She’d been considering moving into one of the small cottages in Serenity. She’d always liked the peaceful vibe of the place and while she wasn’t particularly big on sustainability, she wouldn’t mind being surrounded by peace-loving neighbours.
‘Sounds like you’re all set then.’ He drained half his champagne. ‘Do you want to go out and celebrate?’
Heidi would like nothing better than to spend more time with Jem, but she had a different kind of celebration in mind—part of her new mantra to make the most of every moment they had together before he left.
‘Actually, I’d prefer to stay in and celebrate.’ Downing the rest of her champagne in a gulp, she placed the empty glass in the sink, held out her hand to him and cast a pointed glance over his shoulder in the direction of the bedroom. ‘Care to join me?’
CHAPTER
35
‘Tell us everything.’ Nev brandished the serving tongs. ‘Or no nachos for you.’
‘Harsh,’ Summer said with a chuckle. ‘If I were you, Karl, I’d tell us what’s going on with you and Hottie McTotty or you’ll starve.’
Karly would prefer to grill Summer over how serious her dad was about investing in the agency, but she knew she’d have to give her friends something for them to lay off.
‘I’ll tell you, but only if you confirm something for me,’ Karly said. ‘Is it true both of you couldn’t make brunch this weekend or was this your sneaky way of getting the goss sooner without having to wait?’
Summer and Nev exchanged guilty glances before they burst out laughing.
‘You ratbags.’ Karly waggled her finger at them. ‘Just for that, I’m not telling you a thing.’
‘Suit yourself.’ Nev tonged a healthy serve of cheesy nachos onto a plate, added a scoop of her drool-worthy guacamole, and handed it to Summer. ‘Here you go. At least when you first hooked up with Jy you shared details, so once you finish that you get a second helping.’
Saliva pooled in Karly’s mouth as she watched Summer swipe a gooey bean-covered corn chip through sour cream. She knew what Nev’s nachos tasted like; she wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.
As Summer popped the laden chip in her mouth and moaned, Karly said, ‘Okay. You got me. What do you want to know?’
‘Everything,’ Nev said, as Summer mumbled her agreement, too busy chewing to respond.
For as long as she could remember, Karly and her besties had shared everything, from favourite jackets to embarrassing revelations about first crushes. But revealing how she felt about Hudson had her strangely tongue-tied.
Because that was the kicker in all this. She actually hadfeelingswhen it came to her nemesis, despite the transient nature of their fling. This had never happened to her before and she floundered, unsure what to do.
She knew what she’d like to do: head back to her place after this, invite him over for another scintillating night between the sheets and label it as nothing. A bit of fun between consenting adults attracted to each other. But the moment she started caring about what he’d think of her if she revealed the possibility of buying the agency herself with Leo’s help, she knew she’d moved past viewing him as casual fun.
His opinion of her mattered. It shouldn’t, but it did, so where did that leave her?
‘Some time this century would be nice,’ Nev said, scooping a large serve of nachos onto another plate and waving it in front of her. ‘After all, you know these are best eaten hot.’
‘Fine.’ Karly blew out a breath. ‘I seduced him.’
She laughed at her friends’ matching open-mouthed shock. ‘I know, right? Not really my style, but we’ve got a real buzz going on so last night I made sure he saw me swimming in my skimpiest bikini and he couldn’t resist.’
Respect glimmered in Nev’s eyes. ‘Ballsy move. I like it.’
‘What happened then?’ Summer rubbed her hands together. ‘Tell us everything.’
Karly paused. She couldn’t tell her friends everything because how could she articulate how incredible last night had been? Not just the sex—which had been mind-blowingly good—but the aftermath, when she’d lain in the nook between his shoulder and chest, talking about life in Acacia Haven, her love of real estate, her penchant for Eggs Benedict and caramel milkshakes and corny eighties music.
The ease between them had surprised her and undermined her stance to keep him at bay. She’d never felt compelled to stick around after sex with a guy, let alone unburden herself, and while Hudson may be a good listener, it had been the lighthearted banter between them that had her craving more.
She’d been grateful he’d given her the weekend to come up with the money to buy out Pop, even if he didn’t know it, but the second he’d agreed she’d been ecstatic for a different reason. She got to spend another two days with him.
Summer whistled. ‘Her expression says it all. Have you ever seen our Karly look so smitten?’
‘Never. But she needs to give us more info before she gets this.’ Nev waved the plate virtually under her nose and Karly might’ve drooled a little.