Page 26 of Changed By You

“Depends on how much meat you like,” Misty says.

“Meat’s good,” I muse. “But also, little wieners know how to compensate for their lack of meat, if you know what I mean.”

“That part,” Giana says. “My boyfriend isn’t hung, but that man gives oral like it’s his full-time job. He says it’s how he keeps his beard so soft and supple. By just burying his face in my snatch.”

“Jelly.” Misty sighs.

“What, you’re not into any of these guys?” I ask.

She shrugs. “There’s one guy I like, but he’s got his eye on someone else.”

“Which one?” Giana asks.

Misty looks at me. “It doesn’t matter.”

She doesn’t want me to know. This means it has to be...

“Dalton?” My heart hammers just from saying his name.

She shakes her head.

“Ah. JP.”

“Girl, you’re a catch,” Giana says. “Don’t assume he doesn’t like you. Get over there and try.”

Misty’s smile slides away. “I can’t. I’m not...”

Her gaze is on Farrah, who’s laughing at something JP just said, her perfect white teeth on display.

“Hold up.” I set my plate down, giving her my full attention. “I know I didn’t just hear you saying what you’renot. Because you’re here due to what youare. Smart. Generous. A silver medalist in the damn Olympics. A world-class athlete. A beautiful, strong woman who inspires girls every day.”

She gives me a grateful look. “I know. I’m proud of my accomplishments. But lots of men just want long, lean legs and curves and I’m”--she looks down at her body--“all muscle.”

“You’re stunning, Misty,” Giana assures her. “Ninety-nine plus percent of women could never wear that dress.”

I nod. Misty is wearing a formfitting bright-white dress with a halter neck. It’s a beautiful contrast to her light-brown skin. Her red-framed sunglasses and strappy red sandals are perfect accents.

“Where the hell is Meyers?” Alex yells. “She did get on the boat, right?”

Misty groans. “That’s my cue. Bye, guys.”

She goes over to the rest of the cast, and Alex throws his arms in the air when he sees her.

“Can we finally start filming? We’re already twenty minutes behind.”

I pick up my plate, holding my fork against it so the wind can’t pick up either thing and make noise while the cameras are rolling. There are several camera operators on the boat tonight, all of them working at the same time. There’s limited light and Alex wants to get as much footage as he can.

“Lorenzo!” Alex says. “Can I trouble you to get your ass over here?”

Dalton, who was talking to a production assistant, smiles good-naturedly and walks over to the place Alex wants him. He sits down on the other side of Farrah, sandwiching her between the two athletes.

It occurs to me, then, that in setting up a competition for Farrah between Dalton and JP, Alex has pretty much shut Misty out. She gets airtime, but there’s no one guy the producers seem to be steering her toward.

Dalton and JP start their usual banter, Farrah radiant as they both focus their attention on her. I feel off when I watch Dalton looking at her, his arm slung casually over the seat behind her.

Probably best not to look at him. Our conversation from our walk earlier is still playing on repeat in my head, and so is that hug. It was so much more than a hug, really. It was the first time in forever that a man had held me. I’m always the one doing the caretaking, never the one receiving the care. It felt good to just let go of everything in his arms, even if it was only for a minute.

We walked for an hour and a half, going all the way to the pier and then past it before we turned around. I told himmore about my family, and he told me about the single mom who raised him and his sister, a strong Italian woman. I can’t remember the last time anyone listened to me like he did and truly showed interest in what I was saying.

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