I sip my coffee and stay silent.
“I’m like, let’s go! My friends are sailing around the Mediterranean then partying in Ibiza before going shopping in Paris and hitting a movie premiere in London,” she says. “As my mom said, I am a force of nature. Not everyone can keep up with me. Nor do they always want to.”
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
She gives me a wink. “No, you’re not. And that’s okay. We’re all adults here. I wish you and him all the best.”
“Thanks,” I say. Honestly, I’m a little surprised by her non-bitchy attitude. I don’t think I could be as cool after losing someone like Dean. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or sad for her.
“Time for me to go.” She rises and heads for her luggage. “When he gets out of the shower, tell him I said goodbye.”
“You don’t want to tell him yourself?”
Frankie shakes her head. “I hate this part. You do it for me.”
“Okay.”
“Your bangs are so cute. Not everyone can pull off that look.”
I lift a hand in farewell. “Thank you, Frankie. Bye.”
And the supermodel exits the building. Huh. This week is really not turning out anything like I thought it would. From the outset, it seemed quite boring and normal. But here we are. I put some Pop-Tarts in the toaster and take a breath.
Those kisses with Dean last night were lovely. And his offer to take me to see a band tonight was even lovelier. We spent an hour eating random foods from the fridge and pantry while talking about anything and everything. One of the finest hours I have spent with someone in recent memory.
“Is she gone?” asks the man in question, peeking around the door to the second bedroom.
“Yeah. She just left. She told me to tell you goodbye.”
He nods and steps into the living space.
“Any particular reason you were hiding around the corner?”
“I was just testing the waters. She hates goodbyes. They make her cry, and then her eye makeup gets messed up, and she hates that. But sometimes she changes her mind.”
“You know each other really well. She seems nice.”
“Mm. She is nice. And we know each other well enough to say that we don’t really work.” He’s dressed in black jeans and a matching Henley. “Everything okay with you?”
“Sure.”
“By that”—he grins—“I mean, have you changed your mind or are we still on for tonight?”
“No,” I say. “We’re still on for tonight. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“Nope,” he says, licking his lips and making my thighs clench. Without a doubt, he still has my hormones’ full and complete attention. This time, the smile he gives me is slow and intimate in the very best way. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too. All right then.” And there go my loins again. Yikes. I honestly don’t know if the way I react to him is due to my being so out of practice with this sort of thing or if he just generally gets to me like no other. “By the way, Frankie talked to me a little about you. How you two didn’t work out due to her active lifestyle. Just so you know.”
“She loves traveling and socializing. It’s her happy place.”
“Whereas I am the exact opposite and in dire need of getting a life.”
He cocks his head and says nothing.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to…”
“You didn’t mean to what?” he asks.
“I just wonder if you’re going to get bored hanging out with me.”
The smile he gives me is so warm, for want of a better word. “You’re not boring, Jude. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth, for one thing. It keeps me on my toes. But I’m also okay with not hitting three different parties a night, if you know what I mean.”
“I think I do.”
“Maybe you’ll be bored with me.” He winks.
“I doubt that.”
“One step at a time, yeah?” He slides his arms around my middle and pulls me in against him for a hug. “We’ll just see where this goes.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. Our bodies fit together so perfectly. It must be a good sign. I refuse to see it as anything less. “Okay.”
* * * *
When I open the door to the main house at eight a.m., it is to an unusual scene. Dave is holding Jamesy as Evelyn and Lena sit ready and waiting to rapid fire questions at me. About Dean. And Frankie. And everything. Whoa.
“How did your date go?” asks Ev.
Lena holds up a hand. “What was Frankie like? I would kill to photograph her. She has such a fresh take on a classic look. I would go introduce myself, but security said she already left. Did you even get to start on dinner before she showed up last night?”
From the cell sitting on the kitchen table comes Anne’s voice saying, “Did his ex ruin everything or not? Wait. No, Tommy. We don’t eat dog biscuits. Put that down. Hey. Come back here. Shit. I mean, shoot. Text me the tea, Ev. I’ve got to go.”
“You got it,” says Ev, ending the call.
What with me wanting to keep my job, I head over to Dave first and ask, “Would you like me to take the baby?”
“Sure,” he says, giving his son a kiss before he hands him over.
The strange thing is, even after giving me the child, David Ferris doesn’t leave for the studio and the day’s work. Hell no. He ties his long dark hair back in a ponytail and stands behind his wife, proceeding to massage her shoulders. Like a good partner. Then he tips his chin at me as if I should proceed with my debriefing of the previous night. While it’s one thing for me to indulge in a little girl talk, David and Dean have to work together. This is so weird. And some part of these feelings must show on my face.
“You know how smug married couples sometimes get bored and start setting up their friends?” asks Lena. “Meddling in their lives and generally making themselves unwelcome? This is what you’re experiencing right now.”
“It’s true.” Ev nods. “It was actually Dave’s idea to give you a gentle nudge in the direction of Dean.”
I am so surprised I don’t know what to say.
But Dave just shrugs. “You’re both great people. It just made sense. Though I also felt kind of bad for him after the way things went down with Lena and Jimmy.”
“That was years ago,” cries Lena. “And it’s not like I was mean to him or led him on or anything. At least, I didn’t mean to. Stop picking on me. It was complicated, Dave. Sheesh. Be the worst, why don’t you? Embrace that lifestyle.”
Dave just smiles.
“Huh. Okay. Guess it should be okay to share the basic details since everyone is already involved. To be honest, last night initially did not go well,” I say. “I still had trouble talking to him because I was so nervous and my brain kept stalling. The four-inch booties took some practice to walk in too. Then, when we were sitting down on the sofa eating, I fumbled my chop sticks and accidentally dropped a piece of sushi and stained the front of Anne’s silk shirt. Though I think I’ve got it out, thank goodness.”