Page 72 of This Time Around
Allie rolled over again, heaving herself out of bed this time. She thought about showering, but a tiny, silly part of her wanted to savor the scent of Jack on her skin for a little while longer. She tugged on her yoga pants and tank top again, shivering a little at the memory of him stripping them off her body. She skipped the bra this time, feeling deliciously vulnerable and powerful all at once.
Padding barefoot into the parlor, she spotted the empty wineglasses and a few scattered crackers that looked like they may have been gnawed on by feline teeth. She scooped everything up and carried the whole mess toward the kitchen, pausing as she caught sight of her reflection in the hall mirror. She looked like a woman who’d been thoroughly ravished. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a snarled mess, but instead of looking slovenly, it looked like a style she might’ve seen in a lingerie catalogue. Allie smiled and continued on, rounding the corner into the kitchen.
“Hey there!”
Allie jumped, her grip on one of the wineglasses loosening. Skye reached out and caught it easily, setting in on the counter with a grin before diving back into her cereal bowl.
“Nice reflexes,” Allie said as she set down the cheese plate and the other wineglass.
“Thanks.” Skye’s smile went a little wider as she chewed a mouthful of cereal. “Looks like you had a good night.”
Allie felt her cheeks start to redden before she realized Skye was nodding at the wine bottle. “Oh, yes. Right.” Allie tucked the empty bottle in the recycle bin. “Yes, it was terrific wine.”
“Tell me about it. I dated the winemaker there like ten years ago. He made some killer Rieslings, too.”
“I’ll have to check those out.” Her face felt hot, so Allie opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs she’d brought over earlier in the week. She found a nub of butter in an orange dish, then turned to rummage for her grandmother’s favorite copper skillet.
“I bought some really great bread at the farmer’s market yesterday,” Skye offered. “If you want some toast with that.”
“That sounds great. Can I make you a scrambled egg or two?”
“I’d love one. Thanks!”
They were behaving like awkward new roommates, which was sort of what they were. Still, it felt weird to be in that position after so many years of living on her own. Allie got to work cracking the eggshells, beating the eggs with a heavy-duty whisk and the gourmet white pepper her grandma always used. She poured the whole mess into the skillet and turned down the heat.
“Thanks again for pilling all the cats last night,” Skye said.
“No problem. I take it you had a good dinner with Wade?”
“Oh Lord! That man is amazing.”
Allie turned to see Skye beaming with the same look Allie had seen on her own face in the hallway mirror just a few minutes ago. She felt a pang of nostalgia for her college years, for the sequence of female roommates she’d lived with after she and Jack had split. Something inside her shifted, a quiet little thawing.
“Yeah.” Allie grinned and gave a little wave of her spatula. “Wade’s amazing. Jack’s amazing. Sounds like this is a pretty amazing morning for both of us.”
Skye laughed. “Very true.” She seemed to hesitate, twirling the spoon in her now-empty cereal bowl. “I was thinking of this thing with Wade as a fling, you know? I had kind of a dry spell after Brody left, and I’ve been easing back in with some casual hookups. It works if everyone’s on the same page.”
Allie nodded, even though she wasn’t all that familiar with casual hookups. It had never been her style, which was probably why she’d ended up engaged to so many men she barely knew.
The other woman was looking at her intently, so Allie just nodded. “I get it. Did something change your mind about that with Wade?”
Skye shrugged. “I don’t know. This morning—” she stopped there, and her cheeks went faintly pink. “I probably shouldn’t talk about this, huh? You’re his best friend and all.”
“It’s okay. I mean, if you want to talk about it, I promise not to tell him anything you don’t want me to.”
Skye seemed to hesitate, twirling the spoon again. Then her face broke into a grin. “I’m just thinking it could be more than just a hookup. Like an actual relationship.”
Allie swallowed hard, then turned to stir the eggs so she wouldn’t have to meet Skye’s eyes. Shit. This could be bad. “Wade is a great guy,” she said. “But uh—I’m not sure he’s really. Um, I mean he kinda?—”
“He fucks a lot of girls?” Skye laughed and Allie turned with a start to see the other woman grinning like a cat that ate a canary. “Yeah, I know. Even if he hadn’t told me, I know the type. I can spot a manwhore from a hundred miles away. I’ve even sought them out.”
“Right,” Allie said, relieved not to have to break this to her gently. “He’s a good guy, and he’s not insensitive or anything. He’s just not really one for commitment. He tried it a couple times, and said it wasn’t for him.”
She stopped there, remembering the blaze in Jack’s eyes last night when she’d mentioned the engagement. It didn’t seem like her place to share that detail with Skye, so she left it at that.
“I totally get it,” Skye said. “I’m kind of into the casual thing myself. But this morning, I don’t know—things feel a little different. For him, too, I think.”
Allie wanted to believe it. Wanted the glow in Skye’s cheeks to be reciprocated on the other end. Before she could say anything, Skye held out her phone.
