Chapter 21 #2
Oh shit! Did he hear that? A twinge of guilt bit her. “Um, yeah, but I’m kinda in a virtual meeting here.”
He cracked the door and stuck his hand through—a hand holding a fresh bourbon and Coke. “Thought you could use a refill for your meeting. If you want to hand me your empty—”
“How did you know?”
“ESP.”
Sarah traded out the drinks, and the door snicked shut. When she returned to her laptop, everyone else had fresh drinks too.
“Oh shit,” said Natalie. “You know what this means, right?”
Paige nodded solemnly. “Yep. The menfolk are conspiring.”
Sarah was confused. “Conspiring?”
“They’re talking to each other,” Natalie said. “Which means they’re working like a team with the ultimate goal of getting that winning score.”
“Which is?” Sarah felt like she was one step behind.
“They want to score tonight,” Lily offered helpfully.
When Sarah didn’t respond, Natalie added, “Score off the ice. Like, they’re looking to light the lamp? Taking aim in hopes of putting the biscuit in the basket? Using their hard sticks to—”
“Got it!” Sarah interrupted. “I don’t need any more metaphors to understand the gist of … being in the crease.”
They fell over howling. When they recovered, Paige was still giggling. “I’m afraid. Very afraid.”
The party paused. “Why?” Lily asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m Fertile Myrtle, and Beck’s got superpowered swimmers. All I want is some good, old-fashioned, down-and-dirty sex without what comes nine months later!”
A man’s voice boomed in the background. “I heard that! Ready whenever you are, pixie.”
“Omigod, now they’re eavesdropping!” Katie yelped. Sarah cringed. They all burst into a fresh round of laughter.
“Okay. Okay,” Natalie dropped her voice between her snort-giggles. “We still have to get poor Sarah hooked up.”
Sarah mocked in a haughty tone, “‘Poor Sarah is just fine, thank you very much.”
“No taking Quinn for a spin?” Katie asked.
Sarah sputtered. “Definitely not! Don’t get me wrong. He’s nice to look at, but he knows it. Not interested in that type.”
“Hmm. What would you say to a different dark-haired, dark-eyed guy? One who’s a little more mature and loves dogs?” Natalie suggested.
“Oh, I know who you’re talking about. Your brother, right?” This from Lily. “He’s a cutie.”
Sarah feigned indifference. Not that she was interested in the brother. Just the opposite, and she didn’t want to offend her newfound friends.
“Yep.” Natalie took a slug of a red cocktail.
Lily picked up the slack. “Tall, lean, dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and funny. He’s kinda like Quinn, only Drew doesn’t know he’s good-looking.”
“What do you say, Sarah?” Natalie poked.
“I’ll think about it.” She wouldn’t, of course, and hopefully the idea would just fade away.
The party progressed for another hour until the women said their good-nights, leaving only Paige and Sarah.
“Thanks for including me, Paige. I had such a great time tonight.”
“I’m so happy you joined in. You’re a great addition to the group.” Paige paused. “While I’ve got you, I wanted to ask if I could send over some blueprints for a project I’m thinking of, and since we can’t get together in person—”
“Yes! Please!”
Paige chuckled. “Okay. I’m glad you’re on board.”
“Well, you know what it’s like, being cooped up twenty-four-seven with—”
“Oh yes. And I also know the ‘type’ you’re cooped up with. Intimately.”
What had Sarah missed? “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Beck was a total player. I tell people he changed girlfriends as often as he changed socks, and the man changes his socks at least twice a day.”
Sarah rummaged around in her memory bank, coming up with limited images of Beckett doting on his wife and his baby daughters. “Seriously? He’s like Mr. Mom.”
Paige chuckled before heaving her eyes to the ceiling.
“Yeah, well, things are different now. He’s different.
If you want a look-see at the old Beckett Miller, I’m sure you can still get an eyeful on YouTube.
I just hope like heck that when our girls are old enough, the evidence is completely wiped from the planet.
I don’t need them seeing footage of their half-naked dad dancing with completely naked women or getting his drunk self tossed from strip clubs. ”
Sarah’s eyes popped wide. “Whoa! I had no idea.”
“Good!” Paige smiled, her dimple on full display. “Then there’s hope. Seriously, though, I didn’t want to give the man a chance. I had my own trust issues, but then I got to know him and realized what was hiding under all that bad-boy behavior.”
“How did you get past it?
Paige shrugged. “I decided to trust what was in front of me and ignore the stuff from his past. After all, people change. They grow up. I believed with all my heart that he was—we were—worth taking a chance on. And I haven’t looked back.
No regrets.” She tilted her head, her expression taking on a dreamy quality.
“He’s incredible. He’s … Let’s just say I’m so glad I looked beyond the hype and saw the man. I can’t imagine life without him.”
Paige’s voice cracked on the last words, and Sarah felt a tug on her heartstrings.
When she hung up, her mind was a rolling cement drum, churning a slurry of thoughts … and they weren’t about the blueprints she’d been excited about.