Looking for Trouble (Jackson: Girls' Night Out 1)

“Of course, Mom. Sheesh. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Tell that to Jake. I swear he thinks you’re untouched.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Jake really was one of the nicest guys around, even if Lauren had spent years spying on his shirtless jogs. “Tell Jake he was right and it was actually my plumber you saw.”

“Naked with a towel?”

“Plumbing accident. He had to strip down. Jake will totally buy it and my reputation will be safe.”

Lauren snorted. “Not with me, you lucky little hussy. And I’ll expect more details at girls’ night tomorrow. I want to hear everything.”

No way was Sophie going to spill everything, but she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to tell Lauren a little bit after Alex was safely gone. And Isabelle wouldn’t tell a soul. In fact, she was so scatterbrained she’d probably forget everything once she was out of sight.

Sophie swallowed hard and straightened a few papers on the desk. “I’d better get to work.”

“Okay, I’m on my way out anyway.”

“Where are you going?”

Lauren cringed. “The dedication. Jean-Marie wants us to have a presence there and she has a meeting with the city council. So I volunteered.”

Sophie’s eyebrows flew up in shock, but Lauren reached out to touch her arm.

“I knew you couldn’t go, and I didn’t want anyone else going and...talking about it afterward.”

She had to blink hard when she realized that Lauren was trying to protect her. “Thank you. Seriously. I really appreciate that.” It was only after she reached to give Lauren a hug that the disaster of it all hit her square in the gut. Her hug turned into a clutch. “Wait. No. You can’t go.”

“Why not?”

She turned a hundred possibilities over in her mind, frantically searching for library projects to keep Lauren here. Or she could claim that she wanted to go herself, to pay her respects or—

“Hey,” Lauren said. “What’s wrong? I know it’s a stupid idea and nobody needs to go, but you know how Jean-Marie is when she gets an idea.”

Sophie tried not to let panic take her over. It wasn’t like she’d done something illegal. She’d just slept with the wrong guy at the wrong time.

“Lauren... Crap.” A look at the clock confirmed that Sophie was on the clock and didn’t have time for a lengthy explanation.

Shit. It was confession time. “Lauren, please don’t tell anyone this. I’m begging you.”

“What?” Lauren asked, her voice a little frantic now. “What’s wrong?”

“That man at my house... His name is Alex Bishop.”

Lauren started to shake her head, her face blank, but then her mouth formed a little O of shock. Sophie let her head drop in shame.

“Bishop?” her friend whispered.

“Yes.”

“Oh, my God.”

“His mom suspects, but no one knows. You can’t tell anyone. Please.”

“Of course I won’t. Just...don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I won’t even acknowledge him at the dedicatio

n. Okay? Calm down.”

Sophie realized she was feeling more than a little panicked and breathing too fast.