She let go of my hands and turned back to retrieve her pants from the floor.
“To be honest, I have zero willpower where you’re concerned,” she admitted.
I grinned. “Good. That works in my favor.”
We spent a few minutes cleaning up Dean’s boat and ensuring we left it in the same state that we’d found it. Dean was a stickler for order. Every single piece of furniture had to be in an exact spot. His obsessive behavior extended into all areas of his life, which is probably why his businesses were so successful.
“Seriously, the cabinets in here are labeled,” Jo yelled from the bathroom. “He has little tags that say ‘towels’ and ‘toilet paper’.”
I laughed.
“I feel bad for the girl who ends up with him,” she said. “Could you imagine living with him?!”
I tried to recall one of Dean’s girlfriends. There were dates every now and then, but I couldn’t recall a single woman who’d managed to hold his attention or met his standards for more than a few weeks.
“I don’t think he’s planning on settling down anytime soon anyway. He’s too busy taking over the earth,” I said.
She walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later after declaring it clean.
“And what about you?” she asked.
“Am I too busy to settle down?”
She nodded and watched me carefully.
I smiled. “I care more about enjoying earthly pleasures. You can put the towels and toilet paper wherever you want, so long as you keep doing that thing with your tongue.”
She stepped forward and kissed me. I reached out to hold her against me to prolong the kiss as long as possible, but she was too quick.
“Why am I not surprised by that answer?” she asked.
I shrugged and attempted to concentrate on much more pressing matters, like my stomach.
“I’m starving. Are you hungry?”
Her smile faltered. “I have to head home and pack.”
“Pack for what?” I asked, forcing a calm demeanor. In reality, it felt like someone had hit me in my gut as hard as they could.
She crossed her arms.
“I’m going home for a week to visit my dad for his 60th birthday, remember? Stop giving me that look!”
I immediately changed my face. What? Was I frowning or something?
“Already?” I asked, confused by how quickly time had passed in the last few days.
She nodded.
Another punch to my gut, this time a little more on its mark. I tugged my hands through my hair, trying to calm down. Why did it feel like she was leaving for good? Maybe because in the last seven days, she’d hardly had any time for me. Part of the reason I’d stolen her away to Dean’s boat was because I knew she wouldn’t be able to get cell service out at the marina.
“I leave tomorrow.”
WHAT?
Calm down, asshole. It’s only a few days.
It’s nothing.
“I wish you weren’t leaving tomorrow.”
You were supposed to calm down before you spoke…
She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms tighter. Her green eyes, usually clear and inviting, were warning me to relax.
“I’m sorry,” she said, though she didn’t sound like she actually was. “I didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I was fucking all this up. It wasn’t a big deal.
I stepped closer and reached for her hands; she kept them wrapped around her waist until I pried them away and clutched them tightly.
“What if I got us some takeout and came to your place to help you pack?” I asked.
I didn’t care if I sounded desperate. I was a little desperate, and what did it matter as long as Dean wasn’t around to hear me sound like a sad sap?
Her face softened. “Chinese?”
I smiled. “Whatever you want.”
She nodded. “Okay, but I seriously have to pack. I leave at 6:00 in the morning and haven’t even printed out my ticket.”
I held up my hands as a sign of innocence.
She arched her brow and I smiled. She knew me better than that.
“All right, I’ll be honest. I had plans to take advantage of you once you were in a wonton-induced haze, but now, I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
Chapter Forty-Three
What Jo Wore
Post #1270: Welcome!
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Hello to all my new followers! Many of you found me from the Marc Jacobs show, but I’d like to invite you to relax and stay a while. I hope you’ll find that my blog is full of great advice for the beauty obsessed on a budget. You can check out my past beauty guides, fashion posts, and hair style guides in