“Why?” Nora shakes her head. “Dang it, girl, you look fine to me.”
“You’re a woman. Of course, you’d say that,” I say. “Men see it differently… I might have a little too much cushion.”
“Oh, hush now, girl,” Melanie says. “Nothing wrong with a little paddin’. I got plenty of that, too—way more than you.” She slaps her ass again.
We all crack up.
“It’s a little challenging when you’re a chef not to taste your own food… hence the extra pounds.” I stack up a batch of sandwiches on a large platter, hand them over to Nora and move on to the next batch.
She’s already heading to the shop to satiate hungry customers.
“I’m not saying every man living in New York or LA only wants perfect skinny models with flat stomachs, but men around here are nothing like that,” Miranda says.
“Really?”
She nods. “I’ll use Riley’s go-to dating advice,Men down here, love girls with curves.”
“They do?” My eyes grow as wide as saucers.
“Uh, huh.” She nods. “And you, my dear, fit the bill perfectly.” Miranda grins from ear to ear.
“I wasn’t aware.” I frown. “Well in that case, I just experienced a bad case of love-struck… or is it lust-struck?”
“Maybe one of us knows him,” Miranda says. “Did you catch his name?”
“I didn’t.” I shake my head. “He’s just a ridiculously sexy and rugged stranger I was drooling over until an acquaintance of his killed the moment.”Thank you for nothing, Mr. Devon.“I can’t get his mesmerizing green eyes out of my head.”
“Sounds like the big city girl is lust-struck,” Nora says.
“I think I am.” I’m not afraid to admit it.
“We got a live one, y’all,” Melanie says.
We all laugh.
“They don’t make them like that in New York,” I say.
“I had the same thoughts when I moved out here,” Miranda says, “And trust me I only had eyes for my hotter-than-hell fiancé, but unless you’re blind, it’s hard to miss. Guys down here are rugged and manly. No man buns and no beanie hats. LA guys don’t hold a candle to Summerville men.”
Nora cheers waving her spatula over her head.
“Well, this guy was hotter-than-hell.” I flutter my free hand over my heart.
“Until you bump into him?—”
“What are the chances?” I interrupt Nora.
“This is a small town, Carina. He’s out there,” she says.
“Oh.”
“As I was saying”—Nora goes on— “until you two meet again, you can fantasize about him. I do it all the time. Works wonders. If you have a toy, it’s even better. Makes for pretty amazing wet dreams.”
“Amen to that.” Melanie lifts a hand over her head. “If you didn’t bring your toys from the big city, there’s a shop in town that sells ‘em, unless you prefer ordering them online.”
And just like that, I imagine what the rest of Mr. Sexy Stranger would look like naked. He’d be the perfect toy.
I can feel Miranda’s amber eyes boring into the side of my face, but I don’t dare to meet them. “Damn, Carina. Even I can read those naughty thoughts.”
