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they will be." Miranda pointed at the far end of the bar. "Take a look. Have you ever seen anything so sickening in all your life?"
    Ashlin glanced over in time to see Zane say something very dirty if Chantal's shocked yet mischievous expression was any indication. Closely followed by a lip lock that would need a crowbar to pry them apart.
    "They barely know each other." A fact that surprised Ashlin on a daily basis since the hunky Aussie had bowled into town.
    In all the years she'd known Chantal, she'd never seen the bold blonde as anything other than a man-eater. A woman so confident she could make a guy wither with a single glance. Chantal rarely dated so the fact she'd fallen hard for the Aussie in a month made Ashlin wonder if she should buy ice skates for the newly frozen Hades.
    "When you connect on that level, what's to know?" Miranda's wistful sigh drew Ashlin's attention away from the happy couple. "I'd love to find a guy who looks at me the way Zane looks at her."
    Surprised by the sudden sadness down-turning her friend's mouth, Ashlin slipped her arm around Miranda's shoulders and hugged. "You will."
    "I'm starting to seriously doubt it." Miranda rested her head on Ashlin's shoulder a moment before straightening. "Mamma's been planning a big Italian wedding for as long as I can remember and the fact I'm turning thirty soon means the pressure is sky-high."
    "She wants grandkids, huh?"
    Miranda screwed up her nose. "You'd think having my three older sisters produce ten kids between them would be enough?" She shook her head. " Nooooo …apparently I'm neglecting my duty as a good Italian girl to find a good husband, make a good home and produce a brood of good kids."
    Ashlin laughed at Miranda's faux Italian accent. "Here's a tip for you, babe. Hanging around Chantal's cocktail parties won't help you find a guy, considering the dancers are all female."
    Miranda's gaze drifted to the door again. "Steele Harrison looked the part but what a jerk."
    "What happened?"
    "He gave me crap about my necklace so I trod on his toes."
    Ashlin glanced down at Miranda's signature stilettos. "With those?"
    She had the grace to blush. "Yeah. Must've hurt."
    "Remind me never to comment on your jewelry."
    Miranda fingered the wooden beaded and feathered string hanging around her neck. "This stuff promotes my business so what would Mr. High-and-Mighty know about it?"
    Ashlin tended to agree with Steele about the ugliness of Miranda's necklace but she would never tell her friend that. "What did he say?"
    "Made some wisecrack about being allergic to birds so I shouldn't wear a menagerie around my neck." Miranda's quick look-away suggested there was more behind this story.
    "Why would he have a dig at you for no reason?"
    "Well…" Miranda’s faux innocence wasn’t convincing. "I may have bailed him up and said our cocktail parties are private, and not open to every sleazy troll who wanders back here from the showroom."
    Ashlin let out a whoop of laughter. "You thought he was a peep from the audience?"
    Miranda nodded. "Guess he didn't take too kindly to being mistaken for a patron." She chuckled. “Or being called a sleazy troll.”
    "And then you stomped on him and called him an uptight prick?" Ashlin couldn't contain her giggles. "Even though he's cute, perhaps you should set your sights elsewhere."
    "I'm not setting my sights on anyone." Miranda folded her arms and pouted. "Besides, you looked cozy with Wyatt when my battle with Steele ended."
    "He's nice enough." And not interested in me, just the way I like it .
    "You know he's shy and you'll have to put the moves on him?"
    Which is exactly why she'd done it. Knowing Wyatt wouldn't reciprocate meant she’d done her duty in the dating stakes for another few weeks. The part where she felt oddly rejected when he walked away? She hadn't counted on that.
    "I tried."
    Miranda wolf-whistled. "And? When are you two going out?"
    "We're not."
    "Why?"
    "He said no."
    Miranda's eyes widened.