“You know what? I think I just might. It’s been a while since I’ve had my pipes cleaned.”
I about spit out my iced tea. “Renee, the man is a widow who raises a kid on his own. He’s not the fuck-it-and-chuck-it kind of guy you’re used to. Try and actually go out on a date for once. Allow a man to romance you, buy you dinner, walk you to your front door.”
“Oh, please. Those guys only exist in your romance novels. Besides, I’m not that much of a needy slut that I would use Ben like that. But he’s also a man and he may be up for some friends with benefits. Do they still use that phrase nowadays? God, I’m getting old.”
“Would you like somewhineto go with that diatribe?” Shelby teases her, and Renee flicks her off.
“Speaking of getting their pipes cleaned, how are you and Knox doing?” Shelby asks me.
“A work in progress.”
Renee scoffs and grabs a handful of nuts from a bowl Ben left for us. “I would have kicked his ass to the curb by now. I don’t care if he said nothing happened. The fact that he thought about it and got into an Uber with another woman with the intent of bending her over a table later is enough to show me he is not worthy of a second chance with you.”
“Please, Renee, tell me how you really feel.”
“I just did.” She puts her chin on my shoulder so she can see Shelby. “Tell her I’m right, Shelbs. You basically said the same thing the other night.”
“Throw me under the gossip bus, why don’t you? Geesh! Remind me to never have another serious conversation with you ever again, Loose Lips McGee.”
“Oh, please. You know you love me.”
They blow kisses at one another, and I roll my eyes.
Shelby gives me a shrewd appraisal over her beer. “Should we be expecting JD to join our Friday evening?”
“Whether he decides to stick around is up to him,” I blithely state, trying to sound as unexcited at the prospect as I can.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s not the kind of sticking you’re wanting from the man.”
I slap Shelby’s knee. “No!” I lie because the God’s honest truth is—I would sell my soul to the devil to have one more night with JD.
As much as I hated—I mean, hate—him for what he did, I can never turn off the part of me that is still deeply in love with him. I’ve tried, believe me. JD being back has woken up my libido and as much as I am beginning to enjoy being somewhat intimate with Knox, deep down I know Knox will never be able to quench the rampaging desire inside of me that responds only to Jackson.
Shelby wags her finger in my face. “Renee, look at her face. She’s thinking about fucking JD right now. I told you she wasn’t over him.”
Renee takes pity on me. “Rory asked us to meet her here for a reason. We need to switch to supportive friend mode.”
They both put their drinks down and their elbows on the bar, resting their chins in the ‘V’ of their joined palms like school children.
“Alright, we’re all serious and all ears now,” Shelby tells me. I love my friends.
I take a long sip of my drink. “I may or may not have done something I may or may not regret,” I finally say.
“Uh-oh. Is this thing legal or illegal?”
“Legal?” I say as a question, shrugging my shoulders high and biting the side of my cheek.
Renee cocks her head on her hand. “You don’t know? Should we call Mr. Worthington and get his opinion?”
“Hold on. Let me show you something. You’d probably notice on Friday anyway when JD and Connor showed up.” I take my phone out and open my photos folder. I scroll to the ones I took of Connor and JD on Austin’s boat. “Tell me what you see.”
Shelby grabs my phone. “Holy shit! That’s what JD looks like now? I mean, I saw him on TV during his games, but holy hell, Rory. My spank bank just got filled for the next year.”
“First, yuck. I never want to hear spank bank and JD’s name in the same sentence and coming out of your mouth ever again. Second, that’s Connor.” I swipe to a close-up of the two of them and tap the image.
Renee makes a cooing sound. “Connor is adorable.”
I’ve already told Renee and Shelby about Candace being his mom and what happened to her. Shelby was sad to hear that her old friend had passed away and she never knew.
