Ty handed Margo’s glass to her. “Yes, he’s the one Ididn’tmassage.”
“Okay, so what’s he like?”
“He’s really thoughtful,” Ty said. “Andie handed my business card to his twin, Maverick, who assumed I was a guy because of my name.”
Margo swallowed a sip of her wine. “Not the first time someone’s assumed that. I’d still rather have your name than mine.”
“I guess Maverick refused to have a guy give him a massage, so Memphis came all the way over to the spa to either take his place or let his sister know, I’m not sure which. But when he saw that I was a female, Memphis was just…apologetic about his brother and sort of shy. It was really endearing.”
Ty went on to explain the rest, including details like the Little Broncos class he’d helped with, and the cute girl who’d waved goodbye to him from her father’s arms. Ty didn’t miss the wide-eyed wonder of her boy-crazy friend as she replayed one event after the next, which somehow made telling her all the more fun.
“I felt kind of bad when he brought up massage as a way to pay him back for his trouble, because I had to shut it down right away.”
Margo rolled her eyes. “Because of the wholeethicscode?” She put the word in finger quotes as if it was some false concept.
“Listen,” Ty said, an appalled laugh sounding low in her throat. “That wholeethics codematters. It’s a huge deal.” She breathed in the rich scent of merlot before taking a sip. She looked out over the yard, savoring the tart tones of fruit as it settled over her tongue. The lone tire swing hanging in the far corner caught her attention as a thought came to mind. “I’m actually wondering if it’s made me seeeveryoneas neutral, because it’s honestly been forever since I’ve found myself…” She hesitated to say the words aloud. It would give Margo far too much to chew on.
“Say it,” her friend urged.
“Attractedto someone,” Ty admitted. “There. You happy?”
Margo shook her head, a dumbfounded expression on her face. “Yes. And shocked. And…more curious than ever about his hot brothers.”
Ty grinned. “One thing at a time. Who knows if he’s even interested in me in return? Or if he willstillbe interested after he catches a glimpse of me in the townhouse, momming out during dinner with Lucas.”
Margo lowered her glass. “Mommingout?”
“You know what I mean. I can’t stop being a parent. If Lucas belches at the table when company’s there, I have to call him on it. If he’s chewing with his mouth open or talking too loud, I can’t ignore it.” Ty released a heavy sigh, directing her attention to her glass as she traced her finger along the base. “I don’t know how to date and be a mom at the same time.”
“Then you’ll learn,” Margo assured. “You’re the best mom, apart from my own, that I’ve ever known. Beyond that, you’re just an overall wonderful human. You’re better than me in nearly every possible way.”
“Tsk, that’s not true.”
“Itis,” Margo persisted. “You’re much more compassionate, you’re way more generous, and you relieve pain for a living. That makes you a saint.”
“Andyou’rethe sinner?” Ty said with a lifted brow.
“Loud and proud, baby!” She shook her head then. “If downing a carton of ice cream in two days counts as a sin…or lusting after my boss when he comes in to check the tallies…” She got that dreamy look in her eye.
“Did he go in there today?” Ty guessed.
Margo sighed. “Oh, yeah. And he actually talked to me this time. I mean, not that he usually goes around rudely ignoring me or anything, but he went out of his way. And get this—he opened up to me about his divorce.”
Ty leaned in. “Really?” Margo had been crushing on Greyson, the owner of the Pub & Grill, for years now.
“Really. He says he’s moving back into his apartment for a while and that I’d be seeing a lot more of him lately.”
Ty couldn’t hold back her grin. “This all happened today?”
“I know,” Margo said, sensing where she was going. “It’s like, things are really happening for us all of the sudden, right?”
Ty hated to get her hopes up, but the truth was, she’d reached a milestone, and she knew it. The new job, of course. But even more was the entirely new spark of attraction—something she hadn’t encountered in years. “Maybe they really are,” she said with a nod. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“I’m not the wait and see type,” Margo said. “Holly says that if you want something to go in the right direction, you have to give it a push.”
Ty added that to today’s growing register. Staying open, going out on a limb, and now this. “Ididinvite Memphis over for dinner, which means I’m already starting to push things along, right?”
“That you are, brave soldier,” Margo said while lifting her glass ceremoniously. “Now you just need to lock lips with him. Here’s to giving life a push in the right direction.”
Ty lifted her glass until it clinked against Margo’s. “Cheers to that.”
