“So yeah,” I said. “He likes you. Don’t get that part wrong. He’d snatch you up in a heartbeat if he could snatch you up, only it would be a distraction, and we’re trying to work on eliminating all distractions from our lives.”
One corner of the chef’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Ah yes,” she said. “Your little trilogy.”
“Our big trilogy,” I corrected her. “But yeah. We’re all working hard on it. Trying to meet specific deadlines. Trying to get three giant novels out in the next few months, all written in tandem.” I scratched at my chin. “Or rather, we’re tag-teaming the books chapter by chapter.”
“So like a boxer in training,” Kayleen smirked. “No sex before a big fight.”
“Not at all,” I corrected her. “Actually, just the opposite.”
I paused here, for the sheer joy of watching her wheels turn. Kayleen’s eyes grew even more narrow as she tried figuring out what I meant.
“Sex is an amazing outlet,” I said, “especially for creativity. So while we’re trying to eliminate all distractions, we’re also not crazy. We know we’ll need female companionship. The intimacy of…”
“Sex,” she said, matter-of-factly.
I shrugged. “Three guys, all in our mid-twenties? What do you think?”
“I think you need a couple of hookers,” she laughed.
I frowned and shook my head. “I said companionship. Intimacy. The kind of stuff that a girlfriend brings to the table. And yes, of course sex too.”
“So then what’s Chase’s problem?” she jumped in. “Not that I’m putting the cart before the horse or anything, but I happen to make a kickass girlfriend.” Now she did fold her arms. “And hey — newsflash — sex was definitely on the menu.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, he told us.”
“So I still don’t get—”
I turned away mid-sentence, cutting her short. A few short clicks of the mouse later, I pulled up the ad and expanded it to fit the screen.
“Read this,” I said, stepping back.
Kayleen leaned in, her sparkling blue irises shifting back and forth as she scanned line after line. Her lips moved silently as she read, as if mouthing the words to herself.
Shit, maybe I was wrong. Maybe she was drop-dead gorgeous.
Maybe?
I watched her mouth slowly open. Saw her eyes go wide and wider.
For a long, silent moment, it was like time had stopped.
“You can’t be serious,” she finally said.
Five
KAYLEEN
I read the whole thing twice, then one more time, just in case I’d misinterpreted it. But there was no really mistaking the ad on the computer screen:
WANTED:
SHARED GIRLFRIEND FOR
EXCLUSIVE 3-on-1 RELATIONSHIP
(Yes, you read that right)
Three budding young authors seek one