"I can see a bunch of older brothers walking on eggshells, afraid to set their teenage sister off," I mused.
"You can't see me, but I'm shuddering at the memory of it. She was scary. Especially to a group of guys who had no idea how to handle the emotional outbursts. She'd explode, and then walk out of the house, telling us she was going to run away. Mom would direct one of us to follow her and make sure she was safe. The key was not letting her know we were following her."
"That's actually sweet. Her older brothers were taking care of her from afar but giving her the space she needed to feel all her emotions."
"I guess? We didn't think of it like that at the time. We were afraid of her, even though she was smaller. My brothers and I would take our aggression out on each other with fists and wrestling. But Aspen handled it differently, and boy, could she yell."
"I wonder if the walks helped her get the aggression out."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Aspen's come into my shop a few times. She's really nice."
"I don't want to know why my sister was in your shop, so I'm covering my ears. La la la."
I laughed. "Really? What are you, twelve?"
"I don't want to know what my sister wears under her clothes or if she's dating anyone seriously. We give her a hard time, but we wouldn't really interfere in her love life."
"She's never said anything to me about a guy. Sometimes that comes up. You know, why they're shopping for lingerie. Sometimes, they've just met someone, but most of the time, they enjoy wearing nice things."
"I don't want to think about my sister wearing something like I saw you wearing to entice a guy. Now I need to scrub my brain from that mental image."
"Are you going to keep bringing that up?" I asked.
He chuckled, low and deep. "I can't forget it."
"I wish you would," I said, even as I felt flattered that he couldn't get me out of his mind.
"It was the single hottest thing I've seen in a long time. I don't think I'll ever forget it."
I was at a loss for what to say. He found me attractive? He didn't want to forget it? For so long, I felt like a frumpy mother. I'd lost a part of myself when I got pregnant, the fun easy going one that went out whenever she wanted. And even if I looked the same on the outside after I lost the pregnancy weight, I felt different. I couldn't just go out on a whim, or hook up with a guy for fun. I had responsibilities, and they made me feel boring and undesirable.
I'm sure my husband's interest waning over time didn't help either.
"You don't have anything to say to that?"
I opened and closed my mouth and finally managed, "I don't know what to say. Thank you?"
"You were sexy as hell in that little getup, and the way you were sitting on that chaise—hottest thing ever."
He was saying that I was attractive. That he wanted me. Was it because we were on the phone, and we couldn't see each other? How would he feel in the morning?
Then he cleared his throat. "I don't know why I'm talking about this. It must be the late hour and the intimacy of a phonecall. I can't see you or your reaction. And I shouldn't be talking to you this way at all. You're my client."
"Eve is your client," I corrected.
"True."
"Are you still coming over tomorrow with the surprise?" I asked weakly, feeling like I'd bungled this entire conversation. He'd claimed that I was sexy, but not that he wanted to do anything about it. What was I supposed to do with that?
"Of course. Speaking of which, I need to call my brothers because I'm going to need their help."
Was it just an excuse to get off the phone with me? Had he said something he hadn't meant? "Have a good night."
"Oh, I will. See you tomorrow, Angela."
I liked the sound of my name on his lips. His send-off seemed like a promise. There was a part of me that wanted him to say that he wanted me and couldn't wait another day to have me. But I was scared for him to say that too. Was I ready to date someone?
