Isabella pushed her lips into a thought. “Yeah, that guy is definitely a planner.”
“A lot like someone else I know.” Kelsey elbowed Isabella, smirking and praying she’d changed the subject enough.
“Ha, ha,” Isabella replied, sarcastically.
The thought had crossed Kelsey’s mind. Asking Davis to buddy up with her for the couples costume party. But with how off things had been between them lately, she didn’t want to ask. She needed things to go back to normal. She missed her best guy friend.
And yet…
The past week she’d been unable to stop thinking about Davis without a shirt on, completely bare chested and sculpted. Don’t even get her started on the way it felt to have his fingers travel down her back, to have his mouth so warm and near. It had been completely wild and irresponsible. But even worse and most shocking? As his hand had traveled down her back, hovering dangerously close to her backside, she hadn’t wanted him to stop.
It had been a long time since she’d felt pleasure. A long time since she’d been touched by a man. A long ass time since she’d teetered on the edge of ecstasy and had her mind blown.
A tingling sensation headed south, and she swallowed.
“Did Davis help you out with your problem?” Isabella asked, interrupting Kelsey’s tactless fantasy.
“Mmm? What?” Her brain stumbled, unable to fully make words.
She had a problem all right. And unfortunately, it was something Davis couldn’t help her with.
Orshouldn’thelp her with.
“You said you were gonna talk to him about helping you possibly find someone in town who might want to invest in the business Did you talk to him?”
“Oh, that. Yeah, I did.”
“And?” Isabella stretched out the word.
“And of course all he did was offer to help financially.”
“Naturally.” Isabella found a cowboy hat in Kelsey’s closet and stuffed it on her head, posing in front of the mirror.
“So of course, I said no.”
“Of course.” Spinning around to face Kelsey, Isabella took the cowboy hat off her head and adjusted it on Kelsey’s. “When is that man ever gonna realize his money’s no good to you?”
Kelsey gave a lopsided smile into the mirror at her reflection. “Probably never.”
“You might be the only person in town who could care less aboutReno Dudes.”
“It’s true. And yet, why does it feel like he’s gotta remind me of it?”
“I don’t know, but if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think he actually likes the attention. Or the money.”
Isabella was right, he didn’t. But lately it felt like it was becoming an issue. More women in town were beginning to notice him. More tourists in the bar were asking about him than ever before. Most of the time the tourists hung on Garrett. But as the show progressed, more were seeing straight through that charming facade of his and realizing Davis was the genuine one. He was charming without even trying.
“Part of me thinks Davis regrets signing that contract at all,” Isabella said. She was still talking but Kelsey was only half listening.
Over the past week, she’d been allowing herself to wonder about the what ifs or the what could’ve beens. Even though she and Davis had always been strictly friends, what would’ve happened if he hadn’t left for Denver? Between the time after high school graduation when Isabella had gone to New York and she and Ricky had gotten together, she and Davis had been inseparable.
From musicals to concerts to movies, they’d seen them all—together. There had been a time—a moment—a flicker, when she thought maybe, just maybe there could be something more between them. But then Ricky asked her out and Davis encouraged her to say yes. Davis left for Denver a few years later. When he returned to Pineridge two years ago, Kelsey was married with two kids and another baby on the way. They picked up almost where they’d left off—almost. They still saw every Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler movie together, but it was obvious their friendship was strictly that friendship.
“What do you think?” Isabella asked, refilling Kelsey’s wine glass.
“About the contract?”
Isabella nodded, taking a sip of the Pinot Grigio.
