Here Comes the Rainne Again (Invertary 6)

“You’re not wrong about the party, though,” Flynn said. “This is mind-numbing.”

“Don’t worry,” Harry said with a grin. “It’ll pick up soon. Strippers. Remember?”

“Let’s get this party started,” Betty shouted. “The entertainment is here.”

“See?” Harry said.

They all turned towards the door and collectively groaned.

“She booked male strippers?” Harry wailed.

Four buff guys, dressed in fake fatigues with Velcro seams, swaggered into the middle of the room.

“She ordered soldiers?” Grunt spoke for the first time that evening.

“Lake’s ex-forces. What else was I supposed to order?” Betty demanded.

“Well, duh, women,” Flynn pointed out.

Betty cackled as she dragged a wooden chair into the middle of the room and positioned herself between the strippers. “Ready when you are, boys.”

“I’m going to vomit,” Matt said.

The music kicked in and the men started gyrating. Their packages inches from Betty’s grinning face.

“Make it stop,” Josh wailed.

“I need to call a therapist.” Mitch turned his back in disgust. “I can never unsee this.”

“I can’t believe she conned me into paying for male strippers,” Harry said.

Callum looked from the strippers to Harry’s stunned expression, then to Lake. “Are you sure he’d make a good business partner?”

Lake tipped back his head and laughed loud and long.

3

* Kirsty *

“I’m telling you,” Kirsty said to her best friend. “Lake doesn’t love me anymore.” She nibbled at her bottom lip as her eyes welled up. “I have to call off the wedding.”

“What? No!” Caroline almost fell off her stool at the breakfast bar. “You’re being silly, which makes me look silly for having such a silly woman for a best friend.”

“Did you say ‘silly’ often enough in that sentence, do you think?”

The castle kitchen seemed to wobble. It was possible they’d all had a little too much champagne. Well, except for Caroline, who was pregnant with baby number two, and Abby, who was carrying twins and looked only slightly smaller than a house. The rest of the women were laughing raucously as they played a drunken version of pin the tail on the donkey. Only there was no donkey, just a life-sized cardboard cutout of Lake dressed in a tux. A blindfolded Heather Donaldson clutched a pair of men’s thong underwear and tried to stick them to the right place on his body.

“That is a stupid game.” Kirsty pointed at the women. “Lake would never wear his underwear on the outside of his trousers.”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said. “He does have a Superman complex.”

“Yes, he does.” Kirsty pointed at Caroline to prove she was serious. “That’s part of the problem. He’s always running off to help someone else. I know it’s his business—protect people, rescue people, help people.” She waved a dismissive hand. “But it’s all the time. I’ve hardly seen him in the past six months. I think he’s avoiding me.” She hated that her bottom lip began to tremble. “I don’t think he wants me anymore.”

Caroline came off her stool instantly to wrap her arms around Kirsty. She squeezed her tight. “Of course he still wants you and loves you. That man adores you. He’s been busy, that’s all.”

“Too busy to have sex?” Kirsty wiped her nose on Caroline’s shoulder and felt her stiffen.

“Really? We’re going to talk about your private affairs?”