Chapter 5
Chapter Five
“You okay, Lib?”
“I’m fine.” Trust Talia to notice she was a little off tonight.
This was her friend’s second year of publicly embracing her alter ego, the Jewish Grandma caterer, and she was in full bubbe overdrive, fussing over everyone and everything, probably because she wasn’t in the kitchen cooking with her team tonight.
Since Jay had yet to come through with the promised assistant for her cookie class, Libby was grateful for Talia’s help, even if it meant her chef friend ragged on her for being a hot mess tonight.
So far, Libby had changed her mind about how she wanted the tables three times, misplaced her mini offset spatulas, and spilled blue food coloring all over the table, the floor, and her favorite black heels.
“Seriously, what is up with you tonight?” Talia looked about two seconds from pressing a cheek to her forehead to check for a fever.
“Nothing.” Libby made her voice light. “I just need a vacation to recover from my vacation.”
Ain’t that the truth.
She hadn’t stopped scrambling since she had awakened late Sunday morning and had to rush out of Mike’s bed to pick up all of the donut ingredients she’d ordered, get her abandoned bag from the gallery (which was open limited hours on Sunday), check in to her Airbnb, sort out what equipment she needed to borrow from a friend’s local restaurant, and prep fillings and toppings at warp speed, so she could hopefully finish in time to meet Mike at his parents’ condo for another night of astonishingly good sex.
Monday had been a repeat of Sunday’s busyness—sadly, without the hot sex.
She’d fried, filled, and topped donuts all day, and then served them at the party that night.
But no matter how hard she’d tried, she hadn’t been able to get into the holiday spirit.
It felt like Mike had packed up her Hanukkah joy and hauled it out of Palm Beach with his canvases.
She’d barely slept for the rest of the week. Instead, she tossed and turned every night, waiting for a text she knew better than to expect, finally getting up to sketch wedding cake ideas until her body ran out of energy.
But her brain never quit.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Mike.
Mike, who had gifted her the painting he’d made of her while she was sleeping on the couch their first night together, acting as if having an M. Waterman original was no big deal.
Mike, who had acted like the practice donuts she’d given him Sunday were the best gift he’d ever received.
Mike, who had begged her to light the menorah a day early, so they could pretend it was already Hanukkah and celebrate her holiday together. He’d watched her light the first night candle, and then…
A wave of heat swept from her scalp to her toes, lighting up her breasts and belly and making her core clench. The things that man did with his mouth…
“Are you sure?” Talia sounded worried. “Your cheeks are flushed. Do you have a fever? Chills?”
I’ve got chills all right—and they multiply every time I think about him.
Libby shook her head, knowing she wouldn’t get away with a complete evasion. But she could say something, right? She’d promised not to mention meeting M. Waterman in Palm Beach, but she could say she’d gotten lucky.
“I swear—I’m good.” She bit her lip, grinning. “Better than good. I met a guy.”
Talia’s expression lit up. “Tell me more. Wait—” She lifted her head and scanned the room, then yelled. “Nora! Get over here.”
Nora, ten feet away looking out the window, did an about-face and strode toward them. “What’s up?”
Talia pointed at Libby. “Our girl has tea.” She waggled her brows. “Hot beach tea.”
“Oh my God—yes. I need to hear this.” Nora put her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her palm. “Spill it, girl.”
Libby laughed at their rapt expressions.
“There’s not much to tell. It happened really fast, but that won’t surprise any of you.
” Her friends chuckled. “We only spent two nights together, but I’ve got a wicked sex hangover.
I keep doing that thing where I remember something, and my whole body combusts, you know? ”
Both women nodded, grinning.
Nora motioned for her to continue. “Like, are we talking actual sex on the beach? That’s on my bucket list. Come on, make me jealous.”
Before Libby could answer, Rebecca joined them, carrying a tray of Collins glasses filled with what looked like lemonade. A layered rainbow popsicle chilled each glass. “Hey, ladies, I caught Asher lurking behind the bar and got us a round of Jewish Pride Pops.”
The women cheered.
“Perfect timing,” Talia motioned for Rebecca to sit down. “Libby’s dishing on her hot Palm Beach hook-up.”
Libby took a glass and swirled the pretty popsicle around.
It left rainbow trails in the glass. Asher’s creative mixology was truly a wonder.
“L’chaim!” she toasted. They all clinked and sipped except Nora, who pulled her popsicle out of the glass and cautiously licked it.
The lemon cocktail was delicious—sweet, tart, and loaded with tequila.
“How’s it going, Rebecca?” Talia waved her popsicle at Jay’s girlfriend and former event coordinator. “Are you happy or sad not to be in charge tonight?”
Rebecca scrunched her face. “I’m going to plead the Fifth and keep drinking. Something doesn’t feel right, but I’m blaming it on my control issues.”
“Same, girl.” Talia raised her glass for Rebecca to clink. “After doing the food for the last two years, I think I’ve forgotten how to enjoy the party.”
“Is that why you’re over here helping me?” Libby asked. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. Feel free to stick around. I think Jay forgot to get me an assistant.”
“Do you need me to check on that?” Rebecca started to get to her feet.
Talia yanked her back down. “Not your job anymore. Let my dear brother figure it out.” She looked at Libby and grinned. “So? Where did the dirty deed take place and how many times?”
Heat rose to her cheeks. “We spent most of our time at his parents’ condo.
They were on vacation in Spain, I think?
We only spent Saturday and Sunday nights together because I had to work, and he had to leave, but—” Libby paused, quickly censoring the painting, sketching, and photographing, and distilled it down to what was actually causing her hot flashes.
“He looked at me like I was the most beautiful, fascinating woman he’d ever met.
He listened when I talked, like really listened, and asked questions that made me feel like he cared about what I was saying and feeling, you know?
And when we—” She got lost in a memory, heating.
“Tell me more.” Nora fanned herself. “Tell. Me. More. Like, did he make the first move? Or did you?”
“Actually, I fell asleep on him because I’d been up since dawn, but then…” She sketched the details, again leaving out all the art parts.
A weight lifted from her shoulders, simply by sharing the story.
Talia and Nora had been her friends for over a decade, and Rebecca had been part of their group for two years.
Maybe they could help her understand why she was still reeling over a two-night stand.
“Endless eye contact. Slow, like we had forever. Rolling from position to position like we fit without any of the awkwardness of a first time together. Effortless. Amazing—and all night. I felt incredible the next day, even though I got almost zero sleep. After work, I met him at his parents’ condo for a repeat.
” His parents’ pristine, professionally-cleaned, sans-canvases condo.
“I can’t stop thinking about him, and I feel like I should be making Valentine’s Day cookies instead of Hanukkah cookies.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to be piping blue hearts on dreidels. I’m a mess.”
“So when are you seeing him again?” Nora asked, waggling her brows. “I like where this is going.”
Libby’s heart dropped like a lead anchor. “I’m not.” She shrugged, pretending indifference. “It was just a fling for both of us.”
“Oh hell no,” Talia exclaimed.
“Fuck that,” Nora said. “Did you get his number?”
Rebecca’s green eyes narrowed, like her granddaughter-of-a-matchmaker spidey senses were tingling. Libby needed to nip that in the bud, fast.
She rushed to explain. “It’s complicated. We exchanged numbers, but I haven’t heard from him.” And her silent phone was really fucking with her concentration. Yes, he’d been clear about not wanting to share his real life with her, but would it kill him to text her?
Whatever. It was just a fling. “Life goes on.”
Her friends protested at high volume.
She held up a hand. “We didn’t make any promises. You know I don’t do commitment. I’m married to my job. I’d never get anything done with hot sex on tap all the time. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
A wicked grin cracked Nora’s face. “Doggy style these days.”
“Giddy up.” Talia raised an arm and whirled it in the air. “Let’s hear it for reverse cowgirl. Rebecca?”
Rebecca giggled and looked at Talia. “You might want to cover your ears.”
Talia grimaced. “I’m closing my eyes, too. I do not want to imagine my dear brother—la la la la…” she sang over Rebecca’s whispered confession.
“Go, Jay,” Libby said, impressed. Up against a wall took some muscle and maneuvering. Her back against the tile, hands clutching the towel rack behind her head. Mike on his knees, one hand steadying her hip, the other between her thighs. His molten caramel gaze eating her up.
They were all looking at her expectantly. “Lib?” Nora arched a brow. “What position was the winner at the beach?”
The entire condo had been their playground, bed, kitchen, over the back of the couch, against the sliding doors…but if she had to pick one. “The shower. Because nobody had to sleep in a wet spot.”
Their gales of laughter drew attention from the growing crowd.
Nora held up her untouched drink sans popsicle. “Speaking of sex, does anyone want this? I’m officially drinking for two.”
Talia gasped. “No!”