Page 53 of Now That It's You
“Not ew. Not at all. The female body is beautiful.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Just thinking I might not have stuck my head so far inside it if I’d known.” She walked around to the other side of it, her discomfort seeming to give way to curiosity. “It is beautiful, you’re right.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll tell Cara you thought so.”
She laughed and trailed a hand over the stem. “You’re still in touch?”
“Not like that.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. “So she knows her lady-business is on display in your gallery for everyone to see?”
“Well, it’s not like there’s a label on it that says, ‘Here’s my ex-girlfriend’s bikini biscuit.’”
“Bikini biscuit?” She snorted. “That’s a new one.”
“You prefer coochie? Honey pot? Panty hamster? Cave of wonders?”
“God,” she said, laughing. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”
Kyle grinned, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. He decided it might be a little of both. “Besides trees, the female form is one of my favorite subjects, though I don’t usually focus on a single part of the anatomy.”
“I’ll be watching for your display of kneecaps in the future.” She walked around to the other side of the sculpture, and Kyle felt an unexpected surge of pride at how intrigued she seemed. “It’s really intricate. The sculpture, I mean. I can’t comment on Cara’s bajingo.”
“Thanks. It’s sturdy enough it could be displayed outside if someone wanted that. The sculpture, not Cara’s lady garden.”
Meg snorted. “Please don’t feel the need to elaborate on its ability to withstand weather conditions like intense moisture or pounding heat.”
“You said it, not me.”
Meg took another step to the side, coming full circle now to stand beside him. “Does it ever weird you out a little? Having your ex-girlfriend’s vajayjay right there in the middle of your gallery?”
He shrugged. “Not really, though it sometimes makes me laugh to have people stroking it or asking how much it costs.”
“How much does it cost?”
He nodded to the price tag near the corner of the base, and watched her eyes go wide again. “Holy cow. That’s one expensive cha-cha.”
“Literally and metaphorically.”
“What do you mean?”
Kyle shrugged. “Cara got the house when we split.”
“I didn’t know you bought a house.” Meg frowned. “Wait, you bought a house together, but you didn’t want to get married?”
“I thought it was a good compromise.”
Meg rolled her eyes, then ran her palm over the stem again. “I think it would weird me out, having this constant reminder of a failed relationship.”
Kyle shrugged. “I don’t really see it like that. Whether there’s tangible evidence or not, aren’t exes always sort of hovering around the periphery of our day-to-day lives?”
“I suppose that’s true.” He watched as she tugged at her earlobe, then flushed a bright crimson.
He grinned. “Confession number one?—”
“No!” She shook her head, backing away from the calla lily. “Sorry, I’m pleading the fifth on this one.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Really? I’m intrigued.”
