“But…” I nod toward the door “…there’s another bedroom here on the main floor.”
“Yes. But I want to make you feel as comfortable as possible. Give you as much space and privacy as you need. So I’ll be downstairs. Cersei can have the other bedroom up here.”
“Shep …”
“Get settled. We have a tee time in an hour.” He disappears down the stairs with his bag.
I stare … and stare at the view. Then I plop back on the bed and gaze at the ceiling fan. I can’t believe I’m here. With him.
A few minutes later, Shep emerges from the basement in black shorts and a white golf polo. I’ve changed into a black skort and a white sleeveless polo.
“Wow … we match,” I say, trying to hide my amusement while eyeing him. “I can change. I packed another option.”
“You don’t want to match with me?” He fiddles with the buttons to his polo and adjusts the collar.
“No. I mean … it’s fine with me if it’s fine with you. My shirt’s wrinkled, so … whatever.” That’s my comeback. Brilliant. “Got any food in the fridge?”
“Yeah. You hungry? I guess I should have planned for lunch before golf.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. I’m a snacker. That’s all.” I’m not a snacker. I can skip a meal and not feel hungry. But I’ve read I need to eat small meals and frequent snacks to keep any possible nausea at bay. So far, I haven’t felt anything except some slight tenderness in my breasts.
“Fruit? Meat? Cheese?”
“Sure.”
He chuckles. “A buffet it is.” I take the food from him as he pulls out several trays from the fridge.
“Looks like someone planned for a party. All this food on trays.”
“No. My mom knew I was bringing Howie, so she made sure to leave food. If it were just me, I think she’d let me starve.”
“Howie? The toddler?”
He grins and nods. “Does he know about me? Did you talk about me the day I called you?”
“I may have given him some details about you,” he mumbles.
“What details?” I dig into the food.
“He knows we’re friends. He’s happy that I have a … friend.”
I narrow my eyes.
“He and his wife were friends with me and Millie. I don’t get to see him as often because we no longer do things as couples.”
“Maybe I should hang out with you and Howie.” A whole different, Jimmy-less life, I think in my delusional head. Sounds magical. “You know … since this is all a friend thing. I could go golfing with you two. A threesome.”
Shep coughs, spewing out some cracker crumbs. “N-no. Don’t say it like that.”
“That’s what it’s called. Do you think Howie would be opposed to a threesome?”
“St-stop.” He fists his hand at his mouth and laughs.
“Well…” I shrug, keeping my smile well hidden behind a handful of grapes “…it’s just an idea. You two can discuss it later. Oh, and tell your mom thanks for me. This is all really good.”
He nods several times while his throat bobs. “I will. Maybe.” He brushes the crumbs off his hands into the sink. Then he leans his hip against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. They’re tan and defined.
I give my eyes a few extra seconds to admire them before refocusing on the food. “Maybe?” I say, covering my mouth as I chew.
“My parents don’t know you’re here.”
“Me? Your friend? I’m your secret?”
His head bounces a few times. “Perhaps.”
This makes my day. He has at least one secret. Me.
“Are you not allowed to have girls at the house when your parents aren’t here? No parties? No loud music?”
“I’m avoiding a million questions. You’re my first female anything since my divorce.”
I chew slowly for a bit before nodding. “Men and women can be just friends.”
“I’m sure it’s a hard sell for some people. But not us. We know otherwise. Right?” His question is weird, or maybe it’s the way he’s posing it to me like I actually need to answer him, instead of a foregone conclusion or anything rhetorical.
“Yes. We’re just friends.” I pop a piece of pineapple into my mouth. “Despite your juvenile attempts to see my nipples.”
His face comes to life. “It was a successful attempt. Not juvenile. Well planned with a solid payout.”
I roll my eyes. “You didn’t see anything.”
“Oh, I saw everything. I could sketch your nipples if they robbed a bank.”
“Stop.” I laugh, returning the food trays to the fridge. “Stop talking about my nipples.”
“You brought them up. Don’t get me wrong, I was hoping you would. Like … really hoping. I’ve been meaning to compliment you on them. That day at the store, I wanted to give them a slow clap or something special like that. Maybe a ribbon like at the state fair.”
I can’t stop giggling as I fist my hand over my mouth to keep from spitting residual bits of food from my mouth. “Let’s go. This conversation is over.” I fill a bowl with water for Cersei and set it on the tile floor.