Right. I actually forgot they were going to be here. That brings a smile to my lips. I haven’t forgotten about them in a long time. It feels good.
They look up and see me, and Tessa lifts up and shifts so she’s sitting on the bench beside her boyfriend instead of on him. That’s for me. She’s never forgotten my request to avoid PDA in front of me.
God, it feels like it was a million years ago, but it’s only been ten weeks. I give them both a quick smile and look down at Zoey. “Hey, everyone, this is Zoey.”
She gets a “hey” from Noah. A wave from the girls in the hot tub, who don’t even bother to look over. Brian nods in her direction. Carla mutters a “welcome” from the grill but doesn’t turn around. I’ve gotten more heartfelt greetings from mortal enemies on the ice. It’s annoying, to say the least.
Levi stands up. “Hey, Zoey, have a seat.” He motions to an empty lawn chair near him and Tessa. “I’m Levi, and this is my girlfriend, Tessa.”
Tessa looks over. Zoey drops my hand. Tessa stands up. “Holy crap! Zoey?”
“Tessa! Wow! Hey! This is a week of crazy reunions for me, I guess.” Zoey laughs and leaves my side to envelopTessa in a hug.
She knows my ex? Fuck. My. Life.
The embrace ends, and Tessa yells, “Carla! Look!”
Carla finally turns away from the grill. Her eyes land on Zoey, and she lets out a small, startled squeal before shoving the spatula in her hand at Duncan and running across the lawn. “Oh my God! Zoey! What are you doing here? It’s so good to see you!”
“Jude invited me.” Zoey laughs and looks confused that she’s repeating this. Clearly Carla wasn’t paying any attention at all. Makes sense; she tends to ignore my existence. “I helped Tessa and Carla find the space for their salon.”
“Of course you did,” I say with an acerbic tone but a bright smile. “Awesome.”
Duncan laughs. Out loud. The dick. “Zoey, what are you drinking?”
“Oh, umm, a beer would be good,” she says, and Levi nods.
“I’ll go with,” I mutter and squeeze her shoulder before following Levi across the lawn and into the house.
He gives me a sympathetic smile as he opens the fridge. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“I didn’t either,” I admit. “Now Carla and Tess are going to badmouth me to her. Fantastic.”
Levi hands me two Coronas. “Tessa won’t. Carla might, but I don’t think it’ll matter.”
I raise an eyebrow as I twist the cap off the beer, and he hands me a lime wedge from a Tupperware container in the fridge. “Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know. I just have a feeling,” Levi says in his typical confident tone. He could sell a steak to a vegan with that voice of his. It’s one of the reasons why he’s a great leader in the locker room.
He heads back outside, but I pause for a second and watch the scene through the kitchen window. Carla has abandoned the grill and is sitting at the picnic table with Tessa and Zoey, the three of them all smiling and yakking away. Ugh. This better not blow my chances of getting in her pants—again. Well, actuallyfinallyis more like it.
9
Zoey
When I look at my watch, I’m surprised it’s already ten thirty. The night flew by. Jude’s friends are nice, and seeing Tessa and Carla again was fantastic. I still remember how full of hope and excitement they were when they walked into Penner Realty almost two years ago now. Adam was off having lunch with his dad and brother, thankfully, or he probably would have turned them around and ushered them back out the door. They were, as he would say, “small potatoes.” We tended to take on large firms or franchises. But I loved their vibe, and I took them on myself instead of giving them to a newer, younger agent. The commission was so small it made Adam roll his eyes when it came in, but I was thrilled to help them. And I’m even more happy to know that the place worked out perfectly, and their business is thriving.
When I’m not catching up with Tessa and Carla, I’m watching Jude. I can’t help it. I just can’t believe I’m here with him. He jokes with his buddies and helps Duncan at the grill, but the whole time, he’s staring at me as much as I’m staring at him. His eyes slide all over my body—I can feel them—as I talk with the girls or walk to the kitchen to help Carla and Tessa get the salads out of the fridge. During dinner he sits next to me, and he rests his hand on my knee when he’s done with his food, his thumb making small circles on the outside of my thigh. It’s barely a touch, his thumb is just grazing me, but it feels incredible.
“I can’t believe you got rid of the Ping-Pong table,” Brian moans to Duncan as he scrapes the last of the strawberry shortcake dessert off his plastic plate. “I used to love kicking your ass on that thing.”
“Oh, it’s still here, baby,” Duncan replies proudly. “I got me a game room here.”
Carla rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “We had to get a three-bedroom just so we could have a dedicated man cave because I wouldn’t let the entire place look like an arcade.”
Jude’s hand stills on my leg. “You guys bought this place together?”
Carla nods. “Yeah. Why do you think it has real furniture?”
