Page 90 of Books and Hookups

“I was with Tessa when we got Carly’s text.” Her face was pale, and her eyes were red, but she flashed me a grin. “I’m glad I was already in the city. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Miss what?” I asked. How much had Carly told them? I’d only told Carly I needed a ride and a place to stay for a few days.

“A Goddess Gang sleepover, obviously. Carly said we’re helping you through a crisis, with manicures.”

“I wouldn’t call it a crisis,” I grumbled.

Tessa slipped off her sunglasses to give me a piercing stare with those eerie green eyes of hers. “It’s not a crisis when the unflappable Lucie Knox needs an extraction from one of the most romantic spots in the city?”

Busted.It sucked having a genius as a bestie.

“Come inside,” Carly said. “We’ll settle in, find out what’s going on, and make a plan.”

Carly loved plans. Her job as a stylist was to ensure that everything appeared perfect, which, as it turned out, required a ton of preparation and effort. Carly’s notebook wasn’t full of gifts from her muse. It was packed with to-do lists.

“I don’t think this is something you can fix,” I said as I walked into her white kitchen. I didn’t want her to treat my catastrophe like a job or as her problem to solve.

“Maybe not, but the right self-care might make it feel better. We’ll get some snacks and mocktails and do some facial masks or mani-pedis.” She opened the refrigerator and assessed its contents.

“Could one of you massage my lower back?” I asked. “I did a lot of walking today, and there’s this massage Dan—” Nope, I wasn’t ready to say his name yet. “A massage I read about in The Book that works really well on my sore back.”

“I know the one,” Savannah said. She dropped her big purse on the counter. “Fists on the sides of your spine, right?”

“Yes.” I wouldnotthink about how the last time Danny had done it, he’d ended up entering me from behind while he fingered my clit and whispered dirty, dirty things in my ear.

“I’m on mocktails,” Tessa announced. “Do you have fresh mint and seltzer? I can make my no-jitos.”

“Plain seltzer is good for me.” Mocktails would only make me miss Danny’s superior bartending skills. I walked from the kitchen toward the living room and almost bumped into Andrew, who carried their dog in his arms. She looked up at him with the same besotted expression Carly often did. “Hey there, Loverboy.”

“Hi, Lucie. Doing okay?”

“Not really.” I wished I could get Danny out of my head, but it seemed everything made me think of him.

“Go sit on the couch, and I’ll put Chanel in your lap. She makes everything better.”

I stroked the silky white blaze on top of her head. “That sounds nice.” I walked into their living room and sank onto the couch.

Andrew eyed the narrow space between my belly and my knees. “I’ll just set her here.”

He placed her next to me on the cushion. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and rested her chin on my knee. I stroked her from the top of her head to her tail and sighed.

“Almost as good as therapy.” He winked, then went to the kitchen where he wrapped his arms around Carly and murmured in her ear as she scanned the contents of her refrigerator. She turned in his arms and kissed him. I had to look away.

Savannah carried a kitchen chair into the living room and set it next to the couch. She leaned against it, her back to the kitchen. In a too-bright tone, she said, “Hungry? How about some raw veggies with ranch dip?”

“How about pizza? Or pasta?” Pasta made me think of Leo’s homemade ravioli. Still, it sounded comforting and filling, which was what I needed. “And ice cream. Definitely chocolate. Though maybe something salty too? Like pretzels.”

She frowned. “You should watch your salt intake. But if you promise to eat some veggies, you can have ice cream.”

“What am I, six?” I asked. “I’ll eat your damn veggies, but not because you’re dangling a treat in front of me.”

“Sorry. Old habits. I’m not sure they ever go away. You’ll see.”

Tessa walked in with a pad of paper. “Andrew’s making a supply run. What do we need?”

“Pizza and a crudités platter.” Savannah glanced at me. “Plus, ice cream. The kind that’s chocolate with the salted caramel ribbon through it. And pretzels.”

“Make it a pepperoni pizza,” I said. “And baked ziti if they have it.”

---