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I was immediately suspicious. "Why? Who is she?"
Chase looked straight ahead. "Cole met Jenny when she was on an assignment. She used to work for Elena. At AccommoDating."
I wondered if that was the couple my waitressing friend, Kylie, had told me about. "Did they get married somewhat recently? On an island or something?" I vaguely remembered the story she'd told me.
Chase nodded. "That sounds right. Eric heard about them, and that's how he found Elena. So really, Jenny and Cole are responsible for us meeting. It was like they set us up without actually setting us up."
I groaned. "Is this some sort of escort support group?"
"No," Chase said, his voice stubborn. "I just wanted you to see that there's another couple, living and breathing right here in Boston, who met the same way that we did. And they're still together."
"The problem is, Chase, that whoever this Cole Bryson person is, he's not you. You are the star quarterback for the Warriors. You are in the spotlight, and you have a legacy to protect. No offense to the Rhode Island Thunder, but it's not really the same thing."
Chase shrugged. "It's just dinner. Just listen to what Jenny has to say."
We were meeting them at a restaurant called Ministry, which was a trendy, upscale restaurant filled with long wooden tables and teeming with candles. The hostess delivered us to the table where Cole and Jenny Bryson were waiting. Cole was tall and striking, with black hair, a gorgeous face, and a twinkle in his eye. He had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife. Jenny looked at me with an open expression of approval on her beautiful face. Dirty blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders and her breasts were on prominent, jiggly display beneath a black, curve-hugging dress.
"Oh my God! You must be Avery!" She jumped up and sprang at me, pulling me in for a hug. "Coley told me so much about you! You're with Chase, huh? Chase is my favorite quarterback ever!" She patted the seat next to her and jerked me down. I landed in the seat with a surprised thump.
"You want some wine?" Jenny asked me. She emptied the bottle of Chardonnay into my glass without waiting for an answer or for a server to pour it.
"I'm excited to meet you. Cole told me about you two." Jenny held up her glass, beaming at me. "So cheers. To true love. And two men who know not to let it go, no matter what the circumstances." She clinked her glass against mine and took a large gulp.
"Um. Cheers." I took another sip of wine. "Congratulations on your marriage."
Jenny flashed me a dazzling smile. "Thank you. Being married's sort of great." She looked over toward Cole and Chase. Chase was watching us with an intent look on his face. "Maybe you'll get to see for yourself soon. Chase seems like he has an emotional boner for you."
"A what?"
"An emotional boner," Jenny explained. "It's like he's sporting wood on his face. He can't keep his eyes off you."
"Oh. Huh." I didn't know what to say to that. "So, you know…Elena?" I didn't want to say too much in public. It was a good thing that Ministry was bustling, because Jenny's enthusiasm seemed unbridled.
Jenny nodded, her face serious. "I do know Elena. She's the one who set me up with Coley." She tossed her hair over her shoulder in the direction of her husband. "Actually, that's not quite the truth. My best friend, Audrey, was going out with Cole's best friend, James. Well, going out with might not be the right term. She was one of Elena's girls, too. Anyway, while she was with James, Cole needed a date. Audrey had Elena send me. The rest is history." She flashed me her huge rock of an engagement ring, fitted snugly next to a diamond-encrusted wedding band. "It was meant to be."
I swallowed more wine, trying to keep up with Jenny's story. "Your friend Audrey… Does she still work for Elena?" The name wasn't familiar, but I certainly hadn't been around the escort service for that long.
Jenny's eyes went wide. "Oh hell no. She and James got married, too. They're out in California now. Cole and I are going to see them in a few weeks."
"So you both married your…" I lean toward her and lowered my voice. "Johns?"
Jenny gave me a satisfied smile. "Yeah, we did. No one gets a happy ending like that, right? It was like we were the Cinderella twins." She leaned closer to me and patted my hand. "The fact that Chase brought you here tonight for a pep talk tells me we might be triplets soon."
I shook my head. I looked briefly at Chase, who was now engrossed in conversation with Cole. "I wish that was true, but I don't think I can be with Chase. He's too much of a public figure." I swallowed hard. "He's such a good guy. If it comes out about me, it'd ruin him. I don't want to hurt him like that."
Jenny watched me intently. "I understand. Audrey and I had a few conversations like that ourselves. Although I was
never one to question whether or not Cole and I had a future together. Maybe I did, at first—you know, I wondered whether it could turn into something that lasted—but deep down I knew he was the only one for me. Turns out, he felt exactly the same way. When fate smacks you in the face like that, there's really no getting around it. You just have to go for it. The rest will work itself out."
Her words made hope surge through me, followed by desolation. Cole and Jenny weren't me and Chase. It was a different situation.
Jenny took another sip of wine, her beautiful, round face contemplative. "Listen, in my experience, there's two types of women who come from our…work background."
She looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "There are the girls who hate themselves because of what they do. Then there are the girls who do it because they hate themselves. You don't strike me as a second type, and that's a good thing. The girls who hate themselves are fucked. The first type has a chance, though."
"Oh." My voice came out small. "Hmmm."
Jenny arched a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me. "Right? You see what I'm saying?"
