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“Hhhmmm… how’s it going?”
“I’m meeting him tomorrow to visit a location with the realtor. I think as far as dating goes, we’re done.” Not that they ever technically dated.
Brit picked a mozzarella stick and lifted it to her mouth. “Why?”
“The way he reacted to my kids is a turnoff. I mean I’m not looking for a second marriage or anything, but I can’t sleep with a guy who gets scared of a couple of five-year-olds. And it sucks I have to be mature around him to secure the deal.” In her entire career, the only time she felt like not being mature was whenever he was around.
“Have you discussed that night?”
She set the beer on the table and exhaled deeply. A feeling of emptiness slowly rolled through her. A part of her entertained the idea she and Cole could have been good together. Maybe only temporarily good—but she still couldn’t shake off that sensation. “No. I’m tired of discussing non-relationships.”
Brit lifted her hands in surrender. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Maybe I’m getting ready to date, even if not to jump into something super serious. I’d like to get to know someone better,” she said. Why not? Making out with Cole awakened her sexually, and why should she dampen her libido again? Maybe a second marriage or serious relationship wasn’t in the cards for her, but having fun was another story.
“That’s progress,” Brit said. “Hey have you heard from Violet? She’s been quiet and she hasn’t really called me back. She texted me to say she wasn’t gonna come to the next Bad Housewives shindig but that was it. No reason.”
“She’s probably going through something,” she said, biting the tip of her tongue at the end. Violet had always been reserved, and Nikki already had too many problems to make an enemy out of her by sharing her secret. If it had been Lara or Brit, she’d gather her other friends and they’d work together to come up with a solution. But with Violet, that kind of reaction would only push her further away.
“What though?”
Nikki touched her necklace and played with the pendant, fidgeting. “I don’t know. I mean… we all have our ups and downs. Maybe she’s not ready to share hers yet. She’s more discreet than most of us.”
“I guess. Just wanted to be there for her.”
Nikki reached across the table and squeezed her friend’s hand. “You always are.” Like you are here for me.
“Thanks.” She lifted her beer. “To us, for being two badass bitches.”
Badass bitch. Now that was a title she wouldn’t mind earning. “To us.”
* * *
“What do you think?” Claire, the real estate agent she’d contacted, asked as they walked out of a thousands-square feet facility, currently vacant. “It used to be an office building, but after a fire they decided to change locations. It’s below market value, and I doubt it’ll be available for long.”
Cole looked around. His face during the tour hadn’t shown much emotion, and Nikki was dying to see what he thought. A place like this would mean a competitive price, maybe even better than the one in Dafield. Why not? “Looks good.”
“Well, if you’re interested let me know. I’ll leave you two to it.”
“Thank you for meeting us here,” Nikki said.
“My pleasure. I’ll take you to another one tomorrow. Got it scheduled today.”
Once the woman left, Nikki walked up to Cole. “What do you think?”
He skimmed the area before returning his attention to her. “It’s good, but it’ll need some remodeling. That’s the reason why it’s under market value.”
“Sure, but a lot of the structure can be used, right? This way it’d still be a competitive price. Because the place in Dafield would require changes too.”
“That’s right.” He smiled to himself. “I’ll consider this one. It just didn’t wow me.”
She nodded. “Some things you need to take a second look at before they wow you.”
“Not everything.” His glance lingered into a desire-filled gaze, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
Aggravation floated up her throat, leaving an acidic taste in her mouth. “Listen, I’m not into this hot and cold approach. One moment you’re into me, the next you’re not. I have a busy life. I can’t waste my time with men who don’t know what they want.”
He regarded her. “I want you. That’s not the problem.”
