“I know where they are.” Nina opens the cupboard to pull out the stemware, as Katee pulls a cork screw from the drawer.
“You guys know your way around this place,” I say.
“We should. We decorated it for Rider,” Katee says.
Nina grins. “That’s right. If it wasn’t for us, you’d be sitting on a lawn chair.”
“I did note the place has a woman’s soft touch. It was so nice of Rider to lend it to us.”
“He’s off with his latest, on vacation in Belize,” Nina says and rolls her eyes.
“You don’t like her?” I ask, confused.
“We don’t know her,” Nina explains. “He doesn’t keep a woman around long enough.”
“We need to get the Wing Man married,” Katee says with a sad shake of her head.
“I always liked him,” I say.
Katee smiles at me. “So, you and Jamie,” she says, almost like we’re an item. I’m about to correct her but she adds, “I’m so glad you could make it. We haven’t been able to get Jamie out here.” In a softer voice she says, “The guys worry about him. We do too.”
I give her a warm smile. I love how they all take care of each other, and this last year, Jamie really needed his friends. “Coming here was actually his idea,” I say and accept the glass of wine from Quinn. As I look at her I can see the resemblance to her brother Zander. “I wasn’t sure I could make it at first. We had a lot to do to get my place on the market.”
“Jamie’s been helping with things?” Katee asks, and toys with her wine cup.
“I’d be lost without him,” I say, and Nina gives me a smile. “And he’s a good role model for Chase.”
“I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time,” Nina says. “You’re clearly good for him.” Her gaze skims over me and she nods. “You look good, too, Fallon.”
“Thanks,” I say, trying not to think about the way Jamie worshipped my body, gave me back a measure of my confidence.
“I’d say Jamie’s been good for you too,” Katee says and for some unknown reason my cheeks heat. Okay, well, maybe the reason really isn’t that unknown. Maybe it’s because I can’t stop thinking about our beautiful night together, and how much I want it to happen again. The truth is, we’re both single consenting adults and if we want to take pleasure in each other’s bodies, and keep our emotions out of it, why not?
“Oh, it’s like that is it?” Katee says laughing. “Well done, Fallon. Jamie is quite the catch, and you two look good together. You always were close.”
“No, no, no,” I say and take a drink of wine to cover my embarrassment. “We’re just…” What am I supposed to say, oh we’ve only had sex once but I plan on changing that tonight?
“Girlfriend, your secret is in the vault,” Nina says and lifts her glass in salute and everyone takes a drink, everyone except Katee. “Unless you want to give me fodder for my next hot hockey romance novel.”
“Hell no,” I say quickly, and everyone laughs.
“It was worth a shot,” she says with a shrug. “Okay, let’s all go join the guys for a swim.”
I set my glass down, loving how accepting these women are, and how they’re not jumping to judge me for sleeping with Jamie. “I need to get changed.”
“We’ll wait,” Quinn says.
I hurry upstairs, dig into my bag for my suit and tug it on. I glance at my curves in the mirror and remember how much Jamie loved seeing me in this suit. I grab a towel, but before I head back downstairs, my cell phone rings.
I grab it and check the caller ID, but it says private number and it takes me back to the day I got the call in my kitchen, when no one was on the other end. I slide my finger across the screen.
“Hello.”
A long pause and then, “Fallon?”
My heart jumps into my throat. “Sara. Ohmigod is that you?” I ask and sink down onto the soft mattress.
“I…uh, heard you were back in Seattle,” she says, sounding a bit breathless.