Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,7
home.”
Shelly moved around the couch and sat down, kicking her purple heels off and propping her feet up on the table.
“So, I’m your I’m-bored phone call?”
“No! You know that’s not true.”
Shelly laughed. “I know. I’m just giving you a hard time.”
“Figures,” Lena mumbled, and then paused. “So?”
“I knew it! I knew there was an underlying reason why you called me. Spit it out, O’Donnell.”
“I just wanted to know what you thought of Josh?”
“He seemed nice,” Shelly replied, keeping it vague.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Sighing, Shelly shook her head even though her friend couldn’t see. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. He’s not my type.”
“You need to broaden your horizons. Did you ever think Mason would be my type?”
“Ahh, Lena?” Shelly questioned.
“Yeah?”
“No one was your type! You didn’t date. I do,” Shelly stressed into the phone.
Lena sighed, and then said softly, “Okay, so you’re right there, but obviously, something isn’t working. You’re miserable. You always complained about Paul, and before that Steve, and before that—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get the picture,” Shelly mumbled. “But that doesn’t mean I want to date Josh the handyman.”
“Well, actually—” Lena tried to interrupt.
“No. There’s no actually in this conversation. He’s not for me. Now, find me a cute banker, CEO, or lawyer.”
“Paul was a lawyer,” Lena pointed out.
“Okay, not a lawyer, but not a contractor, or an inventor, or a salesman. Ugh.”
There was silence, and then Lena asked softly, “What’s wrong with all those things? At least they’re jobs.”
Shelly thought about what she’d just said and agreed it had sounded obnoxious. “You’re right. I’m being a jerk. They are jobs. I’m just not interested in Josh, okay?”
“Okay, okay. I get it. Mason and I just thought it would be nice.”
Shelly let out a laugh and replied good-naturedly, “You and Mason are two interfering busybodies. Go and practice making babies.”
“Hmm. Now, there’s a good idea,” Mason’s deep voice came over the phone.
“Lena! How many times have I told you to tell me when I’m on speakerphone? What if I’d been telling you about the latest penis I’d—”
“Stop! Stop! My ears—they’re bleeding!” Mason yelled, laughing.
“Well, it serves you right. Now, go and keep your fiancée occupied, so she leaves me alone.”
Suddenly, Mason’s voice sounded much closer when he answered, “With pleasure,” and then the connection died.
Looking down at her silent phone, Shelly let out a deep breath and glanced around her empty house. God, when had it become so lonely here?
About five minutes ago, when she’d heard from lover’s paradise, that’s when. Ugh, she thought, standing up and heading down to her bedroom. She needed to stop feeling sorry for herself.
Maybe she needed a pet. A dog, perhaps? Oh no! All that slobbering. That settles it. She was going to get a cat.
When she reached her room, she stopped and shook her head. No, not a cat either. The implications of an older single woman with a cat were horrifying.
Unzipping her skirt, she stepped out of it when it fell to the floor, and then walked into the bathroom. She turned on the sink faucet and reached for the face scrub in her cabinet. Tying up her hair, she watched the basin fill, and suddenly, it hit her—the perfect pet.
Tomorrow, I’ll go and buy myself a fish.
***
Josh had thought about Mason’s renovation proposal for the last two days. He wasn’t sure if it was good to mix business with friends, but Mason had balked at the idea that Josh would do it for free.
So, here he was, walking through the dining room of Exquisite on Thursday morning, looking for the owner. He found Mason standing behind the bar with his head bent over, reading something. Josh walked over to the counter, and as he reached it, Mason looked up.
“Hey, Daniels. How you doing this morning?”
“Good, man, good. Yourself?”
“Can’t complain,” he told him, grinning widely.
Josh nodded as he lifted the folder he had in his hand to the countertop.
“Is that the bid?” Mason asked.
Pushing it toward his friend, he replied, “Yeah. I think I got it all in there. You wanted an estimate for the wall to be knocked down and the space next door to be brought up to code for the restaurant to be expanded, right?”
“You got it,” Mason answered, reaching out to grab the folder.
Lifting it, he opened it up and flipped through the pages. Josh turned and looked around the dining room, giving Mason a moment to look it over.
Damn, this place is something else. The tables