Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“This is delicious,” I said, scooping up a meaty marinara bite.
“Thanks. It’s my specialty. I have a few things I cook well, and this is one of them. After that, I barbecue—chicken, shrimp, beef, salmon with a veg or a salad and I’m set. How about you? Do you cook?” he asked in a mad rush.
“Yes. I had to learn for Jake’s sake. And mine. There’s only so much boxed mac and cheese a person should consume in a lifetime, and I’d reached my limit when he was a toddler.”
Smitty hummed. “Did you teach yourself?”
“Yeah, I cut out recipes and followed directions. Nothing overly ambitious. Piper helped out in the beginning too. She’d send us off with Tupperware containers of premade meals and instructions, but I clued in pretty quickly that she was enabling my ineptitude. I didn’t want my ex-wife taking care of me. And…I didn’t want to give anyone ammo to say I wasn’t fit to parent my child.” My cheeks heated instantly.
Whoa. That was TMI. I reached for my wineglass and twisted toward the adjoining living area furnished with a flat-screen and a huge beanbag chair. He’d already mentioned that Court and Ivan were going to lend him their old sofa, but furniture was a safe, neutral topic, right?
“Piper.” He took a big bite, regarding me thoughtfully as he chewed. “It seems like her name comes up whenever yours does. At least among older folks.”
My smile felt brittle. “We’ve been divorced for over sixteen years, and Piper’s been remarried for ten. It’s just small-town association, I guess.”
“I’m surprised I haven’t run into her yet.”
“She travels a lot. Her husband retired a year ago. They built a mini mansion in Pinecrest, much to Elmwood’s chagrin, but spend half the year on cruises and private tours of exclusive destinations.”
Smitty pulled a face. “Jealous?”
“No, no. I’m happy for them. Piper and I are good friends. And Eric is a nice guy. We’ve celebrated holidays together for years. It started as an awkward attempt at making the divorce palatable for a five-year-old, but somewhere along the line, it became something we all enjoyed. I honestly miss Piper when I don’t see her for months on end. I think they’re in Brazil now, but I can’t recall.” I shrugged. “I’ll see her more often once hockey season starts.”
“That’s cool. And very…civilized,” he commented.
“How about you? Are you on good terms with your ex?”
The question was asked in the spirit of deflection. I didn’t like talking about my divorce, but I didn’t mind commiserating over someone else’s. The tic on the side of his jaw indicated that it wasn’t Smitty’s favorite topic either.
“We’re fine,” he replied. “We don’t see each other often, and that’s probably a good thing. But we share close mutual friends, and every once in a while, we end up in the same room acting like strangers. It’s fucking weird.”
“Imagine how much weirder it would be if you had kids to worry about too.”
The tic was a full jaw clench now. I had a feeling I’d stepped into a minefield. Yep…I should definitely ask about that sofa. I pointed at the living room, but he was talking now.
“If we’d had kids, we’d still be married,” he said softly, eyes fixed on something over my shoulder.
“Oh. Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
Smitty waved aside my apologies with the flick of his wrist. “I know. Don’t worry about it. Our marriage lasted five years. The first two were great, the third year was fine, but everything after…sucked. It wasn’t that we fell out of love—at least not right away, it was more like…we came into the marriage with expectations that couldn’t be fulfilled. For me, that was worse.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
He shook his head. “No. Good thing, since she’s remarried and expecting her first baby soon.”
“Oh.”
“Yup. Oh.” He slugged back the last of his wine, gathering our bowls as he stood and moved into the kitchen. He turned to me with a sardonic laugh. “Sorry. I swear I used to be fun. Nothing says buzzkill quite like talking about your ex.”
“I think I’m responsible for that. Although you did ask about Piper, so…”
Smitty’s smile lit his eyes this time. “So it really was my fault. Geez, I gotta work on my sexy game. I’ll never get you naked again at this rate.”
I burst out laughing and met him at the sink. “I thought we agreed—”
“That I should try harder? Done.”
He bent slightly, brushing my nose, breathing in as I breathed out. I closed my eyes and curled my fingers in his hair. His hand drifted to my waist and his lips parted before slanting over mine. And oh, my God…this was what I’d been craving for months. No, for years.
The kiss was sweet, almost tender—soft lips and a gentle glide of tongues. It was tentative yet unafraid. There was untapped power here, so much need and desire. We didn’t push it, we didn’t rush it, but we didn’t hold back. The taste of him, the smell of him, the feel of his strong arms and firm body…had I honestly thought I could convince myself I didn’t want this again?