Heartbreakers: Treat Her Right / Mr November

Josh grinned. “I’ll take that first ‘no’ at face value. No way in hell am I accepting the second without some kind of explanation.”

If he knew it wouldn’t wake Dani, Zack would consider knocking Josh off his chair. Resigned, he gave up with a sigh. “She was bent over...” He faltered, unsure how to explain.

Josh protested his hesitation by saying, “I’m all ears.”

“Actually,” Mick admitted, “so am I.”

“She had on short shorts—”

“I noticed that.”

“So did I.”

“Do you two want to hear this or not?” Zack glared at them both, waiting, but they now held themselves silent. “She was bent way over trying to drag a box into the backyard and her shorts rode up. That’s all there is to it. I didn’t see her whole behind.” But he’d seen enough to know her backside was as delectable as her legs.

“A half moon, huh?” Josh made a tsking sound. “And here I missed it.”

Zack gave up and explained in full the extent of his association with Ms. Wynn Lane. He told them about her family who’d soon be moving in, her brother who was built like a chimney, and her penchant for being outspoken and brazen and pushy.

“She is not,” Zack reiterated, “wife material.”

Josh had listened quietly, but now he waved away Zack’s disclaimer. “Why do you want to get married anyway? I mean, just because Mick here found the perfect woman—”

Mick growled.

“—and he’s blissfully happy, doesn’t mean we all need to stick our necks into the noose. I know a lot more divorced couples than I do happily married ones.”

Now that the cannon had been redirected, Zack relaxed and began shuffling the cards. “Dani asked me about feminine napkins the other day.”

Both Mick and Josh froze, then gave near identical groans of emotional pain. “Commercials?” Josh asked.

“Yeah. She was watching cartoons when bam, there was a commercial for napkins. Can you believe it? She wanted to know what they were for and why women who used them got to go horseback riding and climbing and stuff.”

Chuckling, Mick shook his head. “I can just imagine this conversation.”

“Whatd’cha tell her?” Josh asked with interest.

“I fumbled my way through it.” Actually, he’d made a total mess of things, but Zack wasn’t about to admit that. “She wasn’t ready to hear about the whole reproductive cycle thing—”

“Neither am I,” Josh joked.

“—so I just told her women used them like they used perfume and makeup and panty hose.”

Mick snickered. “Let me guess. She wants some.”

“Yup. So you see, this is why I need a wife. I foresee stuff like this coming up all the damn time. I mean, what the hell will I know about fashion trends for teenage girls, or buying training bras?”

Josh considered that a moment, then said, “I could handle it if you want help. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh God, that’s all I need! I can see the headlines now, Womanizer Extraordinaire Attempts Parenting 101.”

“A female is a female is a female.”

Mick tapped his fingers on the table. “Delilah would have something to say about that sentiment.”

Josh grinned. “I know. She loves to give me hell.”

“Girls start this puberty stuff earlier than guys, as early as eleven or twelve,” Zack pointed out. He was amused despite himself, at the picture of Josh sorting through adolescent underwear. It was a far cry from lingerie, which admittedly, Josh knew a lot about. He bought enough of it for his girlfriends.

“I could handle it.” Josh looked thoughtful, then grinned. “Hell, it might even be fun. I do enjoy shopping you know.”

Zack did know. Every Christmas and every birthday, Josh took Dani shopping. They’d make a whole day of it, and Josh would spoil her with gifts and a movie and the amusement park. It was surprising, given Josh presented the world with only his preference for bachelorhood, yet Zack trusted him completely with his daughter.

In many ways, both Josh and Mick were pseudo-daddies, picking up the slack whenever Zack ran short on time. And they did a great job. They’d helped him get through the loss of his wife, and helped even more in the transition from grief to thankfulness, because despite losing his wife, he still had Dani, and that was a lot, more than he’d ever asked of life.

Zack had inadvertently wandered down a maudlin path, so he changed the subject while dealing out the cards. “Mick, did Josh tell you his station is making a charity calendar?”

“What’s this?” Mick asked.

Josh picked up his hand, rearranged the cards a few times, then said, “Some pushy promotions broad is organizing the whole thing. She wants a bunch of the men to pose in some cheesy way to go on the calendar, then they’ll sell it and the proceeds will benefit the burn center.”

“Pushy promotions broad,” Mick repeated slowly, as if savoring the words. “Does this mean she had the audacity to exclude you from modeling?”

“I never gave her the chance. Anyone who was interested was supposed to call her to set up an appointment.” He peered over his cards at Mick and Zack. “To get ogled, no doubt. Can you believe that?”

Frowning, Zack asked, “Have you met her?”

“I don’t need to. I heard all about her from a friend at a different station. She’s a rich daddy’s girl who plays at this charity stuff out of boredom.”

Mick and Zack shared a look. Mick laid his cards facedown and crossed his arms on the table. “Since when do you care about a woman’s character?”

“Yeah,” Zack said. “I thought it was the size of her bra cups that attracted you.”

Josh suddenly looked harassed and annoyed, not that Zack minded after what he’d just been through. About time someone else took a turn on the hot seat.

“She’s supposedly really beautiful, okay? And I’ve had it with women like that. I want someone more like Delilah.”

Mick choked and his face turned red.

“Oh for God’s sake.” Josh quickly got out of Mick’s reach and explained, “I wasn’t—not for a second—saying Delilah’s not beautiful! She is. Flat-out gorgeous.”

Mick stood, looking far from placated.

“But she doesn’t go in for all the props. When was the last time Del painted her nails or colored her hair? Never, right? She’s genuine. Well, that’s the type of woman I want.” He waved a hand toward the window. “Wynn what’s-her-name would do, too. I want a natural woman, not a glamour doll who thinks she can crook her little finger and a guy will come running.”

Mick subsided, but he looked far from appeased.

Zack shook his head. “Mick, you’re going to have to get a handle on these jealous tendencies of yours. You know Josh won’t poach.”