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He waved off the low blow with a chuckle. “Not even close. They ended with us naked.”
My jaw hit the ground, literally, like flopped all the way to the floor. Jude never talked to me about sex, or dating, or men. It was a no-fly zone. I’d have sworn that Brian’s death had rendered me asexual in his brother’s eyes.
“I’ve shocked you.” He leaned over his desk, his elbows resting on a stack of papers.
“Yeah.” Mirroring his pose, I tipped forward in my seat, hanging on his words.
“It’s been sixteen years since Brian, and not once in all that time have I seen a spark between you and another man. Until today. You and Wilson are combustible. And while I’ve never said a word about who you did or didn’t date because it was none of my business, I am saying something now.”
“Why?” A strange swirling started behind my eyes. Spots danced on the edges of my vision, like the time I blew up a pool float for Bailey and suffered a lack of oxygen from all the huffing and puffing.
“Because this time, it might be worth it.”
“He’s a client and lives in California.” I shook my head, willing away Jude’s words, wishing he’d stop talking before my resolve cracked or I passed out from the growing dizziness.
“He’s a risk.” He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair. “My last divorce kicked the shit out of me. It convinced me I’m not the marrying kind. But I think you are. You have so much love for everyone around you, and with Bailey leaving, I don’t want you to end up like me. A lonely, bitter workaholic. And if I’m being brutally honest, a little broken.”
He looked more like eighty-four than forty-eight; time and stress had etched deep lines near the corners of his eyes. His hair had turned silver somewhere in the last few years, and I’d barely noticed. Maybe the betting pool at The Pub was wrong and he was done with the marriage and divorce carousel.
“You’re not broken. Only unlucky in love. None of those were the right woman or they would have been able to drag you away from the office.”
“Hiding at the office was a symptom, not the cause of my divorces. It’s a coping strategy.” He shook his head and smiled. “This isn’t about me. We’re talking about you. Give Wilson Phillips another chance.”
“What makes you think he needs one?”
“The man is desperate. I know the look.” He punctuated his statement with a rueful chuckle.
Desperate wasn’t a word I’d associated with Wilson. I considered Jude’s appraisal. Wilson’s short temper, the confusing silences, the hot and heavy looks. He could be desperate, or he could be an asshole. I wasn’t sure, and the flicker of doubt was enough to make me pause.
“Four divorces. I’ve been to shitloads of therapy, and you know what I learned? No one is a mind reader. No one. Love and lust don’t help the situation. I mean, you and Brian had known each other since childhood and you still had misunderstandings, right?”
“Yes.” My robotic reply was more reflex than agreement. I was still trying to wrap my spinning head around Jude encouraging me to be with a man who wasn’t Brian.
“You and Phillips have known each other for a few weeks. Have you even been on a proper date?”
“A date? No...” Date Wilson in public... shit. The rumors. It would be like an out-of-control wildfire.
“See, you’re doing this all wrong. I’m not letting you screw this up. You closed one deal. How about two?”
“You think me and Wilson Phillips is a good idea?”
“It’s a risk worth taking.”
“A date in Elmer, in public.” Had the front door of Beautiful Hills Real Estate led to an alternate reality today—a worm hole or something? I fluffed my blouse, coaxing a puff of cool air over my flushed chest.
“You’re not listening. Talk to each other honestly and figure out where you stand. What you’re both feeling and thinking. Then follow through together on any decisions you make. That is what hundreds of hours of marriage counseling taught me. Follow through. If it feels exhausting, then I’m an idiot and there is no spark. Throw yourself into your career. I’ll be right here in the office next to yours.”
Risk versus reward.
My heart thumped so hard, Jude could probably hear it trying to break out of my chest. It wanted to take the risk. See if there was more to Wilson and me than a few kisses, an earth-shattering orgasm, and a business deal. But my brain needed convincing. Years of playing it safe when it came to men wasn’t something I could shake off as easily as Taylor Swift might want me to.
The ding of my cell phone almost knocked me from my chair. I scrambled to unearth it from my bag. On the screen, a text flashed. I had to read it three times to comprehend what I saw.
“They accepted the offer.” I almost dropped the phone. “What do I do now?” I didn’t need Jude to tell me I’d closed plenty of deals in my career, but shit, this wasthedeal, and my brain wasn’t fully functional at the moment.
Jude came around the desk and pulled me out of the chair and into a hug that crushed all the butterflies right out of me. “You celebrate for a moment, then get to work on closing this sale.”
As he let me go, his expression was both excited and something else that reminded me a little of Brian. Proud maybe. It struck me how lucky I was to have benefited from years of knowing and working for Jude. He’d been better than a friend; he’d been family.
