“Slayde Bennett.” Her grin was smug, and I felt my cheeks get hot.
“What do you know? Or think you know.”
“I know what I heard Rook telling Tammy on the phone. Somebody was steaming up the men’s locker room this morning, and it wasn’t in the showers!”
Pulling her close, I pinched her arm. “Keep your voice down.”
“Ow!” She screamed. “You’re so damn violent. No wonder you’re into him. Anyway, I think it’s awesome. About time Rook got a dose of his own medicine.”
“It wasn’t like that.” Lifting the key lanyard over my head, I shoved it into my cubby. “Slayde was showing me some pointers, and it just sort of... escalated.”
“I’ll say! Are you meeting him tonight?”
Chewing my bottom lip, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to share. It was all so new and tentative, and I wasn’t certain how he felt. Exactly.
“Oh my god, you are!” she shrieked.
“Shh!” I pinched her arm again, and again she squealed. “We’re meeting at the pier, and I don’t know. It’s possible something might happen.”
“Why are you lying to me?” She leaned back and crossed her arms, trying to act pouty even though she was bubbling over with excitement. “Your aura is burning red.”
“Would you be cool? Please?”
She swept her long, curly brown hair behind her shoulder, causing her bronze crescent-shaped necklace to shimmer. “I am always cool. Just because you can’t appreciate my gift of perception doesn’t mean I’m uncool.”
Crossing the small space, I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my cheek on her thin shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’re fantastic, and I love you. But Slayde is... delicate.”
“He is so far from delicate it’s hard to even quantify—”
“Okay, delicate is the wrong word.” Closing my eyes, I tried to picture what I meant. “He’s very... guarded.”
“Yes. That is the truth.” She nodded, holding my arm with her many-ringed fingers. “It took a week before he would even answer when I spoke to him.”
“So you understand, then.” I lifted my head and caught her pretty hazel eyes. “I’m trying to take it slow and not let him think too much about it. I don’t want him to run away.”
Her lips broke into a broad, white smile. I couldn’t help smiling back. Mariska was so pretty. “Are you saying you don’t see how crazy he is about you?”
Blinking down, I hated how my stupid cheeks blushed at the drop of a hat. “It’s not always like that when we’re together. He was very reluctant to get close.”
“Umm, not,” she laughed. “He told you no, what? One afternoon? And then less than twelve hours later, he was right here, exactly where you said you’d be.”
“It was a little more than twelve hours.” I stepped over to the blender. Her recipe book lay open, and I slid my fingers over her curly handwriting.
“Thirteen hours? That’s very lucky.”
It was impossible not to grin. “My point is, don’t be too vocal about it all yet. Give him a little space.”
Crossing her arms over the white tank she wore, her eyes narrowed. “You’re majorly serious about this guy.”
I couldn’t look up because I couldn’t argue. She’d see straight through my lie. Still, it all felt so fast. Then I remembered what Patrick had said about being open.
“More like I’m curious. He makes me feel things...” I didn’t want to finish that sentence. “I want to see what happens.”
She dropped her arms and stepped forward, catching my hands in hers. “I have an incredibly great feeling about this, and I’ll be as indifferent and apathetic as you need me to be.”
My brow relaxed, and I hopped forward to kiss her cheek. “Love you, girl.”
“I want so much good for you, hon. You deserve it.”