“Oh, my God,” Eden said, elbows hitting the table as she hid her face behind her hand. “What was that?”
“Welcome to our world, babe.” Blair twiddled her fingers at the shy waiter, who looked like he was two minutes away from asking her out – and surely getting shot down. “Ride it while you can.”
Eden wouldn’t disagree with that.
“How do I not remember this woman?” Liam tossed his cider can into the recycling bin. Before Eden could chastise him for missing, she realized that he had made it in. “She sounds like a hoot. Introduce me. In fact, introduce me to all your friends.”
They sat on her loveseat in her cozy studio apartment, Liam sitting on one side while Eden lay across it with her feet in his lap. They had shared a cider from her fridge after getting back from a dinner of food truck tacos.I’d love to see Ben eat at a food truck quarter.She could almost picture it – but only if he rolled up his sleeves.
“You two would be dangerous,” she said, referring to Blair. “She’d spend the whole time flirting with you, but wouldn’t mean a word of it.”
“Or, from the sounds of it, she’d spend the whole time roasting the shit out of me.”
“Sounds like you’re into that idea.”
“My girlfriend should have friends willing to take her boyfriend down a couple of pegs. Keeps us dudes humble.”
“Does it?”
“You have no idea.”
She pressed her finger into his arm. “Are you my boyfriend?”
“God, I sure hope so.” He squeezed her ankle. “I don’t care how many you have, as long as I’m at the top of the list for primo dates.”
“Of course you are. How many men do you think I’m dating?”
“Knowing you, love? At least five.”
She gasped. “Just two!”
“Including me?”
“Including you!”
“Uh-huh. So, how is this other guy treating you, huh?” He patted her shin. Eden had made the right choice wearing a skirt that day, even if itwascold outside.His skin on mine? Perfect.Even in the most innocent way. “He better be treating my baby right.”
“Oh, so I’m your baby?” When that only got her a waggle of the eyebrows, she was inclined to say, “I have no complaints. He’s a lot more mature than you, for one thing.”
“Ouch.”
“Much more settled in his life. Talking about retirement.”
“Jesus, how much older is he than me?”
“Mm. About ten years, give or take.”
“Takewhat?Another decade?”
Eden laughed.
“You’re telling me that the other man who gets to see you bounce on his dick is old enough to be your father?”
“Don’t put it that way! Besides, how old did you think he was?”
“I dunno. My age?Give or takea cycle through high school?”
“Not my age?”