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“You never told me how it went with that barman. Your mother got ill right afterwards…did something happen with him?”
“Yes.”
“Good! Ilan is on cloud nine with that new girlfriend of his. You need someone too!”
She had no one. She had let her baggage and fears rule her. Her one-night stand was a great guy who she pushed away. She never gave Erez a chance, and his hurt was clear every time they saw each other. She took a large gulp of wine.
“It’s not that simple. He isn’t really a twenty-nine-year-old barman who likes to spread joy. I wish he was. He’s a CPA, and he’s doing a review in my company. It’s a conflict of interest and it’s a total mess.”
Orna pouted.
“I’m dying to tell Raffi you have someone. He’s smug about Ilan’s girl. As if Ilan having a young girlfriend reflects on him.”
“The thing is, I’m glad he isn’t an empty-headed barman who fucks around, and I’m just one of his divorcees. But I’m also jealous when he talks to younger girls at work. Shit, listen to me. I’m an old woman with menopause, and I’m rambling about a guy like a teenager.”
“The heart never grows old.” Orna intoned with a wise face and they both burst out laughing.
“But it’s true,” Orna continued. “What’s stopping you?”
Being scared of opening up, of being hurt again. Her own inhibitions.
“I explained about the conflict of interest.”
“Bullshit. If he’s an okay guy, he’ll do his work and won’t let whatever you guys have…”
“Don’t have,” Dafna cut in, but Orna was right. Erez was an upstanding guy. Being with her wouldn’t have affected his judgement.
“Have,” Orna repeated.
She sipped her wine. Her cheeks heated up and sweat covered her brow. She fanned herself with her palm, which didn’t help.
“Orna, can red wine cause hot flashes?”
“Anything can cause it. Menopause is a bitch.”
Menopause and old age be damned. She owed Erez an apology. She owed it to herself to seek him out, apologize and explain.
Chapter 21
Surfing And Crushing
“Wow, you’ve been coming here a lot lately! I think it’s great.”
Eitan and he were perched on the waves, facing east. The sun would have been in their eyes, but there were clouds in the sky. The morning southwest to northeast wind seemed to pick up, and the lineup tensed. Wind messed up with the swell.
“The sea was flat the other day, and paddleboarding isn’t and never will be the same as surfing,” he answered his brother, dodging a proper answer.
For the past couple of weeks, he had been trying to get Dafna out of his head, and the sea helped. The Mediterranean and the easy camaraderie with the other surfers had lifted his spirits. It was a shame he abandoned it for so long, and he wouldn’t repeat this mistake.
They floated in the warm water, each on their board, at the best spot of the takeoff zone, because the younger generation knew to give them respect.
“How is it going with Dafna? Are you moody because of her?”
Eitan asked him about Dafna every day, which didn’t help.
He couldn’t order his mind, not to mention his cock, to stop wanting her. Yesterday in the kitchen, despite his rudeness, she gave him the name of a psychologist. At first he was thrilled, thinking it would give him an excuse to talk to her, but then realized that maybe this was just tightening a loose end for her. Dafna was a “take care of business” kind of person, and now that she had, she would be done with him.
“I’m not moody. Did you hear about your audition?”
