Page 83 of Second Time Around

Twenty-Three

Later that afternoon, her doorbell rang again, and she thought, That has to be him. However, for the second time that day, she was wrong.

Jenna swung open the door and said, “Hey, Kels.”

“Hi. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Kelsey glanced around like somebody might jump out at her.

Jenna shook her head. “I was just reading.”

“I know we’re not supposed to talk about the book outside of book club, but OMG!”

Jenna laughed at her expressiveness. “I know, right?”

“I was reading it in bed last night, and I got so hot I had to tear off my pajamas!”

“I bet Hudson loved that!”

She giggled. “Let’s just say he didn’t mind.”

“Was Annie there too?”

“She was sleeping in the nursery.”

Kelsey had recently moved in with Hudson, and his adorable baby girl, Annie, often stayed there too. “How old is she now?”

“Just over six months.”

“Wow. I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“Maybe she’ll make a guest appearance at Stacy and Nick’s engagement party.”

“Stacy came by earlier and told me you’re already planning the party.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but since we couldn’t get ahold of you last night—”

Jenna held up her hand. “No problem. Hey, do you want something to drink or a snack or something? I don’t have much, but I might have some Ding Dongs in the pantry.”

Kelsey threw her head back and laughed. “Ding Dongs? Seriously?”

“Have you had one lately? They’re still as good as when we were kids!”

“I can’t say that I have, but I’m full. I had a grilled cheese sandwich from Between the Slices for lunch.”

Jenna’s eyes went wide. “You went to Beck’s restaurant today?”

“Um-hmm. That’s what I came to talk to you about.”

“Let’s sit down,” Jenna said, suddenly feeling unsteady on her feet.

They sat on the couch, and Kelsey eyed her with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just tired. I stayed up late last night.”

“Well, I won’t stay long. I just wanted to run a few things by you about the party.”

Jenna nodded, anxious to move the conversation away from herself. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about last night, and not even her steamy romance novel had distracted her. If anything, reading it might have made matters worse. The sex scenes reminded her of what she and Beck had done the night before, minus the third party, which was in the book.

“So, I asked Beck to cater the engagement party.”