Page 30 of Flirting with 40

I flop back on the couch and cover my eyes with my hands. “This has all the makings of a rom-com movie disaster. You know the kind—”

“Where the heroine is a wreck, the hero is a prick, and their whole plan goes to hell?”

“If you want to put it that way.” I nod.

“Just remember that the girl always gets the guy in the end.”

“This isn’t fiction.”

“No, but it’s going to be so much better.”

We sit in silence, the years of friendship between us have her giving me the space I need to process everything she’s said. To finally admit what she already knows.

“I like him. A lot. And . . . maybe I’m afraid that I do. And perhaps, I’m scared that I like him simply because he’s the first man to really pay attention to me—”

“Plenty have paid attention,” she murmurs and holds up her hand to stop my argument. “You’re just too busy not being interested to notice.”

“But I am interested this time, and I’m questioning why I am and why he is, and that leads me to wonder if I would be enough for him. I mean I’ve only been with one man in the last twenty years. How do I know if things are done differently nowadays?”

Her grin tugs a smile out of me. “I assure you sex is done the same.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do know. I know it’s scary and probably exhilarating all at the same time, but I say go for it. I say be the lacy boy shorts. The kind Slade can’t wait to rip off you before ravishing you.”

“Ravish?”

“Ravish,” she repeats with a nod. “And I have no doubt he will, and you’ll do just fine with it. In fact, you’ll actually enjoy it.”

“We’ll see about that.” I chuckle.

“I believe I said you’d see him again and he’d go on the retreat with you, right?” She throws her hands up. “Then, out of the blue, it happened, so I wouldn’t doubt me. I do believe I might have some kind of magical powers.”

I throw a pillow at her. “I’m not going to encourage that theory for fear of your head getting so big it will never fit through the doorway.”

“I have powers, so I’m sure I can manage regardless of the size of the doorway.” Kelsie follows me into the kitchen where I start to clean up our leftover charcuterie board. “Your plan is to leave together in the morning?”

“Mm-hm.” I toss a napkin into the trash. “We’ll figure out our story on the way up to the mountains. Three hours is a lot of time to kill.”

“Are you sure that’s enough time?” she asks as she pops an olive into her mouth.

“He had plans already. Who am I to ask for more time from him when he’s already giving me five days . . . you know?”

“I do, but I know how your little planning heart is probably having a freak out over not knowing it already.”

“I’m fine. It’s fine. I just need to pack and then I’m set.”

My phone on the counter rings, and I jump at the sound. Before I can grab it, Kelsie has it in her hand. “Speak of the devil.” She holds my phone out so I can see his name on the screen. “Put him on speaker so I can hear his sexy voice.”

“Give me the phone.” I stick my hand out, but there is a smile stuck on my face and a giddy feeling in my stomach, which is stupid considering I’m going to be seeing him tomorrow.

In a move that’s high school-ish and annoying and very much Kelsie, she hits the answer button and hits speaker at the same time. “Hello?” she says just in time for me to grab my phone from her.

“Hey.” Slade’s deep timbre comes through the speaker. It’s sex personified, and that along with all this talk of sex and rebounds with Kelsie has me thinking thoughts and creating scenarios Kels would be proud of. “You ready for tomorrow?”

Kelsie holds the back of her hand to her forehead and mouths, Swoon.

“Hi. Yes. Just doing some last-minute things.”