Page 72 of The Opposite of Romance
Sandy comesfor coffee on Friday, dressed in a short little sundress.
“Where’s Stella?” I ask.
“Oh, she’s with her grandmother, so I bounced to get some baby free time. And I wanted to do some tanning.” She shimmies her shoulders as she passes me.
“Wow, this looks great,” she says as she enters the backyard.
The deck is now almost fully done. The only part Logan is still working on is the barbecue and fire pit area. But we can finally use our backyard and walk to the pool without getting dirt on our feet.
“It’s good, right?” I grin.
“It’s better than good. You only need some furniture now.”
“It should come in a few days. I can’t wait for it to be finished.” The words turn bitter as they exit my mouth. Iamexcited for this massive project to be done, but I’m less excited for Logan to stop working here. I can’t even imagine how the house will feel once he finishes the job.
“Where’s the boy toy?” Sandy asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“First, he’s not a boy toy. Second, he’s on another site today.He’ll be back on Monday.” I won’t share the fact that I miss him already. I’ve gotten used to the casual flirting between us and newly developed hobbies of ours are easy to become addicted to.
“Ok, he’s not a boy toy, degradingly. But he’s still a boy toy, respectively?” Her eyes are wide with expectation.
“Yup. I’m still toying with that boy.” I snort at the silly wordplay, but Sandy squeals with delight.
“Tell me everything,” she says, laying down next to the pool.
I fill her in on the interesting events and her eyes almost fall out.
“That sounds almost … possessive,” she states after I tell her about the things he told me.
“Nah. It was just part of the foreplay.” I shrug it off, like those words haven’t been on replay in my head 24/7.
“Why would I be looking at your little assistant when it’s you I can’t stop thinking about?”
“When it’s your scent I can’t get out of my fucking nose?”
“When it’s your pretty little cunt I keep tasting on my tongue.”
“Well, it’s damn good foreplay,” Sandy concludes, and I couldn’t agree more. “So you don’t think this could be something more serious?”
“Come on, Dee. He’s not even thirty. There’s a whole life ahead of him. He probably wants a litter of babies, and you know I’m not doing that again. Besides, he’s a playful, charming guy. I don’t think he’s looking for serious, either.”
She stares at me for a second before saying, “So, you don’t mind continuing with the list?” Her words are a challenge.
“Like it’s been a great success so far.”
“Well, I have a date lined up for you. A fake date, if you will.”
“You know fake dating is my favorite trope. But I’m afraid it only works in fiction.”
“Look,” she chuckles. “I’ll pretend I don’t notice you avoiding giving me a straight answer, though I definitely do. But this is actually a fake date.” My brows furrow in confusion so she continues, “Dean, Liam’s friend and coworker, has a grandmother’s birthday to attend. Apparently, it’s a big deal and the whole family will be there. They will all badger him about his girlfriend.”
I’m still staring at her, so she sighs.
“The thing is, Dean is gay and doesn’t want his family to know,” she says, all in one breath.
“I would be … a beard?”
“In lack of a better word, yes. Look, I know this isn’t what you’re searching for.”
