A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5) (32)

The first result was an older news article about the last time he’d performed at the event. She ignored that and scrolled down until she found it. Or, rather, them. A row of thumbnail images from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

She clicked on the first one and was taken to Instagram’s page. The picture showed them dancing, and the way Colton was looking down at her couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than affection. The caption under the photo read, “What do I have to do to get Colton Wheeler to look at me like this? #Whosthatgirl”

“How many times have I told you?” A playful voice interrupted her.

Gretchen looked up from her screen and quickly shoved the phone in her pocket. Alexis had suddenly appeared next to her in line. She wore an apron covered with red-and-green cat paws all over it. With her hair in a high bun and a twinkling Christmas light necklace around her neck, she looked like one of the residents of Whoville. Anyone else would’ve looked unhinged, but it actually worked for Alexis.

“Friends don’t wait in line,” Gretchen said. “I know, but I feel bad cutting in front of all these people.”

“Follow me.” Alexis tugged Gretchen out of line. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Shit. That could only mean one thing. Alexis had seen the pictures too. But even if she hadn’t, of course she would know that she’d gone out with Colton last night. The book club guys and their partners were a tight-knit family, and everyone knew everything about one another. So she probably should not have been surprised that when she followed Alexis into the kitchen, she found Mack’s wife, Liv, in there too. Liv and Alexis were best friends, and even though Gretchen had briefly dated Mack before he met Liv, Gretchen had formed a friendship with her too.

“Look who just walked in,” Alexis said.

Liv practically lunged at her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her to the nearest chair. “Omigod, we were just talking about you!”

Gretchen smirked. “I never would have guessed.”

“You have to tell us everything.”

“About?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

She wasn’t playing dumb. She was just dragging out the inevitable.

“Give her some space,” Alexis said.

“I am giving her space,” Liv whined. “I just really want to hear the story directly from Who’s That Girl.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Who are you trying to convince? Us or yourself?”

“Here, try this.” Alexis handed Gretchen a plate with a muffin fresh from the oven. “Orange cranberry with a simple glaze.”

Gretchen took a bite and groaned. “Fuck, that’s good.”

“Right? It’s like Christmas on a plate.”

“Don’t say that,” Liv said quickly. “She might spit it out. She makes Scrooge look like one of Santa’s elves.”

Why was everyone giving her shit lately about her attitude about Christmas? She took another bite and set the plate down. “What do you want to know?”

Liv’s eyes danced with mischief. “Let’s start with why we had to find out from Instagram that Colton attended Christmas on the Cumberland last night with a woman who looked remarkably like you.”

As quickly and as vaguely as she could, Gretchen told them about the endorsement proposal and how Colton said he’d agree to consider it if she went out with him. “So there. It wasn’t a date. It was strictly professional.”

Liv smirked. “The way he’s looking at you in that picture is the farthest from professional as a man can get.”

“Trick of the lighting.”

“Is it true that you slept with him after my wedding and totally ditched him afterward?”

Alexis gasped. “Liv!”

Heat licked the sides of Gretchen’s face. “How—how did you hear about that?”

Alexis immediately held up her hand. “You don’t have to talk about it. We shouldn’t have pried.”

Gretchen could count on one hand the number of real, true friends she’d had in her life. Friendship required the one thing she’d never developed—a faith that someone you’d put your trust in wasn’t going to turn around and stab you in the back with it. But she felt so guilty about Alexis’s discomfort that Gretchen raced to reassure her. “You weren’t prying. It’s just . . . Colton promised he wouldn’t say anything.”

Liv’s eyes went as wide as the muffin plate. “Tell us everything!”

Gretchen scowled. “I’m not going to give you details.”

“I don’t think Liv was asking about the sex,” Alexis laughed.

“Hell, yes, I was,” Liv said. “I’m dying to know what he’s like in bed.”

“Liv, that’s not fair. We’d be mad if the guys shared our intimate details. We need to respect their privacy, as well.”

Liv stuck out her lip in a pout. “Fine. I don’t need details about how he is in bed. But I do need to know everything else.”

There was no getting out of this. Gretchen crossed her arms and exhaled with an annoyed huff. “We had an amazing night and—”

Liv sucked in enough air to seal a compression bag.

“—and then . . .” Gretchen paused. She wasn’t ready to admit to anyone that she’d jumped out of bed and raced out like the room was on fire. “And then all of a sudden he’s talking about going away to Belize on his private jet.”