Chapter Chapter Three #2
“I don’t care. You can give me my margarita and wrap those huge arms around me to shield me from the wind.”
“Fuck yes, I can,” I assured her.
She chuckled. “So, where is my margarita?”
“Inside, on the bar.”
“Oh goodness, you’ve got a bar.”
As she stepped in, her mouth hung slightly open.
Fuck, she was beautiful. Her hair was different today somehow.
There just seemed to be more of it. A split second later, it hit me.
She usually had straight hair, but now it was all wavy.
Or were those curls? Whichever, it looked amazing on her.
She was wearing a blue dress that reached her ankles—a far cry from the short ones I was used to seeing her in years ago. She looked exactly like a sexy teacher.
“Why are you laughing at me?” she asked.
“Not laughing, though you caught me. I’m smiling in admiration.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just looked at you and thought, ‘She looks like a teacher.’”
A fucking sexy one. No, I couldn’t tell her that.
“And I’m proud to be one. It’s not easy to shop for the right clothes, you know. My usual style isn’t very minor-appropriate.” She grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “I could have changed before coming to your place, but I didn’t have much time.”
Thank fuck because the last thing I wanted was her wearing one of those sinfully short skirts. They used to drive me insane in college.
Damn it, what is with me? I was usually able to control myself much better around Amy. Why not now? Was it because it had been so long since the two of us truly hung out? I had to pull myself together.
“This house is like something out of a movie. The outer patio, that garden—it’s all so perfect.”
“You noticed?”
“It’s hard not to. And this interior.”
I tried to see it from her point of view.
The living room was a big open space, and the furniture separated it into various areas—a seating area with a couch, armchairs, and a TV on one side, and the dining table on the other.
On the opposite side of the room was a fully equipped kitchen and a bar.
You could look out to the ocean from practically everywhere in the living room because it was all glass.
“Did you have a designer pick everything out or something?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Her eyes bulged. “You’re joking, right?”
I frowned. “No, my real estate person hooked me up with her, and it turned out to be a good decision.”
“And did you also hook up with your designer?”
I stared at her. “How could you tell?”
“I was actually just teasing. I see you haven’t changed your ways, have you?”
“Not one bit,” I admitted.
“You’ve got an amazing place,” she said, looking out the window.
I grabbed her margarita from the bar counter and brought it to her.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it from my hand. Then she frowned. “You’re not drinking anything?”
“No, I’m on pain meds.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’re in pain?” She bit her lip. “Goodness, Knox, I could have come another day.”
“I’m very happy you dropped by.”
“But if you’re in pain, then you’re in no position to have a visitor.”
“You’re not a visitor. You’re my friend. And don’t worry, half my family came yesterday.”
She whistled. “Whoa. Okay, I feel a little less guilty now.”
“Good.”
She took a sip of her drink and then licked her lips, closing her eyes. I took in a sharp breath. If I leaned in, I could just—
What the hell is going on with me? I wasn’t going to kiss Amy and ruin a good friendship. Why did my mind keep going there?
She opened her eyes and said, “You were right about the wind.”
“Yeah.” The umbrella was swaying from side to side on the back patio. “We can watch the sunset from inside if you want.”
She winked at me. “But then you won’t have any reason to put those sexy arms around me.”
I grinned. “I don’t need a reason.”
She glanced at the floor, blushing. As she turned to look out the window once again, I immediately stepped behind her.
She elbowed me lightly. “Knox, knock it off.”
I laughed. “Ouch.”
She turned around abruptly, almost spilling her drink. “Did I hurt you?”
“Just a little.” Not only was my face black and blue, but the airbag did a number on my chest as well.
“Okay, I didn’t want to ask, because I feel like I’ve done it a million times already, but—”
“How am I feeling?” I guessed.
She nodded.
“As I said, I’m taking pain meds. And I still can’t do too much work because I get headaches really fast.”
“That must be hard,” she said.
She turned to look out the window as she took another sip.
“It’s harder than I imagined. I must have become a workaholic, because I’ve had almost two full days without work, and I feel like I’m going crazy. There was a time when I could easily fill my free time with stuff, but I don’t seem to be capable of it anymore.”
She gave me a wistful smile. “Oh, I know. Things change as time goes by. But you’ll get back to it soon enough, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope,” I said.
“Hmm, it feels a bit awkward to just stand here at the window and talk. How about we go to that sexy bar?”
I smirked. “Everything’s sexy tonight, huh?”
“Definitely. This house reminds me of a TV series my mom and I used to watch when I was a kid. I don’t even remember the name or what it was about, but I instantly thought about it.”
“How is your mom?” I asked as we went to the bar.
“Same as usual. Still working, still at odds with Dad.” In college, that was one of the first things we’d bonded over. “I still can’t believe your mom and dad are back together.”
I shook my head. “Me neither.”
“You’re not happy about it?”
“It still feels off, you know? How can they make it work after so many years of fighting relentlessly? And if they can make it work now, why couldn’t they then?”
She bit her lower lip, drawing my gaze. I really needed to stop looking at her mouth.
Clearing my throat, I added, “I’m happy for them. But it’ll take time to adjust.”