“Agreed. The way he was looking at you at game night?” Jovi said as she coughed over her drink, and we all chuckled. “If a man looked at me like that, I’d be climbing him like a tree.”
The table erupted in more laughter.
I raised a brow. “And how does he look at me?”
“Like he wants to lock you down for life,” Tatum said. “It’s that certain look that says ‘I want to put a ring on it.’”
My thoughts raced at her words, and it surprised me when a flicker of hope warmed my chest.
This is temporary. A fling that you agreed to. Don’t romanticize it.
“Yep. That man is all in. And I’ve known him a long time, and I’ve never seen this side of him.” Jovi reached for a Tater Tot.
“Well, you’re wrong and you’re right.” I set my glass down.
“Do tell, little sneaky one.” Tatum leaned in closer.
“We’ve sort of got an arrangement going.”
“What kind of arrangement?” Jovi asked, eyes wide.
“You know, a friends-with-benefits sort of thing,” I whispered as I glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but it wastime for a change. The relationships I’ve had before now have been an absolute bust. And after ending things with Gabriel, I just do not want to go down that path again. I want to focus on my new job, and not worry about finding a long-term partner. I wanted something casual, and seeing as Cutler is my best friend, and he doesn’t do the serious relationship thing, it’s worked out perfectly for both of us.”
My chest tightened as the words left my mouth, because even though I knew what this was, even though I’d been the one to ask for it—it felt so much deeper than the way that I was describing it. I’d never felt so connected to anyone before, but considering I was having sex with my best friend, it was normal to feel this way, right?
“I knew it. You’ve got that good sex glow going. How long has this been going on?” Tatum asked.
“The sex is new. It started on game night, actually.” I chuckled as they gaped at me. “But we were doing—other things, just no sex. We’ve kept things all very official so that there won’t be any misunderstandings.”
Jovi’s mouth was hanging open. “How did you make it official?”
“You know, we wrote it down, we have rules in place. It was anything on the table aside from sex at first. But then we decided to add the sex in on game night.” I reached for my glass. “And I’m not sorry about changing things up.”
“Stoooop.” Tatum clapped her hands together. “So what part were we wrong about? It sounds like we were spot-on with what we picked up on.”
“The other part. Yes, we’re having a besties fling. But no one is putting a ring on anything. He’s not that guy, and I know that.” I shook my head and shrugged. “And it’s totally okay. I feel like my entire life I’ve been following these certain rules. You know, I’ve always been in serious relationships with the goal of themleading—somewhere. And it’s all led me nowhere. So, when I left Paris, I made a conscious decision to have a fresh start in Blue Sky Bay. I’m leaving for New York in two months, and I’m having the time of my life with my best friend. I think he was probably worried I’d romanticize things, but surprisingly, I’m totally okay with what we have. It works for us.”
Jovi took another sip of her martini and smiled. “I’m so impressed. You’re evolving into this powerhouse woman. You don’t need a man bringing you down. You just needed to have your world rocked, and who better to do that than your best friend, who happens to be hot as hell?”
“Damn. I could use a hot guy bestie, but I’m afraid I’m fresh out.” Tatum smirked. “I’m happy for you. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves as women. It’s exhausting.”
“Right?” I agreed. “I had this sort of self-inflicted biological clock ticking last year. Like I took this leap with this man, against everyone’s advice, and moved to Paris. So I felt like he had to be the one, you know? And when it ended in a huge disaster, I felt like I’d failed. And why would I feel like I’d failed? The guy was a complete narcissist. It wasn’t my job to make it work. He doesn’t feel like he failed. So I’m in a new phase of life. I’m not settling. I’m doing what feels right in the moment, and I’m not looking beyond that, at least not in my romantic life.”
“You are so right. And you shouldn’t have to feel that way.” Jovi shrugged. “You’ve got plenty of time.”
“I know. And then I did a deep dive into why I’ve had the relationships I’ve had. None have been very exciting or passionate, and I just fell into a comfort zone where I didn’t think about what I actually wanted. I thought more about what I was supposed to want.”
“Amen, sister.” Tatum held up her glass, waiting for us to clink ours with hers. “And now you’re getting exactly what you want.”
They both had goofy smiles on their faces, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Because they were right.
I was getting exactly what I wanted.
“Oh, Gracie, I can’t get over how gorgeous this is,” Shana said as we stared at her bathroom tile that had just been laid.
“Yes, this beautiful stone is hard to beat. And all the coordinating marble you chose for the shower and the backsplash is going to complement the look so well.”
