Page 81 of The Broken Hearts Club

“It’s a cute house. Here, let me send you the photo.”

It popped up a moment later. It was a pretty, Spanish-style home with stucco walls and a red tile roof. It couldn’t have been more different than the house she’d grown up in, and maybe that was a good thing.

I meant it when I said, “I think it’s gorgeous.”

“Right? Apparently it has a courtyard in the center of it and plenty of bedrooms for the kids, with one left over for a guest room.”

“I think you should say yes to it, Jeannie.”

“I think so too, especially since someone already put in an offer on this place.” It had only been on the market for a week, but it turned out one of her neighbors had had their eye on it for years.

“How are you feeling about selling that house?”

“A little sad, but better things await, right?”

“For sure.”

“I’d better go. I’m trying to assemble a lasagna before the baby wakes up from her nap, and you need to get ready for your sex date.”

“Is Dwight coming for dinner?”

“Yup, just like every Friday night.”

He’d recently given notice at his job and with his landlord, and he was all in when it came to Jeannie and New Mexico. She was still taking it slowly, but she really liked him, and I just knew they were going to be a wonderful couple when she was ready to take that step.

“Have fun, Jeannie.”

“You, too. Just relax, and get out of your head! It’s going to be amazing.” I hoped she was right.

Just as I stood up, JoJo stepped onto her front porch with a watering can in her hand. She waved when she saw me and yelled, “How was your doctor’s appointment?”

I flashed two thumbs up and yelled back, “All systems go!”

“Woohoo! That’s great news!”

I thought it was funny that so many people knew about our sex countdown. It wouldn’t have surprised me if it was one of the topics on the agenda for Miller’s team meeting.

When I went inside, I found the cat waiting for me as usual. I petted her and greeted her with, “Hi there, pretty kitty.” She wove all around my ankles as I walked down the hall, and I pleaded, “Please don’t trip me, Kate. The last thing I need is to fall down, hit my head, end up back in the hospital, and be told I can’t have sex until my concussion clears.”

Okay, so I really needed to cool it with the worst case scenarios.

I checked the time. Miller would be home in about ninety minutes, so I went into the bathroom, got naked, and began my totally planned out grooming routine. It started with douching, went on to a very thorough shower, moved to the application of all sorts of creams and lotions, and finally ended with blowing out my hair to make it as smooth and silky as possible.

Once I’d done absolutely everything I could to make myself irresistible, I went to the walk-in closet and assessed the wardrobe options I’d set aside for this occasion. My tiniest, sexiest briefs were a definite yes. But then I looked down at the huge scar on my chest and frowned.

Miller wouldn’t be put off by it. I knew that. But it made me self-conscious, and I wanted to be able to totally let go when we were together without that as a distraction. I ended up putting on a form-fitting, cropped tank top, so now the scar was out of sight and out of mind.

I went into the bedroom, draped myself seductively across the mattress, and waited. This lasted about ten seconds. I felt silly, and like I was being way too eager. What if Miller wasn’t raring to go the minute he walked in the door?

I returned to the closet and looked for stuff to put on over the tank top and sexy briefs. Eventually, I settled on a pair of jeans that were intentionally ripped at the knees and one of Miller’s sweaters. It was a bit oversized on him, and pretty huge on me. But it felt soft against my skin, and it carried a faint trace of his wonderfully familiar scent, so it was pure comfort.

Just then, I heard the garage door rattle open. My pulse sped up in anticipation. I took a few deep breaths before leaving the closet.

I’d made it halfway across the bedroom when Miller appeared in the doorway, looking flushed and a little winded. He paused when he saw me, bracing his hands on the doorframe, and a huge smile spread across his face.

When I saw how revved up he was, I exclaimed, “What are you waiting for? Get over here and ravage me already!”

I burst out laughing as he ran to me and threw me onto his shoulder. He brought me to the bed and tossed me onto it, and then he pulled off his sweater and T-shirt in one go. As he took off his shoes and socks, he grinned at me and said, “Hi.”