Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 16095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
She stared down at the card. Hank was having fun. That was all this was. They weren’t in a serious relationship. It was just sex, and she wasn’t going to start thinking of her wedding day, or what it meant. It was just a card, flowers, and sex.
After preparing everything, she didn’t linger in the shop and closed up with Becks.
She had hoped to be gone before Hank had finished, but he was waiting for her.
“Well, well, look who it is,” Becks said. “Pretty flowers.”
“Thanks.” He looked toward her. “Can I interest you ladies in a drink?”
“At the bar? Or is this where you pretend to invite the two of us, but in reality, you only mean her?” Becks asked.
“I … I invited both of you.”
“You don’t have any kinky intentions, do you? A threesome?”
“She’s kidding,” Sally said.
“I was just thinking we’re all adults here. I want to make this right. I’m not here to take your business. Can’t we all just be friends?” he asked.
“I can be friends. I don’t know about Sally,” Becks said.
“I’m standing right here.” They continued to talk as if she wasn’t there.
“Would you both still like to join me in a drink, as friends, of course?” he said.
“I would love to but my good friend here doesn’t believe in fun. She believes in hard work, and even more hard work until she drops from exhaustion.”
“I’m still standing right here and I can speak for myself.”
“Oh, you can, can you?” Becks asked. “And what’s it going to be? Are you going to come and join me and Hank for a drink? To have fun? You know, that kind of magical thing you don’t believe in.”
“I know what you’re doing.”
“What? Pointing out the obvious that you haven’t had a single clue how to say yes to fun in your entire life?”
“I’m coming for a drink,” she said. “There, are you happy? I will come and have a drink, and have fun. We can party and relax, and all of that. Whatever it is you want.”
Becks gave her a pointed look. “I will accept.”
“I have no idea what’s going on right now,” Hank said.
“It’s probably a good thing you don’t. This is friends business, not yours, you understand,” Becks said.
Nibbling on her lip, Sally tried not to laugh. Her friend was pissed off, or at least trying to pretend to be. She didn’t want to get in the firing line, and so she followed Hank and Becks to the bar. It wasn’t a long way to go.
****
Hank intended to invite Sally out so they weren’t screwing each other in private. He wasn’t into secrecy. Becks being there posed a problem.
Now as they sat, drinking beer, enjoying some fries and cheese sauce, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. The tension mounted.
“I’ve got to use the bathroom,” Sally said. “I’ll be back.”
Becks looked behind her, watching her friend, and he wondered how he could very politely get her to leave.
“What is your deal?” Becks asked, turning her attention to him.
“Excuse me?”
“I get that you’re considered the biggest catch in town and you have all of these women just lining up wanting to be with you, but I’ve got to know what your real deal is with my friend. She’s stressed out and it’s bad enough getting her to relax when she doesn’t think you’re trying to ruin her business.”
“I’m not trying to ruin her business. I want to make this work between all of us.”
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” Becks said. “What do you want from my best friend? Flowers and sex and all that?”
“What is it to you?”
Becks folded her arms and glared at him. His balls shriveled up. There was no other way to describe what happened. She was one scary woman.
“What is it to me? I want to know if I’m going to be breaking bones in six months because of the damage you’ve caused. You’re the first guy to show an interest in Sally. Do you know it’s been years since she’s gone out with someone?”
“Years?”
“Yes, years. She doesn’t allow anyone in. If they even come close to her, she finds so many reasons not to be with them. Her shop comes first. Always. I tried to encourage her to go out with you, so now that you’re in the sex stage, believe me, I’m shocked. Now I’m freaking out because I encouraged her, and I don’t want to see her hurt. You, Hank Owens, you’ve got hurt coming off you in waves. I can smell it, and I have to do what I can to protect my friend.”
“I want a family,” he said.
Becks’s brow rose. “A family?”
“Yes. I want it all. Is that so impossible to think about?”
“You’ve been pursuing her a matter of weeks.”
“So?”
“And you expect me to believe you suddenly want a family?”