“Shit.”
She set the jar down quickly and pulled open a drawer to get out a spoon.
“Who told you that you–”
“All three women I’ve been with,” Larissa said.
“All three?”
“Well, not all of us have had a dozen serious relationships and several shorter ones.”
“No, I just meant that they all specifically told you that you were good at sex? They used those words? Not exactly romantic.”
She scooped a pile of minced garlic out of the pan, let some of it fall into the sauce, and put the rest back into the jar to worry about later.
“Not exactly, no, but that’s what they meant.”
“Oh. Well, good… then.”
“I bet you’re pretty good at it, too.”
Harlow turned to her best friend with wide eyes and asked, “Why do you think that?”
“Because you’ve had a lot of it, and generally, more experience in something makes a person better at it. If a doctor performs their first surgery, they’re okay, but after performing the same one a hundred times or a thousand, they’re better, right?”
“You think I’ve hadthatmuch sex?”
“I don’t knowhow muchsex you’ve had. It was just an example.”
“Can we talk about something else? Not sex and maybe not surgery while we’re preparing dinner.”
“Sure. What?”
“Interviews. Do you have any more applicants?”
“Yes. Surprisingly, offering them a hundred bucks per person for a one-hour interview and the possibility of a one-hour follow-up did it.”
“And you can afford that?”
“I don’t pay rent, Harlow. My car was old when I got it and is paid off. I work twenty-five to thirty hours a week, so yes, I can afford it. And it’s worth it anyway. I think this is the right approach: start with existing couples, ask them how they fell in love, and maybe add in others later. It was a great idea. Thank you. I’m giving you co-author credit on the book, by the way.”
“Oh, I don’t need that,” she said and pulled out a spatula so that she could push the meat around. “Just a dedication to your hot, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, funny, kind, amazing, best friend, Harlow. That’s all I need.”
Larissa laughed and asked, “Are you hoping to get dates out of this book or something?”
Harlow turned back to the stove and didn’t answer the question. She just stared down at the pasta, wondering if Larissa had put salt in it.
CHAPTER 3
“It’s only couples. Should it be only couples?” she asked after pushing her plate away.
“That’s where you said you wanted to start,” Harlow replied.
“Yeah, but it’s love. People should be able to answer my questions even if they’re not in a relationship currently. Like you, for example. You’re single, but if I asked you how long it took you to fall in love, what would you say?”
“Which time?”
“I’m serious.”
