Page 106 of Some Like It Hot

They also help me organize my projects.

I’m amazed at how they do it.

They simply ask questions. And then play the part of human clothing racks.

Blake holds project one in his right hand, two in his left.

Aidan takes project three and four.

Simon five and six.

Seven and eight are spread out on the couch.

They even let me scotch tape my sketches to their shirts and slacks so I can match my ideas up with the material.

Blake ends up with a hat on his head and a scarf around his neck.

Aidan lets me try five different purses with one of the pieces of fabric he’s holding.

Simon wears a fascinator hat and a belt, which should be ridiculous but actually only proves the man looks good in anything.

The ideas are so much clearer to me now. Seeing them all displayed like this allows me to visualize them, move things around, and get a better idea of what needs to happen first and what can wait.

They also ask me questions. They make me think through how long things will take, what my customers’ expectations are, ways I can be more efficient.

And Simon records it all on his phone so I can listen to it later and remember the plan.

When I’ve got it all worked out, they help me hang everything up in an organized fashion around my dining table.

I even end up letting Simon buy me a clothing rack to keep in that area of the apartment. It really will be so much easier to keep things organized.

And then…I move everything off my couch, making organized piles on my dining room chairs, and we all collapse together on my couch for the first time, the three guys side by side and me with my head in Simon’s lap, my ass in Aidan’s, and my feet in Blake’s.

Blake starts rubbing my feet, Aidan’s hand splays over my stomach, and Simon starts playing with my hair.

And I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

“So,” I say, looking down the length of the couch at Blake. “How was the game?”

“Good,” he says. “Until I got distracted.”

I grimace. That was a silly question. “I am really sorry. Good thing this will be over after your grandmother gives you the cabin.”

He squeezes my foot harder. “Good thing?”

“You can’t have a real girlfriend who’s going to be a distraction like that. What if the team had lost?” We’d pulled the final score up and the Racketeers had pulled out the win even without Blake. We hadn’t listened in on the press conference to see what, if anything, was being said about his poor third period. “But for now, while you’re stuck with me, I’m really sorry and I’ll…work on keeping my phone nearby.” But I frown as I say it. My intentions are always good. I don’t mean to misplace things. I don’t know if there’s a better solution.

“What if you had a landline installed?” Aidan asks. “You’d only give the number out to certain people so it wouldn’t ring all the time, but if it’s mounted on the wall in here, you couldn’t misplace it and you’d have a number anyone could call if they really needed you.”

I look at him and smile. “That’s a good idea. Do they still install landlines?”

“I’ll get you one,” Simon says immediately. “Tomorrow.”

“Elise.”

I look at Blake. “Yeah?”

His voice is husky when he says, “I don’t feel stuck with you.”

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