One Foolish Night (Eternal Bachelors Club #4)

“Oh, I forgot the napkins,” Holly said, glad to have something else to do.

She walked around the island, when Tara opened a drawer and pulled out a few napkins. “Got ’em,” she said cheerfully, then leaned over the island, making a dismissive gesture. “I’ve been here a few times.”

Tara’s words didn’t help to assuage Holly’s feeling of not belonging. While she placed the napkins next to the plates, she said, “So you’re a friend of the family. Paul never mentioned you joining us here this week.”

“Oh, it was a last-minute thing,” Tara said lightly, and walked to the fridge to pull a bottle of salad dressing from it.

Of course it had been a last-minute thing: When Holly had made it clear to Paul that she wouldn’t sleep with him, he’d decided to invite Tara in hopes of getting some action from her. Clearly, he couldn’t keep his cock in his pants for long.

“Pizza!” Paul swept into the kitchen and with him the delicious smell of pizza fresh from the oven.

Holly suddenly realized how hungry she was.

“Let’s eat!” Paul placed the pizza in the middle of the kitchen island and opened the lid of the cardboard box. He was about to sit down on one of the barstools, when he stopped himself. “Oh, forgot the drinks. Who wants wine?”

“Red for me,” Tara said immediately.

Holly shook her head. “I’ll have water.”

Paul walked to the wine fridge and pulled out a bottle, then looked at her. “You sure? I have a really great vintage.” He pointed to the bottle.

“Not tonight,” Holly insisted. After all, she couldn’t drink alcohol during her pregnancy, at least not during the early months.

“If you say so.” Then he smiled at Tara. “More for you and me, then.”

While Paul opened the bottle and Tara pulled glasses from a kitchen cabinet, Holly sat on one of the bar stools. Inside, she seethed. Now Paul and Tara had another thing in common: both of them would be drinking wine, while she had to be different by drinking water. Everything she did seemed to widen the gap between her and Paul, while Tara snuck into that gap and made herself at home.

Paul poured two glasses of wine, while Tara poured a glass of water. A moment later, the two of them were seated at the kitchen island. Paul next to Holly, and Tara on his other side.

Paul lifted his glass. “Well, cheers, everybody. Thanks for helping me cook, Tara.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It was just a salad.”

The girlish giggle that accompanied Tara’s words started to grate on Holly’s nerves. Was this what men really liked? A woman like Tara? Somebody who played down her own achievements and was subservient to a man? Because that was exactly the impression Holly got from Tara. She seemed smart and sophisticated, yet in all her interactions she appeared to take a backseat to Paul.

During dinner it became even more obvious. Tara played the nice girl and agreed with everything Paul said. It was positively nauseating!

By the time Holly had eaten three slices of pizza, she was ready to puke, and it wasn’t the pizza’s fault. She couldn’t take any more of their banter and all the references about past summers and parties they had both attended. Why hadn’t Paul invited Tara in the first place to play his girlfriend instead of Holly? It would have made things easier for all of them.

“It’s been a long day. I’ll get ready for bed,” Holly announced after they’d put the dishes away.

Paul raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to watch a movie with us? I’m sure we can find something we’ll all like.”

Holly shook her head. “No thanks, I’ll just turn in. ’Night.”

Paul stepped closer, as if he wanted to kiss her good night, but Holly turned before he reached her and stomped out of the kitchen.

As she walked down the hallway, she heard Tara say, “Did I do something?”

That rotten little bitch knew exactly what she’d done: She’d made Holly jealous.





20


Paul lay in his bed, naked, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, but he couldn’t sleep. Maybe he’d gone too far. Maybe he should have told Holly that his mother had been the one to invite Tara, not he.

He sat up, about to push the duvet off, when he heard a door open. His door.

His heart jumped in excitement. Tara would never come to his room, which left only one person: Holly.

He recognized her silhouette as she eased the door shut behind her and approached the bed. Paul smiled to himself. He’d been right after all.

When Holly was almost beside him, he reached for the light switch and turned on the bedside lamp. It illuminated the room in a soft, subdued light, just enough to see everything, but not enough to spoil the mood.

Holly gasped.

Paul grinned. “Well, look who we’ve got here.” He feasted his eyes on her.

Holly was dressed for seduction. She wore a black negligee over a red teddy.