Everyone stopped talking and stared at her.

Avery looked around, oblivious to the effect her words had on the group. “God, I’m hungry.”

Shannon hid her smile behind her hand, counting the hours until the morning when Avery wouldn’t be able to deny her fate any longer.

If there was one thing she was well read on, it was pregnant women and single mothers. She was happy that her friend was only half of that equation—not that Avery couldn’t handle taking on a child by herself. She could. Liam, however, would balance out all of Avery’s insecurities.

Once her drink arrived, Shannon lifted it in a toast. “To new friends.”

Victor touched his glass to hers. “To surprising friends.”

Their eyes caught and gooseflesh prickled on her arms.

Gooseflesh and Victor were words that had no right belonging together. Her gaze moved to his lips. It had been a long time since she’d noticed a man’s lips.

“When do you girls leave?” Dylan asked, pulling Shannon out of her thoughts of first kisses and butterflies.

“Day after tomorrow.” Their time had flown by.

“What about you, Victor?”

Victor watched Shannon as he answered, “I’m booked through Monday, but ah . . . I don’t know.”

“I thought Corrie said you had two weeks,” Shannon said.

“Another week in Cozumel . . . I’m not feeling it. I took a whole week, that’s big for me,” he said, directed at Shannon.

“I’m pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

He chuckled. “Me either.”

“At least now you have the right clothes if you ever come back.” Dylan nudged Victor.

“Why would he come back?” Erasmo asked Dylan. “This is where the ex dumped him.”

“Hello, Mr. Sensitivity!” Dylan scolded.

“Sorry.”

Victor brushed them off. “I have less memories of her here than I do of all of you.”

Shannon doubted he would ever be able to return and not think of Corrie.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to say to her when you see her again?” Avery asked.

Victor looked away. “No. I’ve actually done very little thinking about the whole thing.”

That explains his flirting, Shannon thought. Ignore the woman at home so you could concentrate on the woman in front of you. In this case, her.

“Lots of fish in the sea. I’m sure you’ll find someone new to swim with.” Avery smiled at Victor when she spoke.

“Lots of sharks out there, too,” Dylan added.

Avery narrowed her eyes. “Shannon’s not a shark.”

“I didn’t say anything about Shannon.”

Shannon jumped in. “I’m not swimming in anyone’s ocean.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Erasmo asked.

“Duh, Victor and Shannon,” Avery said.

Shannon wanted to duck under the tiny table. “There is no Victor and Shannon.” Shannon attempted to bury Avery with a look.

It didn’t work. “We’d all have to be blind to not see this thing that’s going on here.” Avery waved her hand in the air between the two of them.

Erasmo caught on and smirked. “She has a point.”

“See?” Avery sat taller, as if she’d made her case known. “So no talking about sharks in the Victor and Shannon Ocean.”

“Now you lost me again.” Erasmo frowned.

Dylan leaned over. “Avery said there were lots of fish in the sea, I said beware of sharks—”

“Shannon’s not a shark,” was Erasmo’s reply.

“Exactly!” Avery lifted a hand in the air for him to fist bump.

It was like watching a skit of “Who’s on First,” only Shannon was standing on second.

“This is a ridiculous conversation. There is nothing going on between Victor and me.” She looked at Victor for his agreement.

He stared at her.

“You were engaged six days ago.”

“That’s true.”

“I thought you were a complete asshole.”

Okay, what had she said to pull that cocky smirk from his lips?

“What?” she asked him.

“Thought? Past tense.”

She backed out. “I’d go back to thinking that if you were hitting on me six days out from a near-marriage breakup. I mean, c’mon. Corrie’s perfume still lingers in your hair.”

It seemed the whole table leaned forward to sniff Victor.

“I’ve showered,” he told them.

Erasmo laughed.

“Figuratively speaking!” These people were exhausting her.

Victor leaned back on his hands, amused with himself, the conversation.

She wanted to hit him.

“So what is the appropriate time frame for hitting on someone after a near-marriage breakup?” Victor asked.

“I have no idea. But it’s a hell of a lot longer than six days.” She glared at him.

“Three months,” Erasmo said.

“That’s about right. Otherwise it’s just a rebound thing, and those never have a chance.” Dylan and Erasmo were on the same page.

“A lot can change in three months,” Avery said, staring away from the table. “Three months ago I was getting married, and now I’m knocked up.”

Victor snapped his gaze toward Avery.

Dylan and Erasmo opened their mouths in awe.

Shannon smiled and shook her head.

“What?” Avery asked as if completely clueless to the bombshell she’d just revealed.

“You told everyone you’re pregnant,” Shannon told her.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Knocked up . . . pregnant. Same thing,” Dylan said, his gaze flickering to Victor.

“Might be. Maybe . . . oh, God.” Avery dropped her head in her arms.

Shannon looked over at Victor. “This is what denial looks like,” she told him.

“I take it you just found out,” Erasmo said.

With Avery at a loss for words, Shannon answered for her. “She pees on the stick in the morning.”

Avery gently hit her head against her folded arms.

“Can I say congratulations?” Victor asked Shannon.

Avery moaned.

Shannon laughed.

And the men lifted their glasses in a silent toast to the woman in denial.

Avery lifted her head long enough to glare. “I’m not the one with the biological clock ticking here—that’s you.”

Shannon offered a nervous glance toward Victor.

“If hormones are any indication, I’d say you can skip the pee stick in the morning,” Dylan said.

Avery must have caught on to what she was saying and backed up. “I’m a horrible friend. I’m sorry, Shannon. This week was supposed to be about you.”

Avery’s bombshell pulled the focus away from him and Shannon. Good thing, since he felt Shannon was pretty close to making an excuse to leave the table.

Their dinner was Mexico’s idea of barbeque, which meant open fire cooking of fresh fish and a big slab of beef. They had family-style service, with the table filled with sides and spices.

For the first time since Victor had met Shannon, she was silent and observant throughout the whole meal. Maybe she was pissed at her friend for pointing out his attraction, but he wanted to believe that it was her attraction to him that had Shannon miffed. He suspected that the biological clock comment was more to blame. Whatever it was, it kept her deep in her thoughts with only minimal comments about Avery’s pregnancy.

It was only when Avery started doubting her ability to be a parent that Shannon snapped out of her trance.

“I’m still a kid,” Avery started. “I can show my child how to skip school and spend their tuition on trips to places like this. How to sneak out of the house.”

“First of all, you’re not a kid, you’re thirty-three . . . didn’t we just talk about this?”

“Still a kid.”

Everyone denied Avery’s attachment to that argument.

“Second of all, you have so much more to teach your child than sneaking out of the house. If you have a girl, she’ll learn how to break a man’s arm before he can get to second base.”

Avery seemed to like that.

Shannon looked around the table. “Avery studies krav maga.”

“That explains the tattoo on your arm,” Erasmo said. The word warrior was illustrated with a small spider.

“You’re overprotective of those you love. You insisted on coming here this week for me.”

Avery nodded a few times. “That’s true.”

“You needed a bodyguard?” Victor asked.

“Not that, just . . .”

“Part of the girl code,” Avery continued for her. “We don’t go to clubs alone if we have a friend to come along. Keeps the creeps away or helps vet the guys you want to know.”

“So you were on the prowl this week?” Erasmo asked. “You should have told us, we could have helped.”

Victor didn’t think Shannon’s face could turn redder.

She started to shake her head.

Avery stopped her. “Girl, your face isn’t gonna lie for you.”

“Okay. Fine. I’m single. I’m allowed.”