The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

            “That’s right.”

            “You sure?”

            “Yes.” Jack wanted to growl at Olivia, but like he was in a cheesy rom-com, an image of Hallie saying bartender every time Vanessa had called her a waitress played in his mind, followed by the sound of her laughter as that stupid fucking cat burrowed into her black skirt and covered it with orange fur. His chest hurt and he felt a little light-headed. “Shit. I don’t know.”

            Olivia’s mouth dropped open and she gasped, but she quickly closed it and held up a hand. “It’s not up to me to know anything about your feelings. But, Jack, if you don’t want her to go out with this guy, why don’t you just mess up their next date?”

            “This is what the advice columnist has to offer? They should fucking fire you.”

            “No, listen. Just something stupid, like canceling their dinner reservation before they get there or showing up at the cat adoption place even though he’s going because you just want to help your bestie.”

            “I have to go.” Jack stood, banging his knee on the table in the process and growling through his teeth, “Dammit.”

            “I’m not done, you tool,” Livvie said, staring at him with huge eyes like he’d lost his mind as she shoved a fry into her mouth. “And you literally haven’t taken a bite of your lunch yet. Sit your ass down.”

            “Can’t.” Jack shook his head and headed for the door, needing air because he wasn’t sure he could handle his epiphany. He wasn’t sure he could handle how stupid he’d been. He needed to be alone and think, so he said to Olivia over his shoulder, “I have to bail, Liv.”

            A few hours later, he found himself walking into the animal shelter. The minute he went through the door, he could see Hallie and Alex, standing at the counter. Hallie was talking to the woman behind the desk, and Alex was saying something that was making her smile.

            Jack was supposed to be the one making her smile.

            He walked up to Hallie and said, “Where’s our cat?”

            “Jack,” she said, looking surprised. “What are you doing here?”

            He shrugged, feeling a little stupid but also happy about the way she was looking at him. “I just thought after we saw Tigger’s propensity for rage this morning, you might need some help getting him home.”

            “Hi, I’m Alex,” the blond clown said, smiling and extending his hand.

            “Jack,” he replied, shaking the guy’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

            “And I’m Carole,” said the woman who was standing behind the counter in a light blue smock. “Let’s go get your cat.”

            Jack followed Hallie as she tried to get her fat boy into a kennel that she and the clown had apparently just purchased at Target. Dammit. The cat did not want to go in, and it seemed as if Jack and Alex were in some sort of primitive contest to win Hal’s favor by being the one to succeed.

            Alex tried patience, holding out his hand and waiting in a crouch for Tigger to come over. Hallie, on the other hand, kept trying to pick him up, but the furball was not having it. In the end, Jack won, simply because he was quick and basically landed on top of the cat and pinned him down until Hallie could get him scooped into the carrier.

            When they were finished at the shelter, Hallie said, “I’m so glad you came, Jack. Obviously we couldn’t have done this without you.”

            “Yeah,” Alex added, smiling at Jack even as they both shared a knowing look about what was really going on.

            “No problem,” he said as she looked at her cat through the kennel door.

            “We’re going back to Hallie’s for Chinese takeout,” Alex said, stepping marginally closer to her. “Want to join us?”

            Hallie looked up from the kennel and right at Jack, grinning and making a funny face. He wasn’t sure if it was meant to convey Please come and save me or Don’t you dare; I want to be alone with my date.

            “I’ve got plans, but thanks,” he said.

            As Jack walked to his car, he cursed his sister and her stupid ideas, because there was no way his visit to the shelter did a damn thing to derail Alex’s progress with Hallie, or to put Jack in some better position—not that he necessarily wanted to be in a better position.