Shelby Nichols Consulting

This afternoon, I had a special lunch with some of my closest girlfriends. We’re all the same age, and we were getting together to celebrate our birthdays for the year. Most of them knew that I got my PI license, and that I’ve worked for the police as well as having clients of my own. But they don’t know that I can read minds. It always makes our get-togethers more interesting for me, but I’m sure they’d hate it if they knew I could hear their thoughts.

Still… I always try to keep my shields up around them, since I’d rather not know their secrets. Besides, most women feel free to share their opinions on just about anything, whether you want to hear it or not.

We always go around the table to tell any news about our families… mostly the accomplishments of our husbands and children, along with all the amazing vacations we’d been on, or were planning. It’s not my favorite part of getting together, because seriously…most days we’re all just doing our best to survive, and I don’t want to hear about their kids sports medals, or how they aced an exam.

Of course, when it comes to me, it’s a little different. They’re usually interested in the types of cases I’ve been working on, and they love the stories of my mishaps… like the one I just told them about getting skunked. Most of the time, they like to hear my stories, but this time, I picked up a hefty dose of skepticism.

That’s when I heard that most of them thought I exaggerated and embellished everything I said. They figured I lied about my experiences because it didn’t make sense that all these things could really happen to one person. It usually didn’t bother me, but this time it hurt my feelings, since they basically thought I was a big liar.

Because of that, I ended my story about getting skunked pretty quick, leaving out all the fun parts about seeing Ramos take off his shirt. I mentioned that he was there, but that was as far as I got before someone else stole the spotlight. A couple of them secretly rolled their eyes and thought no one could ever be as hot as I claimed he was. It kind of bummed me out.

Since I was a bit depressed about the whole thing, it came as a surprise to get a text from Ramos. He said that Uncle Joey needed me to come to his office right away, and wondered if that would work. I responded that I was at lunch with my friends, but I’d happily leave early if he’d come and get me on his bike.

He didn’t respond right away. Then his text came back, saying, Is this for your benefit, or your friend’s benefit? I answered truthfully with a Yes to both. It took another minute before he answered that one, but all he wanted to know was the name and address of the restaurant.

With joy in my heart, I gave him the information. Of course that meant I had to leave my car there, but do you think I cared? He could always bring me back when I was done, right?

I broke it to my friends that I was needed at work, and would have to leave early. They seemed sad enough until I told them that Ramos was coming on his bike to pick me up. I picked up a lot of excitement from them to see if my claims that he was the hottest man on earth were true, although a couple of them asked why I couldn’t just drive my car.

They got shushed pretty quick when the others said they couldn’t wait to see the mystery man that was in so many of my stories. They were also thinking that all my lies about how handsome he was would finally be put to rest, because no one could look that good.

Our table was next to the window, giving them all a perfect view of the street, and I hid a smile. Secretly, I couldn’t wait to see their faces when he pulled up. Hearing the familiar rumble of Ramos’s motorcycle brought a rush of butterflies to my stomach.

As Ramos pulled into a spot right in front of the window, everyone turned to watch him. The girls in the back even stood up to get a better look. Ramos took off his helmet, and brushed his fingers through his hair, and every single one of the women sighed. It was epic.

“Well… I gotta go. See ya next time.”

With their eyes glued to the vision on the other side of the glass, not one of them looked my way. I hurried out to the bike and grinned at Ramos. Still seated on his bike, he raised a brow. “Well… how did I do?”

My smile widened. “Most excellent. Now they believe me.”

He shook his head. “That’s nice. But just so you know, I’m adding this to my tab.”

My brows drew together. “Oh come on… you’re enjoying this too, aren’t you?”

His lips twisted. “I’m used to it… but I could report you to human resources for this.”

I rolled my eyes. “What? Do we even have an HR department?”

He sent me that lop-sided grin of his that always turned my insides to mush, and shook his head. “Why don’t you get on before those ladies in there start drooling.”

I glanced at the restaurant and noticed them all standing at the window. A couple of them even had their hands pressed against the glass. I sent them a quick wave before tugging on my helmet, and settling in behind Ramos on the bike.

Knowing my friends watched while I put my arms around Ramos gave me the biggest thrill I’d had in a long time. As he drove off, my grin didn’t fade, even after Uncle Joey asked me to figure out who had broken into his safe. I knew I could figure it out, and, deep down, I was even grateful they’d done it.

That was probably not nice of me, but what can I say? All’s well that ends well, right?

Until next time!

~Shelby