Where We Meet Again, стр. 47
“Yep. Don’t worry, I’m just tired.”
One hand leaves the counter to scrub the back of his neck. “You want some company?”
Is he asking what I think he is?
The question must show on my face, because his blanches in response. He waves both his palms at me. “No, that’s not what I meant. Just friendly company. Nothing more.”
To save him from himself, I throw him a lifeline. “Company would be nice. But if you turn on the TV, you better keep the volume down. I want to sleep.”
He catches up to me and nudges my shoulder. “Then I won’t be able to hear over your snoring.”
“I do not snore.”
His teeth sink into his lower lip, and his eyebrows raise. “You do. You snore like a lion with a sore throat.”
“Keep it up, and I won’t let you watch TV at all. And I’ll eat that piece of cherry pie you left in the fridge.”
“Okay, okay, truce. Just don’t hurt the pie.”
“You’re a dork.” I slip off my radio and curl into the couch cushion. Nathan sits in the leather recliner by my head.
“You’re adorable.”
I huff but don’t argue. The last thing I need tonight is another conversation about the non-relationship between the two of us. A nap is on the agenda.
While Nathan watches TV, I do just that.
Luck is on my side; the night is slow. I catch up on sleep and somehow keep Law from appearing in my dreams.
* * *
“I have to know the details. How have you been holding out on me for so long?”
“I haven’t been. We’ve both been busy.”
Kiersten glares at me over the rim of her wineglass. She swirls the dry red before draining it. “That’s crap and you know it.”
I slide the bottle toward her with the side of my arm since my fingers look like chocolate drizzled pretzels. “You’re wrong. The only reason it feels like I’ve been holding out is–ˮ
“Because you have been!
“Is because I have something interesting happening in my life and you’re impatient, is what I was going to say,” I grumble, pulling another piece of wax paper toward me.
Kiersten watches the excess chocolate drip from the peanut butter Ritz sandwich she’s dipping. “That may be true, however, it doesn’t excuse the fact you didn’t tell me right away, busy or not. You could have called me. I would have driven through a freakin’ blizzard to hear you spill the deets on sex with that hottie.”
Chocolate splatters on my cheeks. The cookie I dipped slips back into the bowl.
“Are you a teenager? I swear, you’re a teenager.”
“Why?”
“Because who talks like that? Please stop before you refer to him as sex-on-a-stick.”
“I was going to say I wouldn’t mind a good jean-jerking with him.”
“You’re outrageous. What the hell is jean-jerking?”
“Oh, my dear sweet Cami. Your innocence astounds me.”
A chocolate-covered fork flies in her direction. “Drink your damn wine.”
“Jean-jerking is like dry humping.”
“So why not just say dry humping?” I lick the red wine from my lips. “Ugh. I don’t know why I’m even participating in this conversation.”
“This is why I wish you’d go on more dates. You get so flustered over the smallest sex talk.”
“I do not.” I mumble around the rim of my glass.
The oven alarm sounds, saving me from this conversation. The first batch of sugar cookies is done. I swap them out for the raw dough and place the cookie sheet on the stove grates to cool.
Kiersten and I are having our annual Christmas cookie bake-a-thon. Really, it’s an excuse to drink wine and unwind. We started the tradition when Evelyn was five and I hadn’t had a single day without her since she was born.
I worked so much that I felt guilty getting a babysitter, and even if I found someone to watch her, I didn’t have friends to hang out with. Once Kiersten entered my life, she took pity on my lack of social life and found me some kid-free time.
That morphed into her becoming Aunt Kiersten, and she took Evelyn off my hands whenever I needed a break. I owe so much of my sanity to her, but I mostly just pay her in free alcohol.
“You do.” She picks up the conversation where I hoped it stayed dropped. “Which I get. It’d be nice to see you try, though. You’re wasting a beautiful person on a life of loneliness.”
“I’m going to try.” I keep my eyes trained on the sugar cookies I transfer to the cooling rack.
“Wait, what?”
I shrug. “I said I’d try. This thing with Law is whatever the hell it is. Only time will tell. On the chance it doesn’t amount to anything, I’m going to remain open to dating. I won’t shut down and self-destruct.”
Kiersten squeals. “Oh, I can’t freakin’ wait to hear all your dating adventures. I’m open to hanging with Evelyn whenever you want to go out. Except, of course, if I have a date.”
“Which is basically every weekend.”
We grin at one another.
“Are you really happy, though? If things with Law don’t develop any further.”
“I’m about ready to kiss that possibility goodbye. I saw him around town with a woman in his truck. We haven’t talked in a while. We had this amazing, mind blowing sex and then… nothing. Not even a text.” The oven timer beeps again, so I move in that direction. “Seeing him again has been good, though. There’s some closure. And I am happy.”
She eyes me skeptically and pops a chocolate-covered pretzel into her mouth.
“I am. My life here with Evelyn… It’s more than I could have ever dreamed it’d be. What’s there to not be happy about?” I choose a white chocolate dipped pirouette cookie and bite off the end.
“You deserve to have it all,” she says soberly.
“With you and Ev, I already feel like I do.”
“Okay, enough of the sappy. More wine!” Kiersten declares, topping off both of our glasses.
I wash down the cookie I just devoured and set my glass down on the counter.
“Just so you know…” Kiersten starts. I lift my eyes to