“Oh, come on,” Cindy says, stopping me from walking into the room, listening. “I’m one helluva lay. You must be bored to tears out here all by yourself with the stick-in-the-mud Gabby and her bratty kid.”

“Not interested,” Rhys says simply.

I bite my lip. My hands are in fists, gripping the material of my favorite black dress.

“Are you telling me you’re not interested in these tits? I paid a lot of money for them.”

No, someone else paid a lot of money for them, Cindy.

“I can make you really happy, handsome,” she continues. Her voice makes me sick. I’ve never heard her talk like that before. My blood is boiling, and I should march in there and rip her a new one, but I’m dying to hear what Rhys’s response is.

He doesn’t disappoint me.

“I’m only going to tell you this one time,” he says with a cool, hard voice. “I’m not interested in anything you have to offer. Ever. You’re not sexy. You’re not attractive. And I want you to stop trying to hit on me.”

“You’re seriously passing this up?”

“Give it a damn rest, Cindy,” I say as I barge into the kitchen. She narrows her eyes on me, and Rhys simply crosses his arms over his chest and leans his hip against the countertop. Cindy is standing closer than I’m comfortable with to Rhys, and she moves closer to him, making him scowl.

“Rhys was just flirting with me.”

My jaw drops and Rhys tips his head back and laughs long and loud.

“You know Cindy, I always knew you were a slut, but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to come into my home and try to have sex with my guests.”

“Oh grow up,” she spits out and then cackles. “I’ve fucked every man in your life, going way back.”

She shakes her head and stares at me like she feels sorry for me, and my whole body stills.

“I fucked that high school guy you liked. What was his name? Scott?” She smirks. “And then there was Colby. He was fucking me the whole summer that you two were together.”

Bile rises in the back of my throat, but I simply raise a brow and act like I could give a shit.

And really, it’s not that I care now that she slept with Colby; it’s that she clearly has no respect for me. She doesn’t even like me very much, and while I’ve always known that Cindy is selfish, I didn’t realize how much she flat-out hated me.

“I even fucked your brother, for Christsakes.”

“Yuck,” I mutter, still clueless as to what Eli was thinking when he made that mistake.

He must have been drunk.

“So what you’re saying is,” I begin and chew my lip. “Is that you’re nothing but a dirty whore who uses me to find guys who are willing to throw you a pity fuck.”

She blinks furiously, her cheeks redden with pure rage and she fists her hands.

“You bitch!”

“Watch your goddamn mouth,” I growl at her and toss the dress on a stool while advancing on her. “You will not speak to me, or anyone, like that in my home. I don’t care if you decide to screw every man in the state of Louisiana—”

“Except me,” Rhys adds.

“But you won’t come in here and try to get laid. As far as our friendship, it’s over as of five minutes ago, as is the extra money you used to make off of me. I’m done. I’ve stuck up for you for years, Cindy. I gave you a job in my inn. That’s all over.”

I glance over at Rhys, to find him watching me, his green eyes warm and smiling. Hot. His mouth isn’t tipped up, but I can see the pride in his eyes as I give Cindy the tongue lashing she deserves.

She’s lucky I don’t cut a switch and take it to her backside.

“Look, I’m sorry that I hit on the guy you’re fucking, although why he’d waste his time on you, I have no idea.”

“That’s it,” Rhys says calmly, almost too calmly. “Get the hell out of here.”

Cindy’s gaze whips to mine and I simply tip my head to the side. “Are you deaf and dumb?”

Her lips are pursed, she’s panting with anger, her blue eyes are flashing as she stomps out of the kitchen, and a few seconds later the front door slams shut.

I sigh deeply and shake my head.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“What in the hell are you sorry for?” Rhys asks.

“Well, that was…unpleasant.”

“That was a shit-show,” he replies and then chuckles. “And you took care of it.”

“Well, you are hard to resist,” I inform him, smiling now. “I mean, I understand why she hit on you. You’re all tall and muscly and stuff.”

“Muscly and stuff?”

“Mmm.”

“Well, you were fucking hot with your big hazel eyes flashing, telling her what the score is. How did you ever end up with a friend like that anyway?”

“I’ve known her since the first grade.” I shrug. “I guess it was just habit. I don’t think I even particularly liked her. I just never got rid of her.”

He nods. “Women are weird like that.”

“Yeah.”

“Come on.” He holds his hand out for mine and leads me to the porch again. “I have more emails to send, and you still have time before people start showing up.”

“I should work.”

“I’m leaving in the morning, and I want every minute with you I can get.” He grins back at me. “And yes, I plan to sneak into bed with you after Sam goes to sleep.”