Page 5 of If You Like It, I Love It

Her blue-eyed stare holds me captive for a prolonged moment before she glances toward Sabrina. The two of them have been best friends since college, and I swear they can have whole conversations without saying a word.

Sabrina smiles at me, and the glint in her eyes confirms I’ve definitely missed something.

“What?” I ask. “Enzo’s great. No complaints.”

“Babe.” Glynnis draws the word out with a sardonic lilt that only she can deliver without offending someone. It’s a skill.

Again, I ask, “What?”

“I know he has impressive skills as a general contractor,” she clarifies. “What I’m asking is if he’s impressed you in any other ways.”

My face flushes, and I’d love to blame a hot flash, but perimenopause hasn’t dealt me that particular blow yet. Unless this is the inaugural event? I gulp my iced tea.

“He’s entirely too young for me to be impressed by him on a personal level.”

“Bullshit!” The expletive escapes Glynnis and Sabrina in unison.

“For non-Texans, y’all sure deliver that word like you were born here.”

“For a single woman,” Sabrina says, “you sure act like you’d be breaking a vow to enjoy the company of a gorgeous man, one who is going to be in your house for hours on end every day.”

“I date. Don’t make me sound like some prude walking around with her thighs super-glued shut.”

“No.” Glynnis shakes her head. “You don’t date. You have very intentional encounters. And it was great to see you take that step. God knows I’m the first one to support a woman’s right to an active sex life, but you could entertain the possibility of having an actual relationship at this point, you know? Maybe expand the playing field beyond that app.”

“Especially when you’ve got a perfectly available and obviously interested player at your fingertips,” Sabrina adds.

“That’s what I’m saying.” Glynnis rips an onion ring in half with her teeth like a lioness devouring prey. “Put hands on that man. See where it goes.”

“First of all, I’m not about to prey on my contractor. Second of all, I’m sure he’s got plenty of women his own age to choose from.”

“But he’s into you,” Sabrina says matter-of-factly. “Quit rationalizing away his flirtations. They’re real.”

“What are you talking about?”

Her giggle flourishes like the effervescence of champagne. “Tell me there haven’t been any tense moments between the two of you.”

“You tell me what makes you think there have been.”

She and Glynnis exchange their telepathic waves across the table again.

“Go ahead,” Sabrina says. “Tell her, Glynnie.”

“Okay, fine. You didn’t hear this from me, but Rhett ran into Enzo in the hardware store a few days ago. Rhett asked him how the project was going, and apparently, and this is a direct quote, ‘he looked like a high school boy who’d just been caught sneaking out his girlfriend’s bedroom window.’ So, if you ask me, you could definitely get more than a new kitchen out of this deal.”

“There is no deal beyond a new kitchen.” I say. “The end.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Rhett’s convinced y’all have already crossed the line.”

“You tell your fiancé that any lines I cross are none of his damn business, and unless he wants his balls ripped off, he better keep my name out of his mouth. He knows better than to be gossiping about me in this town.”

“He wasn’t gossiping about you. It was just me and him. And I’d prefer his balls remain attached.”

“That’s up to him.”

Sabrina lays her hand over mine on the table. “Joni, we just want to be sure you realize that you’re not imagining it if you think he’s flirting. You have a tendency to sell yourself short, but you’re amazing. Nobody’s saying you should marry the guy. But what could it hurt to have a hot fling with a younger man? Millions of women would love to be in your shoes right now.”

“He’s not a random younger man. He’s basically my employee.”