“You know,” Eden said slowly, “I’m sure it’s possible he flirts with everyone. If ever a guy knew how to use his physical charm to manage a situation...”
Gabe Caldera was built like a wall, maybe. And he’dfeltlike a wall when she’d touched his arm. She could probably hook her hands over his uplifted forearm and do pull-ups.
But that fleeting stricken expression when she’d said she hoped never to be in his office again... she knew instinctively that he wasnot, precisely, a wall.
Which reminded her: nascent lust was one thing. It was all well and good to bask in attention.
Being responsible for yet another human’s feelings was another thing altogether.
While Avalon had always been a heart-on-her-sleeve kind of girl, Eden was a cards-close-to-her-chest sort. Good with a feisty, sexy comeback and the occasional come hither stare, but a little cool, a little hard to get, a little hard to know. She sometimes thought it wasbecauseAvalon had a fools-rush-in tendency—in the family’s emotional balance sheet, someone had to offset the excess. Eden had always understood her own appeal, and she’d closely guarded her heart and nether regions even eons ago when she was dating up a storm; the few hearts she’d broken had never haunted her conscience long.
But now, secretly, she was appalled to have broken any. Since Annelise was born, her emotions seemed permanently more tenderized, more porous and pliant. Another human’s feelings were a sacred trust. She did not gamble with them anymore, not hers, not anyone else’s.
Besides, who hadtimeto gamble?
“Is he that kind of guy?” Avalon asked. “The flirts-with-everyone type?”
Eden mulled. “I dunno. He seems like a pretty straight shooter. Flirting with everyone would be a risky game for a principal.”
“That’s funny. Dad called him a straight shooter, too. Chatted with him at Annelise’s soccer game. Said he was a guy’s guy.”
“Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before I started using Dad-isms.”
“You did inherit Dad’s ass.”
“Ha.”
Eden was tall and lean, like her dad of yore. Dad of present day now sported a significantly more pillowy torso, which made his bear hugs even more engulfing and excellent. Avalon was built more like her mom: short and curvy.
“Well, since you’ve been so busy, Eden, the first thing you should know is that sex has changed a lot in ten years. You may need to brush up.”
Eden glared at her. “I hope it has levels now, like Candy Crush. I’d totally ace it.”
“You can always fire up your Kindle and have it read instructions to you while he’s going at it.”
“Ha ha.”
But wait—could she?
Suddenly the very notion of her having sex after all this time seemed akin to those people leaping from wheelchairs at Lourdes. Glorious, sure, miraculous, sure, but the probability seemed awfully low.
The shop door jingled merrily, and they both lit up when Casey Carson walked in. She was the sunny, blond, Valkyrie-statured owner of the Truth and Beauty Salon across the street, the town expert on what women were paying to have done to their hair everywhere on their body, whether it was sleekly flattening it, streaking it in pastel shades, yanking it out by the roots, or pruning it into discreet shapes.
“Hey, Casey,” Avalon said slyly, “is vajazzling still a thing? Asking for a friend who’s thinking of getting back into the dating scene.”
Eden shot Avalon the kind of wrathful look that used to send Avalon running, squeaking in fear, when she was a kid.
Avalon appeared made of sterner stuff these days, more’s the pity.
“Only for the mistresses of kinky oligarchs.” Casey considered dedicated consumption of fashion magazines and gossip websites part of her job responsibilities. “I’ve only had one vajazzling client in the last six months. In uncertain political climates people tend to stick with the classics. A nice wedge.” She made it sound like brie. “Who wants to know?”
Eden gave Avalon the hairy eyeball,daringher to say anything.
“It just came up in casual conversation,” Avalon wisely chose to say.
And yet Eden was absurdly relieved to know her nether regions were still au courant.
“Glad I could help!” Casey said cheerily. “See you at the Chamber of Commerce mixer this week, Eden?”