he hands Amber her mug all I see is . . . contentment.
“Hi, Addison.”
I rub my eye with my middle finger and take a sip of coffee that feels like battery acid as it slides down my quickly closing throat. He sits on the edge of his lounge chair and she slides in behind him. Her hands inch up his back and rest on his shoulders as she begins to give him a small back rub. He stretches his neck from side to side “Ah, that feels good.”
Gross.
My eyes close and I’m about to get up when I hear her whispering. “Last night was fun.”
I should go inside, but the scene playing out in front of me has cemented me to my seat.
His back stiffens, and he doesn’t respond. Her hands begin to descend, trailing along the muscles of his back, slipping around his sides to the front of him. She scoots closer, her crotch up against him. “We should do it again,” she continues.
I stand.
So does he.
He’s frowning, and for a split second, I think I have it wrong. He doesn’t want this woman’s hands on him, but as he looks at me, a slight pain filling his eyes, he reaches down and pulls her up, ushering her inside and leaving me standing there like a fool.
I phoned in sick, and called an emergency meeting with my girls.
“I’m thinking he didn’t sleep with her,” Mia says as she snaps a picture of me.
“That’s very optimistic Mia. Did I mention her nipples were visible through her white T-shirt?”
“Ass,” Paige mumbles as she works on the computer.
“How’s this photo?” Mia is holding her phone under my eyes so I can see the head shot she just took of me.
I’m peering at the picture, wondering what reason Mia has for thinking he didn’t have sex with Amber. I can’t think her name without a bolt of jealously striking me directly in the heart. “Can’t we do this with a regular camera?” I ask as I look at the washed out photo.
“It’s easier this way.” She shoots a few more pictures as Paige begins to ask me personal questions.
“Hobbies.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Yes you do, you work out.”
“That was my hobby with Damian. I highly doubt we’ll be doing that anymore.”
“I’m putting kickboxing on here. You did that before Damian came along and now you can pretend you’re kicking his ass.”
I don’t want to kick Damian’s ass. I want to go back to two nights ago and take back that one word—erase the unease that’s invaded my system the past two days.
I peer over her shoulder. “Match.com? Isn’t there a better site we can use?”
“Nope, this is the one that’s going to get you back on your feet.”
“Unless of course you want to call Matt back.” Paige is taunting me.
“I’m not calling him and I’m not moving to New York.” Was I so different five years ago that he’d think a fancy lifestyle is what I’m looking for? Does he not know me at all or maybe we never really knew each other to begin with.
After Damian and his leggy one-nighter left me alone on the balcony, I spent the day on my couch eating ice cream and watching re-runs of American Ninja Warrior, which has done wonders for my self-confidence.
Not.
But seriously, now that these two have come over and demanded I do something to mix things up a bit, I’m slightly on board. Online dating could be fun. Right?
Maybe a little?
Who am I kidding. I can’t think of anything worse.
“Kill the account, Mia. I don’t want to meet someone online. I’m not ready.”
“Too late. I’ve got you set up . . . and it looks like you already have a match.”
“Um, desperate much. Don’t go for it, Addison, probably a rapist. Mia. Set her up with that chef you were telling me about,” Paige continues.
“Who? Lance?”
“I don’t know! You interviewed him a few weeks ago.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “Yeah, good idea. He’s great, super cute and . . .” as she continues to discuss the benefits of some guy named Lance, there’s a knock on my door. I’m half listening to her description as I open it wide.
“Hi.” His deep masculine voice punches me in the chest, his grin making my insides liquefy. But a vision of Amber, with her see through shirt clouds my brain and that intense heat of desire quickly turns to one of anger.
“Damian.”
“Can I come in?” His voice is low, his eyes filled with something that looks a lot