Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
We sat in silence for a moment, then she tilted her face toward mine, a smile on her lips. “Did you really think I wouldn’t see through that whole ‘returning your containers’ thing?”
I grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess that was sort of transparent.”
“It was totally transparent. If I hadn’t been so upset with you, I would have laughed.”
I brushed the hair back from her face. “You know I’m probably still going to fuck up from time to time. Say stupid shit. Act like a dick. Try to push you away.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Don’t let me.” I held her closer, pressed my lips to her forehead. “Don’t let me.”
Thirteen
Emme
Four days later I met my sisters for Sunday brunch at PARC in Campus Martius downtown.
“Good morning,” I chirped as I slid onto the booth along the wall next to Stella. Across the table, Maren gave me a smile.
“Morning,” she said. “You look nice. Is that a new blouse?”
“Thanks. It is new, actually.” Nate had bought it for me yesterday during our shopping excursion at Partridge Creek. His mother had canceled their planned visit last minute, something about not feeling up to having guests, and even though he’d pretended not to be upset about it, I could tell that he was. I suggested the afternoon shopping trip as a way to get him and Paisley out of the apartment and into the sunshine. It had been a gorgeous couple of days—warm and sunny, temperatures in the mid sixties even though the official start of spring was still a few days away.
“It’s really pretty,” said Stella. “You don’t normally wear a lot of patterns.”
The blouse was floral patterned silk chiffon, a rose print on a sheer white background. Very springy and romantic. I lifted my shoulders. “Guess I’m branching out a little bit. Changing up my style.”
“It’s more than the blouse.” Maren was studying me with a sister’s critical eye. “There’s something different about you. You’re glowing.”
“Am I?” I pretended to study the menu.
Stella leaned around me, trying to get a better look at my face. “Yes. What’s going on with you?”
“Let me get something to drink and I’ll tell you.” I signaled a server and put in an order for a glass of champagne.
“Ooh, that sounds good. I’ll join you,” said Maren.
“Me too,” said Stella.
While we waited for our drinks, I looked at the menu for real. I had never been here before, but everything sounded scrumptious. Or maybe it was just my good mood.
The server returned after a minute with our glasses of bubbly, promising to come back shortly to take our order.
“Okay, spill,” Stella said as soon as we were alone again.
“Yes. Why are you glowing?” Maren asked.
“First, a toast. To spring!” I raised my glass. “A time of rebirth and awakening.”
They exchanged a look as we clinked. “She’s having sex with someone,” said Stella.
“Good sex,” added Maren.
I leaned forward dramatically. “Amazing sex,” I clarified. “Four nights of the most amazing sex you can possibly imagine.”
Maren groaned with envy. “Nate?”
“Yes.” I took a sip of my champagne—it was delicious, possibly the best thing I had ever tasted.
“So tell us what happened,” said Stella, shifting impatiently next to me in the booth. “When we saw you last Sunday, you were all we’re just friends about it.”
I laughed. “Well, that was true, but then I went over there later that night.”
Maren was on the edge of her seat. “And?”
“And things got unexpectedly and very decidedly more than friendly.” I leaned even closer to them and whispered. “I had two.”
“Two?” Stella questioned, like she didn’t quite believe it.
“Two.”
“I’ve heard that’s possible, but no one I know has ever verified it,” Maren said.
I took another sip, delighted with the way the bubbles danced on my tongue. “Consider it verified.”
“How did you even manage it with the baby and all?” Stella wondered.
“We were on the couch that time, and she was sleeping upstairs. I don’t know how we didn’t wake her up, but thankfully we didn’t.”
The server came back over, and we put in our orders—Stella went for shrimp and polenta, Maren ordered the omelette, and I chose the cinnamon roll bread pudding. I didn’t even feel guilty about it. I’d worked out four times this week, and besides, I figured Nate and I were burning at least a couple hundred calories a night.
“Okay, keep going,” Maren prodded.
“Okay, so after that first time, he got a little weird. I mean, not that night—that night he was fine and when I left, everything felt good between us. He basically admitted he felt something for me, but he’s got this thing about needing people. He doesn’t want to need anybody, and he doesn’t want anybody to need him. I babysat for him the following morning, and I could tell something was wrong. He was kind of aloof and indifferent.”
“Did you ask him why?” Stella looked curious.