“Susan, you sound like my mother when she discovered I knew about the birds and the bees,” Julia said. “Maggie’s having safe sex. What’s wrong with that?”
“There are weird people online,” Susan said. “You’re having sex with one? I don’t believe it. You know nothing about him. How do you even know it’s a him? It could be a woman.”
“Or a horny underage teenager,” Christina added.
Maggie thought about Kinky Lover’s posts. “No,” she drawled. “I don’t think it’s an underage male. This man knows his way around a woman’s body. He knows what makes us tick.”
“He could be married,” Julia said.
“See,” Susan said with concern. “Even Julia agrees. There has to be something wrong with him if he has to have cybersex. What’s wrong with the real thing? Why can’t he find a date like most men do? Aw, hell, I don’t mean to sound critical. It’s a safety issue.”
“It’s not always so easy to meet people,” Maggie retorted. “I know. Heck, Susan. You know too. That’s why you’ve applied to a reality show.”
Susan nodded with a wry smile. “Touché.”
“We got in,” Christina said, bouncing up and down on her barstool.
Maggie noticed a new arrival. “Hold that thought,” she ordered, moving down the bar to serve the elderly couple.
When she returned, the three were in deep conversation. Maggie used the time to remove empty glasses and wipe down the bar. She chopped up a lemon and restocked the beer fridge.
“You can take a break now,” the head barman said.
“Is it okay if I sit with my friends while I’m on my break?”
“Sure. Don’t be late back.”
With a nod, she walked around the bar.
“Are you on a break?” Christina asked. “Or are you finished for the night?”
“I wish. My feet are sore from standing. No, it’s a break. I have another two hours for this shift.”
“Let’s sit over there at the table,” Susan said.
They moved over to the table, Maggie clearing it and taking the glasses to the bar before she rejoined her friends.
Susan stood and hugged her. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch about Connor. I have no excuses, but I’ll try not to repeat it ever again,” she whispered fiercely.
Christina embraced her, too, a tight squeeze that said more than words. Maggie blinked to control the surge of emotion gripping her chest. Pride said she should give them a tough time for their behavior, but the truth—she was just glad they were speaking again.
“Don’t look at me,” Julia said with a wink. “I don’t want to hug you and spread rumors about our hot lesbian affair.”
Maggie laughed and pulled out a chair. “So tell me about the reality show,” she said. “What happens next? Do you get filmed the entire time?”
“Christina and I have to go to another elimination round in two months. We get to meet the farmers. From what they said, they allocate each farmer with a group of women. We get to talk to him together as a group and alone. The farmer whittles us down to his chosen eight.”
“Sounds scary,” Maggie said. “What are you wearing?”
“We can talk about that later,” Julia said. “I want to hear about the cybersex. Where does this guy live? How do you even know this guy is from New Zealand?”
“That’s true,” Susan said. “You don’t know anything about this guy.”
Christina smirked. “Apart from the fact he’s good at sex.”
“Yeah, well,” Julia said. “You don’t even know that. He might talk the walk, but can he walk the talk?”
“Huh?” Susan said. “What does that mean?”
