Page 30 of Better Left Unsaid

Jade laughed so hard she snorted, covering her mouth with her hand in response. “I can definitely see her doing that.”

“I know, right?” I replied, chuckling as I wiped my mouth on a napkin, folded it up, and placed it on the dish in front of me. “You know, I’m glad we did this.”

“So, we’re good?” she questioned.

It was just like Jade to bring the conversation to a screeching halt, to put me on the spot. But I needed that sometimes. “We’re on the way to good,” I admitted.

“That’s all I could hope for.” She smiled softly and peered around. “You know, I’ve never been to this place. Next time, I’m ordering your regular because who knew Asiago was so good?”

I shrugged. “I can’t believe you’d never tried it before. That’s like a crime or something. At least, it should be. You’re Italian, so cheese is your friend.”

“Oof,” she replied, swallowing another bite of her bagel. “I feel bad for Italians who are lactose intolerant. Or is that another crime?”

We both laughed, and I heard my phone vibrate on the table. I flipped it over and quickly read the text that came through from Dom.

Dominic:Are you two braiding each other’s hair yet?

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face as I turned it over and brought my attention back to Jade and our conversation. “Sorry about that. I always check because I never know if it’s going to be something with Isabella.”

“Ugh, I do that too many times a day to count, and I don’t even have a kid. Don’t worry about it.” She curled the bottom of her hair as she wrapped it around her finger. “So, who was that, if that’s not too nosy?” It was a little nosy. “Dom?”

Since she hit the nail on the head, I supposed it wasn’t a big deal to tell her she was right, was it? “Yeah,” I answered simply, not wanting to get into more about Dom with her. It was bad enough she knew more than anyone else. I mean, people might have suspected something was going on with me and Dom, but they had no evidence of it, so it didn’t matter. Jade, on the other hand, knew it for a fact.

“I’d bet good money that the sex is better when there’s that friend connection first.”

I had to change the topic before we started delving into positions or something. “Speaking of money, any luck on the job hunt?” That was a subtle segue, right?

She rolled her eyes and brought her feet up on the chair, pulling her knee to her chest. “Maria, my dear sister.” She paused and nodded. “Sorry—had to try that out. Turns out, I dig it.”

Okay, so Jade was funny. Maybe I had a dry sense of humor, but I laughed at the majority of what came out of her mouth and not in a mocking way. Just in a she-was-genuinely-funny way. “I don’t hate it.”

Choking on her drink, Jade stopped sipping and smiled, putting it down. “Good, so we’re on the same page. Anywho, back to the topic at hand of me finding a job. It’s worse than trying to figure out how to give your first blowjob. It’s like I don’t know where to start, and every time I think I’m getting somewhere I’m met with crap results.” She ran a hand through her hair before pulling at the band around her wrist and tying it up in a loose, sloppy bun. “You know, oddly enough, that’s one of my favorite drinks.”

I arched a brow. “What is?”

“A blowjob. It’s basically just amaretto and Irish cream topped with whipped cream. Nothing much. Sort of like the guys I’ve given blowjobs to.”

I nearly choked on my saliva at her. . . candor.

“Oh, are you okay? Maybe that’s a trait that runs in the family. Randomly choking. It’s like you go to talk before your throat is ready or something. Hey, another thing we have in common.”

I shook my head and raised a hand in the air, trying to get air back in my lungs. “No. It’s just you remind me of Allie. Well, and Bibi, actually.”

“How so?” She angled her head and waited, curiosity all over her face.

“You don’t mind talking about sex. Like, ever. And it’s not a bad thing, either. In fact, I wish I was more like you guys in that regard.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “Guess I never really thought about it. But I respect you for not wanting to talk about it.”

I refilled my coffee with the pot on the table. “Actually, it’s funny, but it’s like Dom is making me more comfortable. I don’t know, is that silly?” It kind of felt like it was, but it was also true.

“Aww,” Jade gushed. “I think it’s sweet. Maybe even a little romantic.”

I drew my brows together at the wordromantic. It felt more intense of a word than was fitting for our situation.

Waving her hand in front of her face, she shook her head as if backpedaling. “In a totally friends-with-benefits way. Not in a relationship sort of way. But tell me again why you two aren’t just dating.”

And somehow we’d wound up right back on this topic. It seemed inevitable. I might as well go with it. Maybe if we talked about it, then this could end, and she wouldn’t have any more questions. “We’re friends,” I told her, shrugging a shoulder. “Dom and I are two very different people. Plus, he doesn’t have feelings for me. Not like that. Neither of us want to ruin our friendship.”

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