“Right.” Everly nods. “But if anyone asks what kind of penis I prefer, my answer is ‘a hard one.’ ”
Laughter breaks out, including me. Jesus.
Wyatt is looking at Everly like he wants to whip out his dick and show her how impressive he is, and Manny’s hanging on Taylor’s every word. And as I meet Lacey’s dancing eyes, both of us clearly thinking about the size of my junk, which she seems quite happy with, I want to drag her upstairs and get naked.
Our impromptu party continues until midnight, when Taylor gets up to leave and Manny says he’ll walk her home because it’s dark.
“It’s three doors down,” she protests, but he insists and they’re gone.
Wyatt and his buddy get up too, leaving only Everly.
“Wow, that guy’s an asshole,” Everly says.
I blink. “Who?”
“Wyatt.” She shakes her head. “You should trade him.”
“Jesus. Don’t you start telling me who to get rid of. Your dad’s bad enough.”
Everly grins. “Is he giving you a hard time?”
“Yeah.” I shake my head. “It’s okay, I can handle him.”
“Yeah, me too. Let me know if you need any help.” She wrinkles her nose. “Did he hire you to be his yes-man?”
I choke. Because I had that thought myself. “If he did, he made a big mistake. I already told him that’s not what I’m here for.”
“Good for you. He respects people who stand up to him.” She stands, yawning. “I’ll pick you up at one,” she tells Lacey.
I frown. “What for?”
“We’re going for pedicures.” Everly grins at me.
This is another thing I’m not sure I like—Lacey being friends with Everly. What if she lets it slip that the reason she’s here is to prop up my bruised ego? And also to save her ass from mobsters. I don’t know if I totally trust Everly, given who her mother is.
“My toes are a mess.” Lacey straightens her legs to inspect her feet.
“Thanks for the wine and pizza.” Everly crosses the patio. “Where did I leave my purse?”
Lacey and I follow her into the living room.
“It’s here.” Lacey grabs the designer bag and hands it to Everly. “It was fun, thanks for coming over.”
“See you tomorrow.”
And we’re alone.
Lacey meanders into the kitchen and contemplates the mess. “This can wait until morning.”
“I’ll do it.”
She sighs. “You just can’t leave it, can you.”
“Nope.”
“I’ll help.”
“No, go to bed if you want.”
“I want you to come to bed with me.”
She meets my eyes. My blood sizzles.
“Okay then, let’s be quick.” I toss boxes into the trash and load the dishwasher in record time.
Chapter 20
Lacey
“I got a job!”
Théo has barely walked in the door after work the next week when I spring my news on him. He stops. “Huh?”
I bounce on my toes, hands clasped together. “I got a job!”
He takes a couple more steps in and drops his keys on the small table. “Where?”
“At Jolie!”
He squints. “Jolie?”
“It’s a big beauty store! We passed by it when Everly took me to the wool shop, and I had the idea to apply for a job. I’ve taken some cosmetology courses, and with my experience doing stage makeup, I thought it might be something I could do. I applied online and went for an interview today, and they hired me! I start Monday.”
I do a twirl.
Théo grins. “Well, that’s awesome.”
“It’s not that far from here, so I don’t even need a car.”
He frowns. “You should have a car.”
“I can’t afford a car.” I wave my hand. “But now I’ll be able to contribute to the rent here and maybe save up.”
“You’re not contributing to the rent here.”
My bottom lip pushes out and my eyebrows pull together. “What? Why not?”
“You don’t need to. I didn’t expect to have a roommate. I can afford this place.”
I nibble my bottom lip. We haven’t talked about money, which I guess is okay since we’re not “really” married, but…“You make a lot of money, don’t you?”
His lips twitch. “Yeah.”
“Like…” I swallow. “Millions?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, Théo! You should have gotten me to sign some kind of prenuptial agreement!”
“Yeah, I don’t think there was much time for that between deciding to get married and actually doing it.” His eyes gleam.
“But seriously!”
“Yeah.” One corner of his mouth turns down. “I will. I haven’t had time to call my lawyer.”
“Okay, good.” I nod emphatically.
“Anyway, you don’t need to pay rent. I know you used some of your money to pay another month’s rent on your apartment, which you probably couldn’t afford.” He fixes me with a firm stare.
“Yeah.” I purse my lips. “Our furniture is there. And what if Chris needed a place to go?”
“Well, he could pay the rent himself. Like a goddamn adult.”
I bit my lip. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You haven’t heard from him?”
“I did text him the other day just to ask how he’s doing, and he said he’s fine, but that was it. I guess he’s still angry at me.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“Will he?” I eye him. “Are you going to get over what your brother did?”
He frowns. “That’s different.”
“Not so much. You said you miss him. You were best friends. Maybe you should make an effort. Especially since he and Emma are done.”
He’d told me about the text messages he’d exchanged with her and the news that she and JP had broken up.
His frown darkens. “No.”
I shrug. I’m not going to push it. Right now, anyway. “So, let me take you out for dinner to celebrate!”
“I’ll take you out.” He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I smile up at him and then he kisses my mouth, a slow, lush kiss that melts me inside. Like all his kisses do.
I was so excited to share my news with him, eagerly waiting for him to get home, anticipating his happiness for me, and I love the feel of his arms around me, his mouth on mine…the support I feel from him making my small accomplishment seem so much bigger.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this…this caring. This feeling of not being on my own. I was fine on my own. But this is…lovely.
I kiss him deeper, showing him my gratitude for him just being there. It’s not about the rent. It’s about cheering each other on. Believing in each other. Backing each other up.
Oh hell. My feelings for Théo are starting to get…complicated.
I pull back and give him a shaky smile.
“Where would you like to go for dinner?” He smooths my hair off my face with a tender gesture that dissolves my bones.
“I don’t know. Maybe that place we went for breakfast?”
“Phht. We can go somewhere nicer than that.”
“It doesn’t matter where we go. It’s nice just to go out…with you.”
Gah. I probably shouldn’t have said that.
But he just smiles. “Yeah. How about seafood? I’ve heard there’s a nice place on the marina.”
“Sure. I love seafood.”
We move apart and he pulls out his phone, swiping and tapping. “There. Seven o’clock.”
“You look fine.”
“I can’t go wearing shorts! I’ll change.”
I still keep my clothes and most of my toiletries down here, although some of my things are migrating upstairs to Théo’s bedroom and bathroom. We haven’t really talked about what’s going on between us, sleeping together and going out on dates together and living together…but this isn’t real. It’s temporary. And I can’t start liking this feeling of togetherness too much.
* * *
—
The restaurant is charming, with lots of windows and a view of all the boats in the marina. The sun hangs low over the ocean which probably means a pretty sunset soon.
Once we’ve ordered—extravagant king crab for me and prime rib for Théo—over glasses of wine Théo tells me, “I had to fire someone today.”
“Oh no.” I lean forward studying his face. Judging from his tone and his expression, it wasn’t a fun thing to do. I guess it never is. “Was it awful?”
“It wasn’t a party.” He grimaces, turning the stem of his wineglass between his fingers.
“You’re the big boss.”
“Yep. That’s my job. It had to happen.”
“Who was it?”
“The head coach of the team.”
“Oh. That’s…big.”
“Yeah. Obviously, it’s a pretty important position.”
“For sure. Do you know who’s going to replace him?”
“I’ve talked to a few people, but I honestly think the assistant coach we have is the best man for the job. Grandpa’s not so sure.”
“It’s your decision though, right?”
“Yeah.” He gives a short laugh. “In theory. Grandpa’s not exactly giving me the total control he said he would.”
“He’s not letting you make decisions?”
“Well, in the end he is, but it’s taking a lot more work than it should.”
“Is he okay with you firing the coach?”
“Yes. But not for the same reason. He didn’t think he was doing a good job. I wasn’t so sure of that, but in the end, Joe didn’t respect me or my plan. He didn’t come right out and say it, but today it was pretty clear he thinks I’m a punk kid who knows nothing and shouldn’t be doing this job. Wouldn’t be doing this job if it weren’t for the fact that the owner of the team is my grandfather.”
“Well, fuck him.”
He laughs, this time a genuine one of humor. “Exactly.”
“What does he know?” I wrinkle my nose. “You were the assistant manager in Vegas. It’s not like you have no experience.”
“Yeah.” He meets my eyes, and his are warm. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
I nod firmly. “Also you have hockey in your blood, so you just know stuff.”
He chuckles. “And you will probably be running the Jolie store in no time.” He lifts his glass.
“Ha. As if. There was an opening for a store manager, but I’ll start as a beauty advisor.” I pause. “I can work my way up, but I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
I meet his eyes.
The moment goes static.
“Should we talk about that?” I ask quietly.
He slowly shakes his head. “You told Chris you’d go back when he showed he could deal with his shit.”
“Right.” I move my chin up and down, holding his gaze.
“He hasn’t done that yet.”
“No. But…” I swallow. “What if he never does?”
“I told you, Lace, you can stay as long as you want.”
“No, I can’t!” I close my eyes. “I mean, we can’t just have this weird, open-ended relationship forever. Your mom wants a wedding. Someday you’ll meet the woman you want to have that wedding with. The woman you want to spend the rest of your life with.”
He reaches out and curls his fingers around mine on the table. “Lacey. I’m fine right now. I’m not interested in a forever relationship.”
I feel that like a throat punch, but I try not to flinch.
“I’m focused on this job and proving myself,” he continues. “I’m fine with the way things are now. I like you here. We have fun together.”
“Sometimes I think you don’t want to have fun.”
He flashes a rueful smile. “I’m not used to having fun. But I kind of like it.”
“I don’t want to distract you from your goals.”
For a moment, he doesn’t respond to that, and fear scrapes inside me that I am distracting him. Then he says, “I won’t let you.”
That doesn’t make me feel much better.
“Look, this is weird for me too. I like having plans and knowing what’s going to happen. But I don’t think either of us is in a position right now to make plans other than maybe for next week.” His lips quirk up at the corners.
He’s right.
“So,” he continues. “I’m learning to live in the moment and just enjoy what we have right now.”
I suck briefly on my bottom lip, then nod. “Okay. I can do that too. And…” I hold his gaze. “I am enjoying what we have right now.”
He squeezes my hand. “Me too.”
Okay.
He tells me more about firing Joe, the coach, and we take our time eating our delicious food and drinking the amazing wine he ordered and watching the sunset, and even though everything is sort of bizarre, I’m having the best time of my life.
* * *
—
“They didn’t give me much training.”
I’m having lunch with Everly and Taylor on a Saturday a few weeks later, talking about my new job at Jolie.
“Just threw me into things.”
“Sink or swim,” Taylor says. “You’re doing fine, though.”
“It’s been hard.” I sip my mojito. “But I think I’m figuring it all out. And I really do love helping people with makeup. The rep from Smashbox was in the other day, and she was really impressed with how I helped a customer.”
“That’s great.”
“And how’s the course going?” Taylor asks.
I signed up to take a course at Bella Academy, a prominent cosmetology school in Hollywood. “So far, so good. It was expensive, but hopefully I’ll learn more.”
“That’s awesome, Lace.”
I really am enjoying the course and my job, although customer service jobs have their frustrations. One day a group of teenage girls came in and started applying makeup straight from the testers without using applicators, contaminating them all. Then there was the woman who came in and licked all the lipsticks, and when I asked what she was doing told me that she didn’t buy lipstick she didn’t like the taste of. So gross!
It’s nice being busy and feeling like a productive, contributing member of society. Much as I appreciate Théo and all he’s done for me and his offer to forgo rent, I’ve learned that I can’t rely on anyone else to look after me; I have to look out for myself.
Right now I’m having fun talking to girlfriends about it and listening to their stories about their jobs and Taylor’s frustrations at living with her parents who think that even though she’s twenty-four years old she should be coming home by eleven o’clock every night.
I wish I could talk to them about what’s happening with me and Théo, but how do I tell them that I’m afraid I’m falling in love with my husband? I can’t tell Everly, that’s for sure; but we’re getting to be friends, and this feels like a big barrier between us. I’m not the kind of person to keep secrets or not say what’s on my mind, and this is hard.
“Have you seen or talked to JP?” I ask Everly.
“Um…yeah, actually. I saw him and Emma the other night when I
was having dinner with some friends.”
I frown. “You saw him and Emma?”
“Uh…yeah.” She gives me a strange look. “Why do you act like that’s a surprise?”
“When was it?”
“Thursday night. At Valentina. Why?”
I set my hands in my lap. “Emma texted Théo a few weeks ago and told him she and JP had broken up.”
Everly’s eyes expand. “What?”
“Yeah. That’s weird, huh?”
“Why’d she say that? Was she trying to get Théo back?”
“Yes.” I smile grimly. “He told me about it. He told her they were done and then he blocked her number.”
Everly blinks. “Well. If they did break up, they’re back together.”
“Wow.”
“I’m starting to think she might be a bitch.”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah, I already decided that from the way she treated Théo.”
Everly leans forward. “Did she cheat on him with JP? We always were curious how they got together so quickly.”
“Ugh. I don’t know if I should talk about it. But yes.”
Everly scowls. “No wonder Théo’s so pissed at JP. Dad was right. JP shouldn’t be with her. What an asshole.”
“I agree.” I sigh. “But Théo’s over Emma. I just wish he and JP could make up. He misses his brother.”
“Maybe we could help that along.”
“Uh…I don’t know. I don’t think I want to get involved.”
“Come on. You’re family now.”
I hold up my hands. “Don’t be dragging me into all your family drama.”
Everly laughs. “There’s enough of it.”
“I know.” I tip my head. “Théo’s told me some of it. It’s sad that you all grew up not liking each other.”
“When we were kids, we all got along. It wasn’t until we were older that we started to realize that Mark and Matthew hate my mom.” She pushes out her lips and wrinkles her nose. “We figured that they thought she was trying to take their inheritances away from them.”
“Maybe it was just that they were worried about their dad,” I offer gently.
She rolls her eyes. “As if they need to worry about him. He knew what he was doing.”
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