Loren narrows her dark eyes at me. “I always assumed you thought you were too cool for the rest of us.” Then she pops a potato chip into her mouth and lifts a shoulder. “You kinda are, though.”
I snort. “Bitchy doesn’t equate to cool.”
“You’re bitchy? I never noticed. Guess I haven’t spent enough time around you to tell,” Loren continues with a satisfied smirk.
“You have been pretty sparse around here lately,” I saywith a smile of my own as I press the button on the copy machine and turn to lean against it.
Her brow lifts in acknowledgment. “Why aren’t we friends again?”
I blow out a breath. “I’m not usually anyone’s first choice for a girl friend.”
“Funny, that’s not what my guy Dr. LaFleur seems to think,” she mumbles before taking a sip of her soda, and the way my posture straightens must be all too telling.
“You still talk to Rowan?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Her smile stretches. “We’re practically family now.”
“Right.” I turn back to the copy machine to hide the flush crawling up my neck.
“He’s pretty great. But I guess you already know that, since you’re such good friends and all.”
I swallow hard. “Yeah.”
Think he’s great now? You should see him in nothing but his boxers and his glasses.
I guess I’m still a work in progress, then.
“Just two single, attractive, heterosexual besties, with parts that are biologically geared to fit together …” Loren crunches on another chip, seemingly oblivious to my inner monologue as she waits for me to fill in the blanks. “Besties that have sleepovers, from what I hear,” she adds.
“Mm-hmm.” I grab my copies and straighten the stack with a few taps on the machine, biting my lip to keep myself from blurting out something along the lines of,Yeah, and I deserve a freaking trophy for not jumping his bones last night.
“Claire?” Loren calls out, and I turn to face her. “Just so you know, if you ever needed someone to talk to about your relationship with Rowan, I’d be willing to listen. I imagine it feels awkward to discuss that sort of thing with Daisy. It was a little weird for us to make the transition from friends to in-laws, at least at first. Same with JD and me, too.”
I let out a weighty exhale. “We’re not really in a relationship, andthere isn’t much happening that I couldn’t talk about with Daisy,” I flat out lie, but I hate the way it sounds coming out.
Loren purses her lips and glares at me, calling my bluff. “That’s not the impression Rowan’s been giving me.”
“What exactly has he told you?” I ask, my stomach fluttering with nerves.
“Oh, not much. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and it’s a lot different than the way he looked at me,” she teases.
I pull my braid over my shoulder and wrap the tail around my finger. “You think so?”
She stares at me for a second. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“You’ve been doing that for the better part of this conversation, haven’t you?” I retort, and she rolls her eyes playfully.
“Has he kissed you?”
Not in the last few hours, sadly.
“Maybe. But we’re adults. It doesn’t mean anything.” Again, my reaction must give me away, because Loren leans back in her chair with a satisfied grin.
“Oh, I beg to differ, and I married a man who kissed lots of women.”
I look away, trying not to think about the fact that she and Rowan most likely shared a kiss in the past, as well. “Well, it’s not like that with us.”
“What’s it like, then? Just for argument’s sake.”
