At least then he wouldn’t do anything stupid tonight.

13

Holly had dropped him off at the Dune Bar and then left to drive to the Sinclairs’ house. Paul watched as his Porsche disappeared in the distance, before he opened the door to the bar and entered the dim interior.

It was a typical local dive. He’d come here since he was barely old enough to drink, happy about the fact that at this bar a man would be left alone if he preferred solitude and would have company if he sought company.

He glanced down the long bar and Zach waved at him. Next to him Jay downed the rest of his bourbon. As a Southerner, he insisted on drinking bourbon instead of whiskey.

Paul was glad that his two friends—and fellow members of the Eternal Bachelors Club—had nothing better to do tonight than hang out with him. Jay had just bought a house in Montauk which was under renovation. And Zach was working out of his beach house while his condo in New York was being repainted.

“Hey Zach, Jay,” he greeted them, and took the empty barstool next to Zach.

“Paul, great to see you!” Zach responded.

“I’ll have another bourbon, and a drink for my friend,” Jay said to the bartender, then turned to Paul. “What are you having, Paul?”

Paul nodded to Steve, the guy behind the bar. “A pilsner on tap, thanks, Steve.”

“So you finally came, huh?” Zach asked.

“Finally?”

“Yeah, I ran into your mother the other day down at the general store. She was complaining about you spending too much time in New York and not visiting often enough.”

Paul rolled his eyes and took the beer Steve set in front of him. “I hope you didn’t take her side.”

Zach laughed. “I know how to handle mothers. Trust me on that.” He lifted his beer glass and clinked it against Paul’s. “Cheers.”

“Wait a sec!” Jay motioned to the bartender. A moment later, he had his bourbon in hand. “Now I’m ready.”

They toasted each other, then drank.

Paul liked the feel of the slightly bitter liquid as it ran down his parched throat, cooling his body from the inside. Being around Holly had made his body temperature rise to an uncomfortable degree.

“Ahh, I needed that,” he commented as he set his half-empty glass on the worn bar. “Steve, start working on another one of these.”

Steve acknowledged his request with a nod.

“How long are you staying?” Jay asked.

“Just for a week. I don’t think I can stomach it any longer than that. Particularly with that big party my parents have planned. Did you guys get invitations?”

Both his friends nodded. “I believe everybody in the Hamptons got invitations,” Zach said.

Jay nudged him in the side. “You mean everybody with money.”

Zach laughed. “That goes without saying.” Then he shot an apologetic look in Paul’s direction. “Hey, sorry, man, but you know as well as I do that your mother’s invitations are prioritized by net worth. No offense.”

Paul shrugged and downed the remainder of his beer just as Steve placed another full glass in front of him. “You couldn’t offend me if you tried.”

“Did you hear that, Jay? Looks like I’m going to have to try harder.” Jay and Zach exchanged a laugh, and Paul joined in.

“Are you guys coming to the anniversary party?” Paul asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jay claimed, “even though your mother has a knack for inviting the most boring single women—though they are pretty.”

“In most cases,” Zach qualified. “At the last party your mother held, there were a few duds.”

“I’m sure they made up for it by being extremely rich and well educated,” Paul added.

Jay leaned closer and dropped his voice. “Yeah, but would you rather fuck a gorgeous woman or a rich and well educated one?”

“One doesn’t have to preclude the other,” Zach said, grinning. “Besides, you can always turn off the lights.”

Jay turned to Zach. “Now, I know you don’t mean that. And the reason I know that is because you, my dear friend, never settle for anything less than perfect. So why should the rest of us?”

Paul shook his head. It was true. He’d never seen Zach with a woman who wasn’t stunningly beautiful, which made it even more surprising that Zach was still unattached. He had everything a woman could wish for: wealth, good looks, breeding, and charm.

“Back me up, Paul!” Jay added.