Start Me Up (Man of the Month 4)

Now, Shelby added an extra squeeze to her boisterous hug. "Isn't this the best party?" she said, not remembering that Brooke wasn't actually at their party until she responded with a dubious, "Um, yeah?"

Beside them, Hannah laughed as she thrust out her hand for Brooke to shake. "Hannah," she said in introduction. "Also known as Shelby's babysitter."

"Like hell," Shelby retorted, fully intending to explain why she didn't need a babysitter. Unfortunately, some Pinot Punch came up with her words, and so she clapped her hand over her mouth and stumbled toward the open stall, then locked the door behind her before crouching down as her stomach betrayed her.

She stayed on her haunches, breathing through her mouth just in case her stomach decided to go another round. Outside the stall, she heard Brooke and Hannah talking, and she rolled her eyes at Brooke's comment that there must have been an alien invasion because, "That's not Shelby."

"Isn't it awesome?" Hannah asked, her voice positively giddy. "We're here for a friend's bachelorette party, and I told Shel she had to let her hair down."

"You're evil," Shel called from the stall, then chuckled at Hannah's immediate retort of, "But you love me!"

While Hannah and Brooke continued to talk, Shel gathered herself, finally emerging when she was sure that she and the punch left in her stomach had come to an understanding. "Whoa," she said, heading for the sink and the dispenser of complimentary mouthwash. "I feel better."

And she did, too. The room was spinning less, and her head felt much more clear. Once she swished and spit, she felt positively human.

Hannah's lips twitched, and Shelby pointed an accusatory finger at her, but Hannah just hid her laugh behind a fake cough before turning to Brooke and asking if she'd like to join them.

"No, thanks. I need to get going."

"You sure?" Shelby pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Because it's really so awesome to see you."

"You, too," Brooke said, and from the way she laughed, Shel was sure that Brooke thought she was still drunk. Which maybe she was. A little, anyway.

"Come on," Brooke added. "I'll walk out with you, at least."

They traipsed out together, moving through the crowd toward the front corner where the laughing, drinking group of bachelorette party-goers now waved at Shelby and Hannah, urging them to hurry back because the bartender, Cam, had delivered two more pitchers of that deliciously dangerous punch.

Of course, the shortest way back was to walk parallel to the bar, and that put her right in front of the group of men with whom Mr. Hottie had been hanging.

Shelby told herself she shouldn't look, but she couldn't help it, and the next thing she knew, she was bumping into Brooke as she reached for Hannah's arm and pulled her to a stop. "He's still there," she whispered, shooting a surreptitious glance toward Mr. Hottie. "Do you think he's--oh, shit. He's looking this way."

Those eyes. He'd just completely nailed her with those gorgeous eyes. And, yes, Shelby was still a little loaded, but she felt the impact of that look all the way down to her toes. And she was pretty sure it wasn't because of the alcohol.

"Just go talk to him." Hannah gave her a little shove, but Shelby wasn't about to budge. "He's obviously noticed you. And you have so noticed him."

"Who?" Brooke asked, and Shelby whipped around to face her, mortified that someone other than Hannah had witnessed her moment of lust.

"Him," Hannah said, but before she could lift a finger to point, Shelby yanked her arm down, almost losing her balance in the process. Four-inch heels and Pinot Punch were not a safe combination.

"Don't point! The cute guy right there," she told Brooke. "With the short hair and the The best mornings have Wood T-shirt."

Then Brooke did the unthinkable. She raised her hand and actually waved at the guy.

"Oh. My. God." Shelby wanted to melt into the floor right then. Was Brooke insane? "Why are you waving at him?"

Brooke shrugged, totally nonplussed. "He's a friend. His name's Nolan Wood. And the tacky shirt is the name of his show. Mornings With Wood. He does crazy ass commentary for one of the local radio stations."

"You know him?"

"Casually. He was going out with a friend."

"Oh." A disconcerting wave of disappointment crashed over Shelby. Ridiculous, since it wasn't as if she intended to go out with the guy. He just happened to be very pleasant to look at.

"He's single now, I think," Brooke continued, her tiny smile suggesting that she understood Shel's disappointment. Except, of course, that Shel hadn't been disappointed.

Really.

"Just go," Hannah urged before turning to Brooke. "I keep telling her to go introduce herself and say hi."