Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Business out of the way, they settled back to catch up. Erin wasn’t much of a cook, but she threw together a simple tomato and mascarpone pasta, which she served with a fresh herb salad. As the wine level grew lower, they discussed their dating lives, which was sadly a very short conversation. Erin hadn’t had a date in longer than she cared to admit. Crystal had recently enjoyed what seemed like a super promising relationship with a guy she’d met online, until he turned out to be the groom in one of the weddings she was organizing.
“Ouch,” Erin said, reaching for her friend’s arm and giving it a squeeze. “What a jerk.”
But to Erin’s surprise, Crystal only rolled her eyes as if to say men, huh, and then chuckled. “You think I was stunned? Imagine how he felt. I’ve never seen anyone go so pale so fast. I thought he was going to faint. Sort of wish he had!”
“Did you out him to the bride?”
Crystal looked shocked. “Erin, I am a professional. But as it turned out, the bride caught him kissing one of her attendants. The wedding’s been postponed while they get some counseling.”
Crystal’s story stayed with Erin long after her friend had gone. It was a stark reminder of how sneaky and selfish men could be, and it dragged up the bad memories of her first year at college, which she tried to keep buried at all costs. She shuddered as she remembered that dark night, the wandering hands and insistence that he should have access to her body. . .
As if he sensed her distress, Buzzy came running over, with Nelson bounding behind him. He nudged Erin’s ankles until she bent and curled her arms around him. He licked her cheek tenderly and Erin realized it was wet with tears. “You’re the only guy I need,” she whispered to Buzzy. There was a bark from Nelson. “Okay, and you, too,” she said with a laugh.
She finished tidying up after dinner, and decided to end the evening with another stroll on the beach so that the dogs could have their final walk. It was still warm out and she enjoyed having the nearly deserted beach. The soft lap of the waves, the smell of the ocean breeze—this was her favorite place on earth and it never failed to soothe and calm her.
When they returned, she went upstairs and got ready for bed, delighted that she had this gorgeous place all to herself and could get an earlyish night with a good book in the super luxurious king-sized bed in the guest room. But Nelson had other ideas. No matter what Erin did, he wouldn’t settle. He kept staring at her and then running back to the master bedroom. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Buzzy joined him.
In the end she threw up her hands. “All right, I get that the routine is to sleep in Jay’s bedroom, but a little flexibility would be nice.” It was pretty clear she wasn’t going to get that, not from Nelson. So with a resigned shrug, she moved her few belongings into Jay’s huge bedroom and guided the dogs into their respective beds under the window. The Barbara Hepworth looked so perfect where Jay had placed it that it made her smile.
And then she stared at his huge, beautiful bed for a good while before finally pulling back the covers and slipping between the sheets. They felt sumptuous against her skin, like bathing in silk. He’d told her the sheets were fresh and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Still, this was Jay’s bed, Jay’s bedroom, and being here felt strangely intimate. Erin opened her novel in case her mind entered dangerous territory. Trying to keep her thoughts on the complicated plot, she adjusted the pillow and soon found herself turning the pages.
Until the bed lurched.
“Oh no.” But Nelson was already curled up at her feet. Even as she tried to push him off, Buzzy made himself comfortable on the other side. Wondering how on earth she would ever get these two to do her bidding, she decided that was a problem for Jay and switched off the bedside lamp.
Chapter Fourteen
Jay had spent a long and arduous day in LA, but in the end, peace had been restored between his client and the director of the big-budget action film he was starring in. Tempers had gotten out of hand, egos had clashed, the resulting firestorm hadn’t been pretty, but it was nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. He was able to get some concessions from the director that made his client feel like he’d been listened to, and while there was no way the bad-boy celebrity would apologize, he did promise that the next time he was unhappy, he would phone Jay before doing anything else. Then he took the star out to dinner and massaged his bruised ego a little more. Finally, he was done and was in his car and on his way back to his LA home with a busy brain and something of a heavy heart.