kind of way, but you’re so light and fun and sweet. I’d be worried he’d suck the life out of you.”

“Ronan would never do that. He’s charming and has a great sense of humor. I beat him when we flew paper airplanes and he only laughed. A lot of guys would have gotten mad.”

Silver picked up her drink. “Am I the only one wishing these had actual alcohol in them?”

“I hear you, sister,” Wynn murmured. “Natalie, honey, maybe you should start at the beginning because the paper airplane reference is pretty confusing.”

“Oh, right.” Natalie thought about her adventure. She would have to be careful so no one guessed about the kiss and his rejection.

“The trees that took my car over the mountain also made a mess of the roads. I had to stay with Ronan for a couple of days.” And three delicious nights, but there was no reason to be that specific.

“You stayed with Ronan?” Carol’s eyes widened. “In his house?”

“Uh-huh.”

Silver’s mouth turned up at the corners. “You are not at all what you seem, are you? So, pray tell, where did you sleep?”

“In the guest room. It’s really amazing. It’s upstairs by the turret. Oh, and the turret is this fantastic artist’s studio. Ronan let me work up there. He has all kinds of supplies, and when there isn’t a storm, the light’s amazing.”

“How disappointing,” Silver murmured.

“We had a good time. I like him and you should, too. He’s nice.”

Carol and Pallas exchanged a look.

“Nice?” Pallas asked. “Are you sure that’s the word? I know he’s not mean or sullen, but he doesn’t make an effort to hang out with Nick very much.”

“He avoids Mathias,” Carol added. “And they were twins.”

“It’s not his fault, okay? He’s dealing with a lot. All Nick and Mathias found out is that he’s only their half brother, but for Ronan, it was different. He has no idea who he is anymore. All he has is Ceallach, and would you want him to be your father?”

Natalie realized that she might have gone just a little too far with her defense of Ronan. All four of her friends were staring at her, their expression mirror images of concern and curiosity.

Uh-oh—that wasn’t good. She honestly had no idea how she felt about Ronan, but she was in no way ready to have what she might or might not be thinking discussed on the friendship open market. She needed a distraction and fast.

She frantically searched for a distraction-worthy topic and realized she had one right in her own phone.

“Being at his house worked really well, timing-wise,” she said quickly. “I got to play with my new app.” She pulled out her phone and waved it. “I downloaded it last week, but haven’t had a chance to explore the possibilities.”

“Your new app?” Wynn sounded doubtful. “What does it do?”

“Help you find a sperm donor. You know, for women who want to have a child on their own.”

Her distraction worked. Mouths dropped open, and Carol, who’d been drinking, began to choke.