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AJ whistled. “Lookin’ good today, Lady A.”
Ainsley blushed. “Thanks. Big meeting this morning and Ben is taking me to lunch.”
“He’s coming into town just for lunch with you?” Ainsley’s husband Ben McKay and his older brother, Quinn, ran the northern most section of the massive McKay Ranch and were Cord’s cousins.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. I don’t know that Cord has ever specifically metmefor lunch.”
“Ever?” Ainsley asked with genuine shock.
“Well, not since we were first married. If we have to take the kids to an appointment or something during the week, we might stop for a bite before we head back to the ranch.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but that sucks. Especially since I doubt you two ever get to enjoy a quiet meal alone at home.”
With all those kids…went unsaid.
Then Ainsley backtracked. “But I’m sure it’s fine if it works for you.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t broken,” AJ muttered. But she knew Ainsley had heard her when her eyes narrowed. AJ offered a quick smile. “Never mind. Hit the dressing room and I’ll meet you back there.”
Ainsley sauntered to the door off to the left. The dressing room had a rear passthrough that allowed the client to enter the treatment room without having to backtrack through the reception area.
AJ washed her hands and selected the eucalyptus oil Ainsley preferred. For background noise she chose instrumental music with soft chimes layered over gentle guitar chords.
Ainsley emerged and dropped her robe before she hopped up on the table. She stretched out on her belly, her arms above her head. Her casual approach to nudity had actually shocked AJ; she’d expected the bank president to be modest. Ainsley had noticed her shock and had laughed. “In my life BB—Before Ben—being naked in any situation made me burn with shame. My husband has…reformed that attitude and now I’m practically a nudist.” That admission had forged an honest friendship between them and AJ looked forward to their sessions.
“Am I working on your shoulders today?” she asked.
“Yes, please. And if there’s time, can you check out my right calf? I’ve had weird cramps there the past week.”
“No problem. What level do you need today?”
“Medium hard? Gentler on my arms.”
“All right. Now inhale. Let go of all the tension you’re holding. Exhale slowly. Good. Twice more.” She didn’t put her hands on Ainsley until her last drawn-out exhale.
Some clients were chatty during their treatment. Some only spoke to ask for pressure adjustment. Ainsley fell somewhere in between. During the most intense portion of the tissue work, she concentrated on breathing and keeping her shoulders relaxed. But when AJ drifted to her lower back, she tuned in and made small talk. Ainsley surprised AJ when she said, “Is everything all right with you and Cord?”
“Eh. It’s the same old same old with Cord.”
“And is that part of the problem?” When AJ didn’t immediately respond, Ainsley added, “Look, I know you’re close to your sisters-in-law, and maybe you’ve mentioned whatever is going on with you and Cord to them, but it seems you need to talk to someone now. I’m here and it’s not like I’ll blab far and wide about it.”
AJ snorted. “Here’s where you’ll remind me that you’re a banker used to keeping everyone in town’s secrets.”
“Here’s where I remind you that we are family, but mostly I’ll remind you that I was married before Ben. I know what it’s like to question what you’re willing to live with or live without in a relationship.”
When AJ’s hands quit moving, Ainsley lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. “Or am I wrong?”
“That’s the thing; I don’t knowwhat’swrong. In the past few months, Cord has stopped being the affectionate man I fell in love with. I mean, we still have sex. I get off, he gets off. But outside of the bedroom? No ass-grabbing, no playful swats, no handholding, no reaching over to squeeze my leg as we’re driving. No crowding me and kissing my neck when I cook or sliding me onto his lap when we watch TV. I can’t remember the last time he purposely sought me out and kissed me goodbye before we started our days. And unless we go to bed at the exact same time, he doesn’t bother telling me goodnight. Maybe it sounds trivial, but I’ve gotten used to constant affection from him. And poof, it’s suddenly gone.”
“That is odd. His memory isn’t failing?”
“No more selective male memory than usual.”
“Have you tried tracking him down to kiss him before you leave?”
“Once.” AJ dug her thumbs into Ainsley’s thick calf muscle. “I followed him out to his truck but before I could put a liplock on him, he said he did not have time to add another task to histo do list. So when I fantasized about putting him in aheadlock, I retreated like a dog with its tail between its legs.” She groaned. “I know he’s dealing with a million things, but I didn’t deserve to be dismissed.”
