Page 5 of Naughty Wishes

“Who are you freezing your hands off for this time?” I ask, retrieving my cup.

“I met Rick Taylor, the new coach, after practice last week.” She counts off his attributes on her ungloved hand. “He’s forty, divorced, no kids . . .”

“I thought you were after the vice principal of the high school.”

“That was last week.” She leans back against the bleacher and sighs. “All he wanted to talk about was the school recycling project and his new hair implants. He’s no Dr. Steadman.”

“I was wondering why you hadn’t mentioned the town’s most eligible bachelor.” After my first visit to Dr. Steadman’s office, I called Alexis and encouraged her to make an appointment to check out the newest bachelor in town. After eating lots of sugary treats, she showed up for her cleaning, but all she got out of it was a sparkling smile.

Alexis shakes her head. “I made another play for our drop-dead gorgeous dentist when I took Megan for her checkup last week, but he wasn’t interested. Not even a wink. I think he might be seeing someone.”

How about two someones? At once. Nausea roils in my gut.

“He’s been here over a year now,” I say. “I wouldn’t be surprised. All the moms I know have been falling over themselves to get their kids’ teeth cleaned.”

“I’m talking about single people.” Alexis laughs. “Why would he go for someone married when he could have his pick?”

Why indeed?

“All that thick, dark hair,” she continues, her face soft and dreamy. “The blue eyes, the chiseled jaw, the bit of scruff . . . he looks like Chris Pine, except a bit younger.”

“I didn’t notice.” Well, I did, but only in passing. Although I’ve fantasized about other men, I’ve never wanted to be with anyone else but Dan. If I met him for the first time today, he would still take my breath away. But maybe I don’t do the same for him. I had assumed Saturday night was just about me. Now Alexis has made me wonder if it’s really about Dan, and he’s been keeping a secret from me.

“Liar,” Alexis says, interrupting my train of thought. “Everyone notices him. He has universal appeal. And he’s a nice guy. Kind. Gentle. Good with kids. Great sense of humor. Interesting to talk to. Genuine. My Megan wants to marry him, but if he is available, then it’s goodbye Rick Taylor and his seventeen cats, and hello root canal, or whatever reason I can come up with to get Dr. Steadman’s attention.”

“You didn’t mention Rick’s cats,” I say.

“I think that’s why he got divorced, but I’m desperate, and I’m not prepared to leave Revival to find a man. I’ve lived here all my life. All my friends are here, my mom, my abuela . . .”

“You don’t need a man. You’re doing fine on your own. Better.”

She laughs. “I’m not saying I want to get married. I just want a little loving from something that isn’t made of silicone or plastic. And nothing against Dan, he’s a great guy, but wouldn’t you want to have just one night of all the hotness that is Dr. Steadman in your bed?”

As a matter of fact . . .

I fake my way through another hour of conversation without succumbing to the urge to text Dan and tell him Saturday is definitely off. How can I sleep with the man Alexis is lusting over? Granted, she’s not my best friend, but we’re friendly, and we’ll be hockey moms together for at least another eight years.

After hockey, I take the boys home, feed them, and help them with their homework. When the lunches are made and the chores are done, I crawl into bed and make the call I’ve been dreading all day.

“Are you gay or bi?” I blurt out after Dan answers the phone. “Is that what this is all about? Were you afraid to tell me so you plan to show me instead?”

Dan barks a laugh. “No, sweetheart. I’m not gay or bi.”

I lower my voice although there is no way the boys could overhear me. “I don’t think I could watch you with another man.”

“Aiden and I won’t be touching,” he says. “It’s just about you.”

My hand drifts down over my curves. “And you’re okay with another man touching me? When we were first together, you went crazy when guys even talked to me in the bar. You almost broke someone’s arm when he asked me to dance. You would have gone ballistic if I had asked to have someone join us in bed.”

Dan sighs, and I imagine him lying on his hotel bed in his pajama pants, his chest deliciously bare, albeit his dark hair is now slightly peppered with gray. “I’m older now, Kylie. I’m not as rigid as I used to be. I want you to be happy, and when I saw the book you were reading . . .”

Not just one book. I’ve been on a ménage reading kick for the last year, although I’m not about to share that with him.

“Have you done anything like this before?” I ask.

Silence

“Dan?”

---