Feeling Hot

“Enough with the long faces, you two,” Savannah announced, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

Jen snapped out of her thoughts, realizing she was one of the “two” Savannah had targeted.

“Well, I guess I can let you off the hook, since you have a stalker,” Savannah amended, grinning at Jen. “But what’s your excuse, Hol?”

Shifting her gaze, Jen saw Holly’s equally glum look. Her sister-in-law had barely said a word since she’d arrived at Savannah’s loft, which was located above Harte to Harte, the flower shop Savannah owned and ran. The change of scenery was nice, after being cooped up in Cash’s apartment for so long.

“Actually, I don’t have a stalker anymore,” Jen spoke up, which earned her a relieved look from Holly, who clearly hadn’t wanted to explain the reason for her unhappy mood.

Annabelle frowned. “Just because Cash and Seth beat him up doesn’t mean he won’t keep causing trouble. Nutcases like that don’t scare off easily.”

“But he left town,” Jen answered. “My dad has been keeping tabs on Brendan ever since he showed up at my parents’ place, and this morning Dad found out that Brendan’s work transfer happened earlier than scheduled. He was on a flight to Oakland last night. I’m hoping that means it’s the end of Psycho McGee.”

“Fingers crossed.” Annabelle held out her shot glass so Savannah could pour another round of tequila into it.

From her spot on the carpet, Jane released a happy sigh. “Man, it’s so nice to be out of the house for a while. Sadie was being super cranky today.”

“Like father, like daughter,” Savannah remarked dryly. “Seriously, though, Becker seems a tad possessive of that cute little baby of yours.”

“A tad? Understatement of the year. Sadie is the apple of her daddy’s eye. God help that sweet girl when she gets old enough to date.”

“John bought a shotgun the day after Penny was born,” Shelby confessed. “He’s ready to shoot the balls off any guy who looks at his daughter.”

Jen laughed. Unwittingly, she wondered how Cash would react if he had a daughter—would he be as protective as Becker and Garrett, or more laidback? She held back a snort. Right, like it was even a question. Navy SEAL and protective instincts went together like PB and J.

“What about you and Carson?” Shelby said, glancing at Holly. “John said you two have been talking about having kids.”

Holly stiffly rose from the overstuffed couch. “I need to use the washroom.”

She hurried off, leaving everyone but Jen staring after her in shock.

“Shit,” Shelby murmured. “What’d I say?”

Jen cleared her throat. “Babies are a touchy subject for her right now.”

The other women wore matching frowns. Even the perpetually laidback Savannah looked upset.

“What do you mean?” Annabelle demanded.

She hated herself for breaking the confidence, but she didn’t know what else to do anymore. Holly was staying with her sister again, and Carson had been ignoring Jen’s calls for days. Maybe recruiting some backup would help her stubborn brother and sister-in-law mend this rift between them.

With a heavy breath, she told them everything she knew, except for the part about seeing Carson with another woman. Every female in the room was scowling when Jen finished.

“Men,” Savannah huffed.

“Like a baby will fix anything,” Annabelle muttered with an amazed shake of her head.

“A kid will only bring a whole new pile of problems to the table,” Jane grumbled.

“They need to fix their relationship before bringing a child into it,” Shelby agreed.

“Ahem.”

Five heads swiveled to find Holly standing three feet away. The brunette looked both annoyed and amused at having caught them talking about her.

“We’re not gossiping,” Savannah said instantly, patting the sofa cushion in a gesture for Holly to sit down again.

“We’re venting on your behalf,” Annabelle piped up.

Holly flopped down on the couch. Her green eyes glittered with fortitude as she picked up the tequila shot she’d yet to take. “So we’re all in agreement that Carson is acting like an ass?”

Savannah lifted her own glass. “Hells yeah.”

Jen, Shelby, Annabelle and Jane raised their glasses.

The six of them clinked glasses and threw their heads back as they swallowed the alcohol. Jen felt the burn right down to her belly, and when Savannah tried to refill her shot glass, she shook her head.

“None for me. My stomach can’t handle more than a couple of shots.”

“Fill it up anyway,” Holly said. “I’ll take Jen’s shot.”

Uh-oh. She didn’t voice her worry, but the steel in Holly’s eyes told her that her sister-in-law was feeling self-destructive tonight.

For the next hour, they discussed what an idiot Carson was, while Holly continued to slug down tequila. Eventually Savannah had to cut the brunette off, and the conversation somehow turned to sex.

Jen stayed quiet, but Jane sucked her right into the discussion by turning to her and saying, “So, how’s Hot Stuff in bed?”

“Hot Stuff?”

“Cash,” the redhead clarified. With a shit-eating grin, she turned to the others. “That’s right, I said it. Jen here is totally doing the wild thing with Hot Stuff.”

That earned her some hoots and catcalls.