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“Melissa went home to grab a shower before work,” Gram says, reading my mind, as usual.“But she’ll stop by the house later to check in on how you’re doing.Slasher’s on his way to get us.As long as you can keep down food this morning, the doctor said you’re cleared for discharge.”
“Sounds good,” I say.“Bring on the bland hospital grub.”
Gram comes to stand beside my bed.“The trays arrive between six-thirty and seven-thirty.In the meantime, we can talk about dating single mothers, and how you shouldn’t do it unless you’re serious, Aaron.”
“Come on, Gram,” I say.“You raised me right.Don’t stress.”
“I’m not stressed,” she says.“I’m serious.Melissa’s been through a lot and she’s your sister’s fiancé’s twin sister.This could get messy, Aaron.”
“Not a chance,” I assure her.“Have some faith.It’ll be fine.”
I honestly think it will be.
Which just goes to show I’m an idiot when I’m high on pain medication.
Chapter 7
Melissa
Idon’t know how word got around Bad Dog that I was with Aaron at the hospital last night, but boy, did it get around.
By nine a.m., I’ve had more customers breezing in through my catering company’s front door than I usually have in an entire week.
Only, they aren’t customers.They’re sports ball gossip mongers, desperate for information on Aaron’s injury, his plans for vengeance against the Wisconsin player who rammed him into the boards, or the 411 on the exact nature of my relationship with our local hockey celebrity.
The last line of interrogation is, of course, the worst.
“Now that we’re alone, I need the truth, woman.You totally tapped that ass, didn’t you?”Tessa is one of my dearest friends, my oldest employee, and the only woman I trust with a fish dish at a wedding.
But today, she’s driving me insane.
“No, I did not tap that ass,” I lie, dumping marinade over a giant dish of chicken breasts in the prep kitchen.
Staying busy is key.As long as I stay busy, Tessa won’t get a good look at my face.I’m a decent liar, but my good friends know I can’t maintain eye contact while I do it.
“I knew his grandmother would be alone because Matty took Nora on an overnight trip to his treehouse,” I continue, carrying the marinade tub over to the sink and turning the water on.“And I know she can’t drive, so I offered to drive her.That’s it.”
Tessa sighs.“This isn’t the answer I wanted.I wanted you to tell me that you had hot, filthy sex with him, and that his dick is even more magical than the gossip sites say it is.”
I spin over my shoulder.“What?Gossip sites talk about Aaron’s penis?”
“Totally,” she says, slapping a salmon filet on her giant cutting board.“They say it’s the most magical peen of all, a true unicorn in a world of pencil dicks and baby gherkins.One of his exes allegedly leaked pictures to the press that prove it’s a fantastic beast, but I haven’t seen them.”She chuckles as she sharpens her knife.“Not that I haven’t looked.”
“Tessa!”I say, my jaw dropping.
She shrugs.“Oh, hush.It’s fine.He’s famous.This is part of what happens when you’re famous.You have to deal with people talking about your peen in exchange for money and power.I would never say anything about it to his face or make him feel uncomfortable.”A naughty smile curves her lips.“I’d just…look at it.A lot.And maybe make it my screensaver.”
“Gross.”I wrinkle my nose.
“Hey, I don’t have kids or a roommate or a boyfriend.No one cares what I have on my screensaver.”
I grunt.“Still.Even the world’s prettiest penis isn’t something I want to look at every time I’m online.There’s a time and a place.”
“You’re probably right,” she says, deboning a salmon filet with the skill of an artist.
She really is the best.I don’t know what I’ll do if she leaves me to open a restaurant the way she’s been daydreaming about for years.Probably cry for a week and stop offering fish as a banquet or wedding option.I just can’t deal with deboning that much fish.Ever since I was pregnant with Chase, the smell of raw seafood makes me nauseous.
The thought reminds me of Aaron and how much pain he was in last night.It makes it impossible to be annoyed with him, even if he is making my Monday more Monday-ish than usual.
