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Yeah, too much.
After several long seconds of silence had passed between us, Naomi looked up and nibbled at her lip. “Well, if Brady is as nice as you said earlier, maybe he won’t hold it against you? You could just tell him you were having a bad day, and stress, and… whatever. Maybe he’ll get that.”
I appreciated the effort, the fact that she was trying to put a good spin on what had happened, but I had a feeling it might not be so simple.
“Maybe.” I frowned. “But I don’t think you’re allowed to have bad days in the NFL. Not without getting yelled at, anyway. So… maybe not.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “Do you think he’ll yell at you?”
“I don’t think so. But who knows? And at this point, who cares?”
“Man, you need something to take your mind off all this… madness.” She waved a dismissive hand in the air and paused for a second, then added, “You need to lose your virginity.”
I flinched. Sex, or lack thereof, was one of the problems with my ex. He had pushed, but I wasn’t ready. I still wasn’t sure if I was.
“That’s probably the last thing I need right now,” I said, snorting.
It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed my mind—especially since I’d met Brady. But just… no.
“Life is complicated enough without relationship stress on top of everything else.”
“I didn’t say you needed to jump into arelationship. Jesus, Joanne. It’s okay to just go out and have some fun without putting a ring on it. Just sex. No strings. Is McHottie Brady single? Maybe some good could come from having him around the office, after all.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help laughing.Thisis why I’d instinctively known to head straight to Naomi’s place when I’d been upset. She just had a knack for making me feel better.
“Yeah, no. That’s not gonna happen. I’m pretty sure he’s not interested. Or… well, I don’t know what his deal is, really. But… no.”
“So, you’d turn him down if he showed up in your bed later?”
“Well, I didn’t saythat.” I shrugged. “I mean, yeah, probablytonightI’d turn him down.”
It was Naomi’s turn to laugh as I considered the possibility.
“There is something to be said for angry sex, you know. But whatever. Try not to stress too much, okay? We’ll figure a way to get through this, no matter what happens.”
I stood up, pulled her up and into a hug. “You’re the best. Seriously. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you stopped by. I was missing my daily dose of Joanne. Next time, let’s make it a little happier though, okay?”
“Good plan. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
As I said goodbye and left, I still didn’t know what I was going to do about the situation at work, or the situation at home, or my money situation. But I didn’t feel like any of those things were impossible to get through anymore, either.
I was hopeful again, at least. As long as I still had hope, it meant I hadn’t given up.
Now I just had to figure out how to deal with Brady.
Chapter Fourteen - Joanne
It was late when I finally got back home. I hadn’t meant to spend so long at Naomi’s apartment, but I definitely didn’t regret it. It had felt good to finally get some of the things I’d been feeling for the past couple of days off my chest—to talk to someone who actually understood what I was going through.
Well, most of what I was going through, anyway.
Naomi just had a way of making me feel better. No matter what the problem was, she either had a comforting hug or a tidbit of advice that never failed to resonate with me. Usually, it was a combination of the two.
There was one piece of advice Naomi had given that would absolutelynotwork, though. Losing my virginity to Brady was not the answer I had been looking for.
I rolled my eyes at the thought as I got out of my car and walked up the driveway to my mom’s house. Unfortunately, it was going to take a little more than some strategic flirting—or sex, for that matter—to solve this problem.
