Dangerous Lies(6)

“You’ve been hard to reach lately. I’m sure having the divorce behind you helps. Thank God you got rid of that asshole,” she grumbled. “Charlie couldn’t stand him at the block parties. He always hoped you all would cancel, no offense.”

I raised my hands. “None taken. He wasn’t one to associate with neighbors.”

“That’s alright, we enjoyed your company, not his! So why are we buying all these new summer outfits? You do know a blizzard will be here before we know it, right?”

I twiddled with my fork, my eyes watching the noodles swirl. “I’m going out of town.”

Stephanie beamed. “Yeah? Good for you! Heading to Florida?”

I smiled. Everyone thought of Florida when they pictured somewhere warm, at least when you lived in the Midwest like us.

“Not quite.”

She waited for me to tell her, nodding her head in my direction. “Well? Where are you going?”

I sucked in my cheeks and squinted my eyes. “New Zealand.”

Her lashes touched her eyebrows. “Wow! What’s in New Zealand?”

“I have an author friend who lives there. Going to visit and work on a manuscript.”

She clapped her hands. “Oh! Are you working on another book in the Dove Series? I just love that couple! And so steamy, Charlie likes the perks he gets when I read your books,” she winked.

I grinned. “I need to work on a new series. Not sure what direction I’m taking yet.”

“As long as there’s a hot alpha male who knows how to go down on a girl, it’ll be a best seller.”

I held in my laughter. “Publisher says it has to be a romance, so I can guarantee that.”

She took a sip of her drink, licking her lips, then blotting them with her napkin. “Do I know the author you’re going to stay with?”

I shook my head, pretending to pick a piece of lint from my jeans.

“Who is it? Does she write romance? Maybe I can check her books out,” she said thoughtfully, taking another sip of her drink.

I sighed, unsure if I should tell her about Jake. Giving in, I eased around the subject. “Yeah, he doesn’t write romance, really.”

Water spilled from her lips. “Did you say he?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. He writes action. It’s helpful to have author friends who write in different genres in case you cross over. Gives a good perspective on creating scenes you’re not used to writing.”

Her eyes narrowed, a devious smile spreading across her lips. “Is he hot?”

I rolled my eyes. “I knew you’d take this the wrong way.”

She waved a hand at me. “What? That you’re escaping across the world to stay with a guy? No, that doesn’t raise a red flag at all. How long have you known him?”

“Around five years? I met him in an author support group.”

She covered her mouth. “You’ve been with him for that long? Did Martin find out? Is that part of the reason why you finally divorced him?”

I held in my eye roll. Stephanie didn’t know he was abusive toward me physically. At least I never admitted to it. “I didn’t have an affair, and it’s not like that. We’re associates… friends. We don’t think about each other like that.”

I swallowed, ignoring the scenarios I’d thought up in my head after mine and Jake’s phone conversation last night. The gravelly sound of his voice when he said he’d be jealous of his cat sleeping with me hit me between the legs, awakening a tingle inside of me.

“Well, let me see a photo of him,” she demanded, nodding to my phone.

I took it out, scrolling to his page. “Here.”

Her eyes narrowed the more she scrolled. “Doesn’t he have any face shots?”

I laughed, knowing she’d be disappointed. “Nope. That doesn’t matter to me because we are friends,” I emphasized. “I’m not interested in seeing a man right now.”

I had a fear of being intimate with men. The last time I had sexual interaction was with Martin, and it wasn’t consensual. It’s not something a girl can easily forget, even if it were three months ago.

She lifted her brows, staring at my phone. “He could have a butter face and still be sexy. Look at those arms, and that ass… I’d love to sink my nails into those round globes while hovered over top of me,” she purred, licking her lips.

“Would you stop? I’m going to tell Charlie you’re drooling over some dude’s back.”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t care. Whatever turns me on and gets him action…at least that’s what Charlie tells me.”

We both laughed. Charlie was a great husband to her. I was jealous of their relationship for as long as I knew them.

Standing from the table, I gathered my trash onto my tray. “We should head home. I want to wash all of these before I pack them away.”

Stephanie did the same. “We need to stop at one more store.” She held out her finger. “No complaining about it, either. If you’re going to New Zealand to see a dude who looks sexy as shit from behind, you’re going to be prepared for all opportunities.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she shot me a glare. “My anniversary is coming up, and I need some new lingerie, now that I know what I know, you need some, too.”