After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,63
either. Just please courier it up to the hotel.”
“Righty ho, boss. Now you need to get on email. You’ve got your usual ton of invitations. And I know the nos, but I need answers on the maybes.”
“Duncan’s working today, and Chloe and I are riding this morning. I’ll get on it this afternoon.”
“Cool. Now I’ll let you go. Have fun with Chloe and I really, really hope you enjoy exploring things with Duncan. And I really, really can’t wait to meet him.”
That made me smile. Not big, but at least it was a smile.
“Thanks, honey. Take care.”
“You too. Later.”
Then she was gone.
And I had no choice but to phone Duncan.
I would have liked our first-ever cell phone call in history, and our first-ever phone call after we were back together, to be about something like if he wanted me to make spaghetti and meatballs (his favorite from back in the day) for dinner that night.
At his house.
Because I was dying to cook in his kitchen.
He had an amazing kitchen, which wasn’t a surprise, considering he had an amazing house.
But sadly, it had to be about other.
He picked up right away with a, “Hey, honey.”
“Hi, uh, do you have a sec?”
“So you heard they made the connection with Corey.”
This surprised me.
“You heard too?”
“Sheila, our publicist, has had her phone ringing off the hook. Before you worry, she’s skipping through the office. She loves this. ‘Because if I get another call about how you feel about fracking somewhere, when the answer is always, he’s decisively against fracking, I’ll scream,’ her words. And she knows the response is, it’s none of their business, not in those words, but she still thinks this is the shit.”
“Well, there’s that,” I muttered.
“Is that why you called?” he asked.
“Well, yes, and no, since I have not spoken to my publicist. But she does have experience with this. And my PA is no fool. So she shared ahead of my publicist doing the same that this could get ugly.”
“How?”
“Well…” God dammit! “Tom and I were really a favored couple, Bowie. And things can get nasty, and inappropriate, but there’s no stopping it and—”
“Again, do I give a crap about this?”
“Well, when Team Tom wins in the race over Team Duncan, you might.”
He burst out laughing.
I sat in stunned silence, listening to him.
When he got control of himself, he asked, “I get the sense you two salvaged things, so your kids don’t have to deal with your garbage, like me and Dora did, but is it over?”
“I wouldn’t start things with you if it wasn’t.”
“So I’ll repeat, do I give a crap about this? Team Tom can win, but you’re still about to ride my horses, have lunch with me, dinner at my house, you’re gonna be in my bed, and we’re gonna work it out so we’re in each other’s lives. Not that it’s a competition. But still. I win.”
I closed my eyes and turned my head, taking a minute, and not simply because I was glad he’d stated we were having dinner at his house.
“Gen?” he called when I said nothing.
I opened my eyes and said something.
“It means a great deal to me that you’re taking this like you are, Bowie. Being Imogen Swan is a lot. That I can be Gen with you, hell, that I’m just Gen to you, means everything.”
“Baby, you are not just Gen to me. You’re Imogen Swan, famous actress. You’re also Genny, the girl who didn’t mind getting mud up to her knees and twigs in her hair when we went off trail on our hikes. And Gen, the girl who I looked to in the stands when I played football and could hear my father shouting over everyone else, coaching me from the sidelines. Also Genny, the hot piece I came home to who met my hunger, stroke for stroke. And now, Gen, a great mom, an interesting woman, and still a really hot piece I wanna sink into. Yeah?”
“You can’t talk sex talk if you’re going to slow things down, Bowie.”
“I’m speedin’ a few things up tonight, since Chloe just texted and told me she has to get back to her shop, which means she’s returning here at some point, but we got a window. She’s leaving after your ride. And you’re spending the night at my place. So when you come over tonight, bring clean panties. And Cookie.”