"Why do you keep looking at your phone?"

Beth stopped reaching for the pocket of her apron and leaned across the table for her water bottle instead. "I'm not."

"Liar." Her best friend and coworker, Courtney Williams, smiled when she said it. There was no accusation in her quiet voice, just a hint of teasing. Beth still felt guilty though. Not because she had been caught trying to check her phone, but because she'd been checking it too often—doing exactly what she swore she wouldn't do.

Exactly what she promised herself she wouldn't do. She didn't want a relationship, especially not after her last disastrous one. But she'd had so much fun with Adam, feeling things she hadn't felt in...well, ever. Like she mattered, like he was putting her first.

Which was stupid. It was just sex. Purely sex. That was the whole purpose of the hook-up—to have anonymous sex without all the messy drama and emotion. Beth needed to keep reminding herself of that.

It should be easy enough. She hadn't seen Adam since their one night together. They had chatted a few times, very casually. He'd even mentioned the possibility of meeting again. Not for a date—Beth had a feeling that was as much against his rules as it was hers. If they saw each other again, it would be for nothing more than another hook-up. Sex. Pure and simple.

They were supposed to chat again this evening, and maybe even set something up for another hook-up. At least, that was the impression Beth got from their last chat. That's why she kept checking her phone. But so far, nothing.

And she couldn't tell Courtney any of that. Not because they were at work—they were both on break in the back room of the salon where they worked, waiting for their next appointments. They were like family, everyone that worked there, telling stories and sharing secrets all the time. That didn't matter—this was one secret Beth couldn't share, no matter where they were.

Courtney wouldn't understand, not if Beth told her she had met a complete stranger for the sole purpose of having sex. Courtney was a single mom of an adorable two-year-old boy, and she took her parenting responsibilities seriously. She didn't date, at all. She rarely went out, even for girls' night. Her whole life revolved around Noah. Beth admired her for it and knew it couldn't be easy, raising a young child at the age of twenty-one—especially a deaf child. Beth had no idea who Noah's father was or what had happened that he wasn't in the picture. Courtney stubbornly refused to talk about him, no matter how many times Beth asked—which she rarely did anymore. She couldn't bear to see the sadness that filled her friend's eyes whenever the subject came up. Did Courtney still love him? Probably—whoever the jerk was.

Just one more reason to stay away from relationships. They just weren't worth the potential heartache and drama. If Beth didn't like sex so much, she'd stay home, too, just like Courtney.

Which was why she'd finally decided to do the whole hook-up thing: all the benefits of sex without the messy relationship business.

Except here she was, waiting for a text from Adam in the hopes of getting together again.

"So are you going to tell me or not?" Courtney was still watching her, seeing too much with those sad brown eyes.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Hmm. Why don't I believe that?"

"No idea because it's the truth."

Courtney snorted, the delicate sound filled with disbelief. Then her eyes widened and she leaned forward, wrapping her hand around Beth's wrist. "Please tell me you're not back with Ed."

"Oh my God. No! Not even. I can't believe you'd even think that. I'm not that stupid."

Courtney blew out a sigh of relief and sat back in her chair. "Good. I was worried that you might have changed your mind. Again."

Beth frowned at her use of the word again. So maybe she had been stupid, getting back together with him a second time. But that had been nine months ago. She'd finally learned her lesson. "No. Never again. Two strikes and he's so out."

"It should have been one strike. Not even that. I never liked him." Courtney leaned forward, her gaze intense. "Or the way he treated you. He was so ignorant. And so...so—just ignorant. I hated him."

"But he was so good in bed." Beth had meant for the comment to be lighthearted and breezy, maybe even a little exaggerated. It went right over Courtney's head, though. Either that or her friend chose to ignore it.

"I don't care how good the sex was. That doesn't excuse the way he treated you."

"So says the woman who hasn't had sex in almost three years."

"There are more important things in life besides..." Courtney's voice trailed off and she looked away, a deep blush spreading across her face—probably because Beth was staring at her with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Please tell me you've at least—"

"I'm not talking about it."

Beth kept watching Courtney, wondering if she should push for an answer or not. Her friend wasn't a prude—not by a long shot. But she also wasn't as open about her private life as Beth was, at least not about the sex part. That didn't mean she hadn't had sex since Noah was born.

Or did it?

As much as Beth really wanted to know, she wouldn't push for a real answer. Not yet, anyway. Knowing her luck, pushing would only backfire on her and they'd end up talking about Beth's sex life. And she wasn't about to tell Courtney about the sexy firefighter she'd met for the sole purpose of having sex. Courtney would totally freak then probably give her a lecture.

No, Beth would wait and let Courtney save the lecture for another time, especially since it was looking more and more like her one night with Adam was just that: one night. And there was nothing wrong with that, not when that was the whole point of hooking up to begin with. Beth just needed to remember that.

Sex. It was nothing more than sex.

If she wanted more, all she had to do was go back into the chatroom and find someone else she could hook-up with. Not a big deal.

And she would. Soon.

Eventually.

"We should go out after work. Go see a movie or something." A movie would be the perfect thing to get her mind off sex. Off Adam. Off sex with Adam. But Courtney was shaking her head already.

"I need to get home. Mom is working until eleven and I don't want to leave Noah with the sitter longer than I have to."

"Oh. Sure, no problem. Maybe another night." Beth wasn't as successful at keeping the disappointment from her voice as she thought she was because Courtney gave her a sympathetic look. Then her eyes cleared and a small smile played on her lips.

"We could always have a movie night at my place. Pop some popcorn and eat ice cream. Not the same as going out but—"

"But better than going out. No crowds, right? Sounds like a plan."

"Perfect. What did you want to watch?"

"No idea. We'll find something, though." Beth pushed away from the table and grabbed her water then hesitated. "As long as it's not a romance. I'm so not in the mood for that."

Courtney laughed, the sound somehow strained. "Trust me, neither am I."

Beth was ready to ask why but Shelly poked her head in the back to let her know her next appointment was here. She nodded and took one last swallow of water before tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin. She'd have plenty of time tonight to find out why Courtney looked so glum.

And if she was too busy worrying about her friend, she wouldn't have time to mope around feeling sorry for herself because she hadn't heard from Adam.

And maybe, if she was lucky, she'd even be able to convince herself that she didn't want to see him again.