“He does, doesn’t he? Tell me—how long?”
“I’m not answering that,” I say while laughing.
“Oh shit, so he’s small.”
“No. Definitely not,” I protest.
She’s the one laughing now.
I see what she did. “You areterrible.”
“But it worked. And I’ve had you laughing most of the conversation,” she says, the smile evident.
“Thank you. You’re the best. What’s insane is that right after telling him we’re only going to be friends, I agreed to go test food with him at this restaurant they’re invested in. I’m such an idiot. I just said no to sleeping with him, and now I’m dangling the cookie right in front of me. The problem is, I like being around him too much to resist.”
But if I open the door too wide, it’s a slippery slope from there. My heart keeps growing each time we’re together, while my head tries to wrap it in bungees to stop it. And if Eli starts falling again, we’ll bothbe worse off than before by the time I leave. If only my head weren’t at war with my heart when it comes to that man.
“I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and say you like more than just Eli’s dick.”
I can’t help laughing again. “Is that your word of the day or something?”
“How’d you guess?”
“You’re insane. Anyway, I’ve decided I’m putting more distance between us and avoiding him better than I have been if I want any chance of making it through the rest of the time here.”
“Could you be overthinking the whole thing? It’s not like sleeping with him will change the fact that you live fifteen hundred miles away.”
“Not helpful, Poppy.”
“Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. I could support you in your decision to remain celibate, or I can encourage you to indulge in some big dick instead.”
“I’m hanging up now, you brat. Thanks for listening and making me laugh. I miss you.”
“I miss you more. Bye, Cici.”
“Bye.”
Hanging up the phone, I check for Lily’s response about dinner tonight and am relieved to see she’s in. Work will keep me busy the rest of the day, and then I’ll need something to keep my mind off all this, and wedding talk is the perfect distraction. Thank goodness for Poppy. That was exactly what I needed to unload before seeing Lily and spewing it all to her. It makes no sense to tell her about Eli and me at this point when (a) what happened between us was so long ago and (b) we won’t go down that road again.
Rebecca must hear the silence in my office and know I’m off the phone because a light knock sounds before she pops in. “Okay, I have to ask. Who was that guy? Is he your boyfriend?” She’s practically swooning.
Oh boy, Eli must’ve used the Dubree charm when he came to surprise me, and I can’t help but smile at the thought.
“That’s Eli Dubree, and we’re not dating. He’s Jackson’s friend and Lily’s fiancé’s brother. He just came to check up on me.”
“All right. Is he single, and can you make an introduction?” Rebecca’s practically panting as she asks.
I’m not smiling anymore. “He’s not really someone you can set up. He’s more of a hookup kind of guy.”
“I’m way okay with that. He is one fine specimen of a man. I’m sure one time would be worth it.”
“Maybe… if you don’t mind STDs. He’s a man whore, so you might end up with more than you bargained for. Trust me—not worth it. You’re too good for him, Rebecca.” I’m impressed at how convincing I sound and hope it does the job.
“Shoot. Never mind, then. Darn it. You don’t see single men like that every day, that’s for sure. Sorry, I’ll let you get back to work.” She starts for the door but stops abruptly and turns back. “Before I forget to ask, did you want me to come for Cindy’s first day back and walk her through everything she’s missed? Six months is a long time to be gone. I’d be happy to come in outside of the agency.”
Ugh. She really is sweet. Now I feel guilty for scaring her away from Eli. Just because I can’t have him doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve someone like Rebecca. I’ll reconsider fixing her up, but not until I’m gone.
“That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ll go through things with her and make sure we’re on the same page. It would be helpful if you’d type up a list of transactions you’ve been working on and their status, along with a list of any nuances she should be aware of for the newly acquired properties. Also, could you request a report from HR of all new hires since she’s been away and make notes about anyone you deal with regularly? That way, Jackson will be as up to speed as Cindy when he returns next month.”
