AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sounded so genuinely astonished she started laughing. “I don’t think you’re broken. I brought up modeling and that I sell body positive lingerie.”
“Lingerie? For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. He massaged his temples and briefly closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes as he stretched his arms straight out, fingers interlaced. Then he rolled his shoulders and used his hands to crack his neck, like he was loosening up for a game. “I can do this. I’m going to talk to you like you’re one of the guys. We were teammates, after all.”
She appreciated the effort, even if being thought of as one of the guys was a hot button for her. “Thank you, I think that’s an excellent idea.”
“Modeling was good for your confidence, got it, just saying that as a friend. When were you ever lacking in confidence though? I remember you being very self-assured.”
“Any time I wasn’t on the ice.” Then because she didn’t want to reveal anymore than she already had, she decided to change the subject. “Little Dickie and your sister are married? That’s a twist.”
Sullivan laughed. “Right? Rick’s a good guy, but I never saw that one coming. Sloane was married before in her twenties for a few years. No kids, with an older, kind of controlling husband. Then after her divorce she came back here and saw Rick stripping on stage and that was that. The dude is ripped now, I’ll give him that. I think his nickname was motivation.”
“Rick is a stripper?” She gaped at Sullivan. The surprises just kept coming. “More has changed in Beaver Bend in fifteen years than I thought possible.”
“Almost twenty years since you left,” he pointed out. “But no, he’s not a stripper. It was a one time—actually, three time—thing. I’ll explain all that later when you meet me for a drink at Tap That.”
The way he slid that last part in amazed Edwina. She shook her head. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re doing it again.”
“What? I am not,” he protested. “I’d ask a guy friend to go hang out.”
“You wouldn’t say it all smooth like that, like a forgone conclusion. You’d ask me to grab a beer with you or meet up later to watch the game.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it. He raised his hand, then lowered it.
“Damn,” he said.
Sullivan looked so defeated she felt compelled to reassure him. “It just takes practice. Conscious effort.”
Her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw it was Nigel. She turned her phone to show Nigel’s name and picture on her screen. “I should take this.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Hello?”
“Darling, is everything okay? Why aren’t you in the meeting? Or answering your DMs?”
Shoot. “Right, the meeting. I’m sorry, this morning got away from me. I’ll be there in a minute.” She bit her lip. “What is this meeting about?” She honestly couldn’t remember.
“Are you serious right now?” Nigel sounded astonished. “All that fresh air has made you daft. It’s for the shipping consult, to see if we can resolve our distribution issues.”
She briefly closed her eyes. She’d forgotten because she didn’t want to deal with shipping delays or rising fuel costs. “Of course. Listen, do you care if a childhood friend and his son crash with me for a few days? His house burned down and they need a place to stay.”
“What? No, I don’t care. The meeting, Edwina. Open your laptop please, I’m begging you.”
“Absolutely.” She glanced around, trying to remember where she’d left it. She tended to be a little messy. “Got it.” The laptop was on the counter in the kitchenette. “Are you sure you don’t care?”
“He’s just a friend, right?”
“Of course.”
“If you tell me you’re mad for him, I might be concerned, but I trust you.”
Nigel sounded like he meant it. It warmed her heart. “Thank you, you’re really amazing.”
“As are you. Now for fuck’s sake, the meeting.”
“Oh!” She stood up and went over to the laptop. “Right. I’m opening the computer right now.”
“Bye, love.” He ended the call.
