Chapter 18
eighteen
DAISY
“On a scale of one to ten, how disappointed was Jude?” Sally asks as she carefully strokes on nail polish. We’re sitting on the couch, our feet propped on the coffee table, and separators between our toes. Sally is painting her toenails bright yellow. I’ve chosen a pale pink.
“I’d say about twenty.” I accidentally paint my skin and reach for a Q-tip to clean it.
“He really said he expected you to be married with a baby by now?”
“Married and planning a family,” I correct.
Sally fans her toes with her hand. “Same thing. It is a shame it didn’t work out with you and Evan. Who doesn’t love a hot doctor?”
“He wasn’t into me either. He told me it would never work because he can see an attraction between Kade and me.”
Sally dips the brush in the bottle, then scrapes off the excess and starts painting her other foot. “He’s right. When the two of you are in the same room, it’s like fireworks are about to explode.”
“Sexual attraction isn’t going to get me what I want.”
“While you’re waiting for Prince Charming, the man of your dreams, who you want to spend the rest of your life with, why not have a little fun with Kade?”
I pause with the brush hovering over my toes. “Have fun with Kade?” That sounds dangerous. “I don’t think Kade does fun.”
“No. You’re probably right, but I bet it would be exhilarating. Mind-blowing. The type of sex you’ll never forget. Something you should try at least once in your life.”
“I’ve had good sex before. I’ve had a boyfriend or two who were pretty good in bed.”
Sally raises her eyebrows. “Just pretty good? Oh, honey. You need better than pretty good.”
When I think about it, the times Kade has put his hands on my body were above and beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in or out of bed. “I’m sure sex with the man I fall in love with will be amazing,” I say to reassure myself.
“I’m sure it will.” Sally nods with false agreement. “Like I said, why wait?”
Is Sally right? Why do I have to wait for Mr. Right to have great sex?
“He’s told me he won’t touch me because of Evan. Now nothing is happening with him, do you think Kade will change his mind?” I ask the question that has been playing on my mind.
“Absolutely. He didn’t do a good job of not touching you before while he thought you were dating Evan. So now that’s over, he’ll be all over you. But if you want more than fun with Kade, I’m not sure if he’s a relationship kind of guy.”
“I know he’s not. And I don’t want more. Can you imagine if I brought him home to meet Dad? If Kade was the settling-down kind of guy?”
“He’d have a heart attack and meet the angels,” Sally says.
We giggle.
“One night with Kade couldn’t hurt, right?”
Sally drops her feet to the floor and bounces to the edge of the couch. “No, it wouldn’t. That’s only if you know what you’re in for. Do you?”
“I’m not expecting anything from Kade except for a one-time thing.”
Excitement glints in Sally’s eyes. “Are you going to his apartment tonight?”
I laugh. “Whoa. I’m only thinking about it. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Or Kade even wants me.”
“Oh, I have no doubt that man wants you. Okay, if you’re not having sex with him tonight. We need to make a plan.”
“A plan?”
She leans forward, picks her phone up from the coffee table, and swipes it open. “We need to make a list of what you need to do.”
“A list? Of What?”
“You need to book in for a wax. You know, to make sure everything is tamed down there.” She circles her hand above my lap, then types something on her phone. “Next, we have to shop for sexy lingerie.”
“I have lingerie,” I inform her.
She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Please… cotton panties and bras aren’t lingerie.
You need the skimpiest thongs and lacey bras.
Something that will make his eyes pop out of his head.
” She taps her finger on her chin as she stares at her phone.
“Oh! You need an outfit to show off your amazing body. He won’t know what’s hit him when you come knocking. ”
“This sounds too hard, and I don’t know if I can pull it off. Maybe I should forget about it.”
Sally slaps her hand on her thigh. “No. You can’t forget about it. You deserve this.”
“If I were to do this, I’d rather be me. Not dress up as something I’m not.”
She tosses the phone next to her and sinks back into the couch cushions. “You’re right. You don’t need to change the way you dress. I bet if you wore a potato sack, he’d still want to do you.”
“What about granny panties?” I jokingly suggest. “Would he still want to do me?”
Her lips twist to the side in thought. “I’d say he would. What if you wore baggy denim overalls and a plaid shirt with muddy boots, like you’ve just walked off the family farm?”
“It’s possible,” I say. “What if I wore long johns under my clothes?”
“He’d find them sexy,” she says, trying to keep a straight face. “What if you were wild and untamed down there?” Again, she circles her hand over my lap.
I stare into the distance like I’m seriously contemplating the question. “Hmmm… Yes, I think he would.”
We stare at each other for a beat, then burst out laughing. Turning serious, I say, “Can I really do this? Be with a man knowing it can never be anything more than sex?”
“Only you know the answer. It’s totally up to you.”
Sex with no attachment. Sex without getting my heart involved. Maybe this is my next ‘try new things.’