“Oh no,” Milo said. “I’m not through with you yet.”
“That’s whathesaid on Saturday morning,” Van said. I could tell she wasn’t acting flippant either.
“What started out as one night turned into two?” I asked.
“Twogloriousnights and one long Sunday afternoon. I didn’t drag myself home until after six o’clock last night.”
“I’m surprised you’re able to stand,” Milo remarked. Okay, there were other times I wanted to smack him. “Maybe he wasn’t as good in bed as you think he was.”
“Oh, yes, he was,” Van said then sighed. “Bed, couch, elevator, shower, kitchen island, and up against the glass wall of windows overlooking the river while the fireworks exploded over Great American Ballpark.”
“Wow,” Milo said. “How the hell are you walking?”
“Women self-lubricate, darling,” Vanessa said, crossing the room to pat his cheek.
“He liked more about you than your self-lubricating vag if he kept you around all weekend long,” Milo replied nonplussed. “There must’ve been eating…food…and talking in between bouts of sex.”
“Yes,” Vanessa said softly. “I had an amazing weekend, but nothing changed. He kissed me long and tenderly like he hated for me to leave, but in the end, he walked me to the door, held it open for me, and told me it was lovely meeting me.” I hated the sadness I detected in her voice, but I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t want either of us to make a fuss.
“You haven’t heard the last of him, Van.” I could see in her eyes how much she wanted to believe Milo’s bold prediction. “I just know it.”
“Thanks, Milo.” She kissed his cheek then pulled me into a hug. Vanessa held on tight like she needed the support from me that I almost withheld based on her usual preferences.
“I know amazing things await you, Van,” I whispered. I would accept nothing else.
Vanessa chuckled then pulled back. “I had no intention of talking about my wild weekend. I came here to talk about theParanormal Whispererarriving in town but got waylaid by the orgasm whisperer instead,” she said, nodding toward Milo.
“Yeah, my O-meter gets tripped a lot,” Milo said, tipping his head toward me. Like Vanessa, I wasn’t ashamed of my desire to fuck and fuck often, so I ignored him.
“There’s not much to tell at this point, Van. Lyric’s here by himself on his own time and dime because the Bliss House mystery appeals to him as much as it does me, and he’s not certain the network will air the show. He’s doing research this afternoon at the library and talking to Homer at the historical society.”
“When will he get started?”
“Tonight,” I replied. “Lyric and Memphis are bringing over dinner from the diner then they’ll start the investigation.”
“They? I thought you said he was working solo.”
“I volunteered Memphis to help him,” Milo boasted. “It was just a gentle push, and now, I’ll leave the rest up to them.”
“Uh huh,” Vanessa said with a knowing smirk. “You mean Memphis told you to butt out.”
“He might’ve insinuated he didn’t want me to meddle any longer.”
Vanessa tilted her head back and laughed heartily. “Insinuated, huh?”
“You can go on your merry way now thatyouknow what’s up withusandwe,” he gestured between himself and me, “knowyouwent down a bunch this weekend.”
“Guilty as charged, but I wasn’t the only one,” Vanessa said with a wink. “Text me later and let me know how the investigation went. Maybe Anthony will sense their stubborn hearts and lock them up in the attic,” Vanessa said, getting the last dig since that’s exactly what happened to Milo and Andy.
Vanessa kissed us both on the cheek and left with a cutesy finger wave and swaying hips, and I headed back to Curious Things when it appeared the afternoon rush had settled down at the coffee shop and bookstore. Bonnie was still floating on cloud nine when I walked through the door between our businesses. She was a huge fan of Lyric’s show and couldn’t believe he was in town to investigate.
“I hope I didn’t act like a nutty superfan when Lyric was here earlier.”
“You didn’t, Bonnie. You were full of helpful information, and you made him feel welcome. I appreciate it.”
“It’s my pleasure. Do you need me to stick around a little longer?”
I looked down at my watch and saw it was almost three o’clock which was her normal time to leave. “Heavens no. I’ll be just fine. I know your Monday afternoons are busy with taking Jessie and Tyler to gymnastics and dance lessons. I wouldn’t dream of interrupting your time with them.” One of the things I loved most about Bonnie was her devotion to her grandchildren. I knew my mom would be the same way when Milo and I made her a grandmother. “I’ll hire another part-time employee if things get too hectic for me to keep up with in the afternoons or when my days off create too much work for you.”
