ROBERT POV
The second Pauline's lips brushed my cheek, I saw the moment Jessie’s brain short-circuited.
Not that it was doing much heavy lifting to begin with.
He blinked. Once. Twice. Like if he stared hard enough, the image would correct itself and we’d morph back into whatever safe, non-threatening version of reality he had in mind. Maybe a pair of stray cats Pauline was feeding. Or ghosts. Ghosts were less disturbing to his fragile ego than the truth.
But no. She kissed Rett. She kissed me.
And then, oh moon bless us, Jessie opened his mouth.
“Why the hell are you kissing strangers on the cheek?”
Pauline turned halfway, still crouched between us, a polite smile pinned to her lips like a hostess trying not to get someone banned from Applebee’s.
“They’re not strangers,” she said,
