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She was going to ask him what the hell he meant, but she was being engulfed in a hug from Jesse Lambert.
“Eddie Hunt, no way, I can’t believe it! Look at you. All grown up.”
That made her laugh. “Same. Congrats on a fabulous career, Jesse. You were always my favorite guy to skate with, by the way.”
“Hey,” Sullivan protested as he gave Jesse’s girlfriend a hug.
“We’re already established you were lazy,” she told him. “Don’t bother denying it.”
“And you wonder why I broke your nose,” he said wryly.
“He broke your nose?” Jesse’s girlfriend asked in astonishment.
She nodded. “Yes. With an illegal high stick. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Edwina.” She put her hand out.
“I’m Astrid, I’m so happy to meet you!” Astrid ignored her hand and opened her arms. “Come here.”
Eddie wasn’t much of a hugger, and she was substantially taller than Astrid, but she gave her a quick awkward hug and pulled back. Astrid had pink hair and a big smile. She was wearing denim short overalls over a pink bikini.
“Come on in,” Jesse said. “Enter what was probably the greatest party house of the decade back in the day.”
“I love it,” Astrid said. “But I’m kind of a hippie.”
Edwina could see that about Astrid. She had a free-spirited vibe.
The house was indeed an ode to seventies shagtacular excess. Wood paneling, burnt orange everything, thick shag carpet, heavy avocado green drapes, and a conversation pit on one end around the suspended fireplace. There was a loft bedroom with a mattress on the floor. Finn and Licorice were visible through a glass slider door out onto a deck that was a little worse for the wear, but boasted an amazing view of the lake.
“Wow. This is amazing.” She meant the view.
But Sullivan thought she meant the interior.
“The Shag Shack,” Sullivan said, clamping Jesse on the shoulder. “Good times have been had here by many.”
“Do I even want to know?” Astrid asked. She didn’t sound upset, but more amused.
“I have nothing to tell,” Jesse protested. “Until I met you the only action this house got was me opening and closing the fridge door for a beer. I meant the original owners who picked out this decor probably had some adult fun here.”
“You’re forgetting that you gave me the key last summer,” Sullivan said.
That caught Edwina off guard. She didn’t want to hear about Sullivan’s many hookups. Like, at all. Ever. She wanted the concept of him as a manwhore to remain abstract. A nebulous concept that existed only somewhere out in the universe, swirling through the atmosphere. She did not want details.
Jesse made a face. “Dude. You better have washed my sheets.”
“Never made it to the bed.” Sullivan grinned.
“Thank God,” Jesse said. Then he started. “Wait. My couch?Motherfucker. I’ve slept on that couch.”
“Relax. The beach.”
Astrid shot a long look at Jesse. “That beach has that effect.”
“What effect?”
“The clothes dropping effect.”
Jesse made a sound low in the back of his throat. The look the two exchanged was so heated Edwina was a little embarrassed.
“I have that effect everywhere,” Sullivan said. “Not just on the beach.”
