Chapter 7
At eight o’clock Wednesday night, with just one more day until Thanksgiving, Marlie plopped on Jeff’s couch, guarding a large bowl of buttered popcorn while Jeff fiddled with batteries for his remote.
“Seriously? You don’t have any extra batteries?”
“Shut up. You’re just here to eat my food and watch my TV. You don’t get a vote.”
She sniffed and turned back to the popcorn. Dinner for champions.
Truth be told, after Damon had left her at Bragg’s Tea Shop, she’d felt a little depressed. She had the rest of the week off, so she should have been ecstatic for some down time. An evening with her best friend, especially, should have perked her up.
Yet all she could think about was waiting an entire day and a half until she saw Damon again.
Even more depressing, he hadn’t tried to send her a dick pic all day.
“What is your problem, Depressa VanBoring?”
“You come up with the most intriguing nicknames, Dr. Doo-Little-To-Nothing.”
“Ha. Touché.”
Marlie sighed. “I think I’m mentally disturbed.”
“Which is why we’re friends.”
She had to smile at that. “True. I was so excited for this break since I got an extra day today to goof off. Instead, all I can think about is my stalker. We have a date Friday night.”
“You are such a bitch. Why have you waited to tell me this until now?” Jeff flew over the couch to land next to her, jostling the popcorn bowl so that pieces scattered all over the cushions.
Marlie laughed. “I wanted to make you pay since you’ve been so secretive about this guy you’re crushing on.”
He flushed. “I don’t want to announce my happiness before it actually happens. We’re too new. And he’s a little skittish.”
“Well, tell him if he hurts you, I’ll hurt him.” Marlie had a reputation for being a ballbuster. Everyone she knew said so, and she wore the moniker with pride.
“Oh, I will.” Jeff grinned. It was too bad he was gay, because they had everything in common. He would have made a perfect husband, but sexually, they didn’t vibe. And for Marlie, the physical aspect of a partnership was as important as all the rest.
Hmm. Ben hadn’t been all that great in the orgasm department either.
“Why the long face?”
“For one, I spent a lot of time on Ben, and he wasn’t that great in the sack.”
“Ha. I knew it.”
She muttered under her breath about know-it-alls. “And two, I told Damon not to send me any dick pics.”
Jeff gaped. “Why the hell would you do that? Are you stupid?”
“No, you moron. That’s not a mating ritual in my world. It basically means a guy wants nothing but sex.” She paused. “Wait. I think I am a moron. I don’t want to date anyone, though that’s what he seems to want from me. I just want sex.”
“No, you want a date. You’re burned from Ben. You need the right man to set you straight.”
They stared at each other then laughed.
“Okay, bad pun. Keep you straight, maybe.” He chuckled some more. “But you get me. A good relationship will show you men aren’t all bad. And trust me, no one is telling you that you need a man to be happy. I’ve been single forever.”
“And you’re not happy,” she pointed out, which got her a middle finger in return.
“Yes, but I’m not you. You only wish you were this amazing.” He motioned to all of himself.
“I have to admit, you got me there.” She sighed. “I really wasn’t looking for a new guy. He kind of forced the date on me.”
“How?”
“Well, he asked. And he was kind of a dick. But then he said he’d help Steve and the guys this weekend.”
“Seriously? Demon Sinclair will be on the ice? Or near the ice? I’m so there.”
“I thought you didn’t like hockey.”
“Are you crazy? I love it. Mostly for the fights.”
Jeff had a sadistic streak she appreciated.
“The guys are pretty hot,” she admitted. “But my brothers make hockey annoying. They think they’re experts on the ice.”
“Which we both know they’re not. So we’ll go, make fun of them, and ogle Demon for a while. You have to admit, the guy is seriously built. Did you see the size of his hands?” Jeff fanned himself.
Marlie grinned. “He had big feet too.”
“And he likes cats. He called in that rescue and helped out.” Jeff snagged some popcorn from the cushions and popped them in his mouth. “I wonder what his parents are like. You said he was drinking to avoid them? At ten in the morning?”
She snorted. “Yeah, that’s a little suspect.”
“Why? Because it’s exactly the way you react to your parents, or because that’s too early to drink?”
“Both.”
“Hey, it’s always five o’clock somewhere.”
Marlie shook her head. “You’re so nonjudgemental when it’s someone else drinking. I take a few shots before nine and it’s, oh my God! Drinking problem, drinking problem!”
“Marlie, you were fourteen.”
“Yeah? Well, so were you. Narc.”
“Never letting that one go, I see.”
They munched popcorn and stared at each other.
“I’m bored,” they said at the same time then sighed.
Jeff’s phone dinged. He glanced at it and brightened. “Solution—let’s go crash a party.”
“Who do we know that parties?”
“Trust me, okay? It’s a holiday party. Nothing fancy. A friend of friend is there. We can go because we also know people. It’s pretty loose with invites.”
“Are you sure?” She glared at him. “Because you’ve gotten us kicked out of too many parties to mention.”
“No. You’ve gotten yourself kicked out. I’m delightful, I’m handsome, and I’m a doctor! You’re just some loser writing teacher who glares men into submission. What have I told you about the art of seduction, Mad Marlie?”
“It’s not my fault. It’s my brothers. Any time I try to be nice to a guy when they’re around, they get a little kooky.”
“Well, that’s true. But I’m not your brother. I’m your best wingman. Let’s go eat and drink someone else’s goodies and enjoy the night. Then we’ll be strong enough to survive Thanksgiving tomorrow with family.”
She stood with him, glancing down at her serviceable jeans and sweater. “I’m okay?”
“Perfect. But I’m putting on my tighter jeans just in case.”
“Go for it, Romeo.”
While she waited, she wondered what Jeff had to be worried about. His family loved and supported their mega-successful son. And with his sister, Carly, the proverbial black sheep of the family, he really had no issues at home.
Whereas Marlie would have to run the gauntlet of what guy she might or might not be seeing, because no doubt, by now, word had spread about her breakup with Ben.
With her twin a cop, older brother, Ed, an architect who knew all the movers and shakers in town, and her eldest brother, Will, an electrician who’d worked on half the houses in Hope’s Turn, she had no chance of being unseen.
She groaned, remembering how she’d stupidly told Steve he was “cock-blocking” her with Damon. Funny, yet a little too blunt. Then again, Steve wanted Damon’s help for his team. He wouldn’t mess that up by admitting to their parents that Marlie had an interested new potential beau.
Beau. As if that’s what Damon was. The guy had stared at her boobs.
He’d hounded her for a date. A guy who looked like that, being a professional athlete, could likely get any woman he wanted.
Hmm. She’d spent so long looking for a nice guy and come up empty.
Perhaps it was time to go for a bad boy.
She’d sex him up and watch him leave without any expectations. That she could do.
She pondered how best to make that happen as they drove over to a large home in a nicer area of town. A ton of cars had been parked along the street and long driveway.
“Whose house is this?” Someone with money, because the plots of land were large, and each home in the area could have fit six to seven of her tiny cottages inside them. The large midcentury modern styled home they approached was gorgeous but way too big for her.
“I think it’s the West Wind’s place.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Wait. Grant Weston? The baseball player?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“What who said?” She’d narrowed in on Jeff’s vague answer easily. “I know you, Jeff Morrison. You’re hiding something from me.”
“Duh. I hide a ton from you. You’re terrible at lying.”
“That hurts.” She glared.
A familiar face opened the front door as they approached, and she realized Jeff must have texted ahead about their arrival.
“Will?” She stared at her brother.
“Hey, guys. Come on in. You’re my plus-ones.” Tall and handsome, like the rest of her siblings, Will looked like their mother more than Steve and Marlie did. He had sandy-brown hair, brown eyes, and a dimple in a face that had crowned him Prom King and Mr. Popular over a decade ago.
He had no shortage of dates whenever he wanted them, though no one seemed to stick. Everyone loved the guy. Too bad he’d inherited his bossiness from their mother.
Dragging them inside, he yanked their coats off and disappeared.
Marlie stared at the home, impressed by the warm coziness and sophistication that she’d never manage without a professional decorator.
The home opened up into a spacious living area filled with laughing and smiling guests.
A large fire burned in a stone hearth. Teak woods and Scandinavian style furniture provided several seating areas, the sofas warmed by colorful accent pillows and throws.
Landscapes of the mountains decorated with walls, with a few pictures of a wedded couple and family on a larger wall painted navy blue.
The festive air, filled with conversation, low jazz, and the scent of spiced cider and something delicious made her stomach rumble.
“I know, right? Time to chow down.” Jeff rubbed his hands together.
She smelled his fancy cologne, noticed how handsome he looked in his lucky dark jeans and emerald-green pullover, and smirked at him. “Come on. Tell me. Where’s your newest boy-toy?”
Will rejoined them and grinned. “New boy-toy? Oh, tell us, Jeff. Where is he?”
Jeff scowled, his cheeks red. “You’re both super annoying. I’m getting a beer.” He hurried away.
Will laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You have the best friends.”
“I know, right?” She recognized a ton of people yet still saw many she didn’t know. Though Hope’s Turn was a small town, with nearly thirty thousand residents, it had enough people that she could always meet someone new. “Hey. How are you here?”
“Grant—this is his house—is brothers with Cade. We do a lot of work together.”
“Oh right. CLWC.” CL Weston Construction, a popular construction company in town.
Will nodded. “He throws a lot of work my way. Good guy. Pretty funny too. He’s here and extended the invite to me.”
“Thanks for inviting us.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was being sarcastic. You didn’t invite us.”
“Um, how do you think you got in?”
She frowned. “Why text Jeff instead of me?”
“Because I like Jeff. You, I’m not sure of.”
“Ha ha.” She pinched his waist.
“Ow. You’re such a bully.”
“I heard that,” said a voice she hadn’t expected to see until Friday. A grinning Damon Sinclair smirked down at her. “Still using and abusing strange men. Why am I not surprised?”