Page 207 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
She sighed, mustering a grin for her friend. “I’m killing time before I have to head over to the rec center. That’s why I suggested we meet here. My old landlord—”
“Smash Cakes?” H interrupted.
“It’s Hash Pants.”
“That can’t be his real name,” Harper mused. “Actually, it could be. I once had a piano student named Shishka Bobby.”
Libby cocked her head to the side. “You mean shish kebab, like the food?”
“No,Shishka Bobby. Interesting family.”
“I bet.”
“So, what does Smash Cakes want?” Harper asked, plunking down on the bench.
“He texted that his great aunt wanted to meet at the rec center. She found something of mine in the apartment and wants to give it to me in person.”
“Any idea what it is?” H asked.
“None at all.”
Harper nodded, and for the space of a breath, the woman looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
What was on H’s mind?
There was a good reason she didn’t know. She’d been so engulfed with life in Rickety Rock over the last several weeks, she’d barely checked in with her friend. “How are you, H? I’m sorry I haven’t asked in ages. Anything exciting on the piano teacher front?”
H glanced away. “I’ve got a conference in Las Vegas next week.”
“And your grandmother? How is she?”
Harper’s momentary flash of vulnerability dissolved, and the snarky glint returned to her expression. “You’re stalling, Libbs. I’m here for you.” H glanced over her shoulder. “And by the way, Penny and Char just pulled up. They should be here any minute.” Her friend toyed with the hem of her miniskirt. “Before ourbesties living their best lives and rocking diamonds that cost as much as a two-bedroom condo in Crystal Creekarrive, tell me, after everything that happened in Rickety Rock, are you sure you want to be here? You’ve been dealing with some heavy stuff, and I know this place reminds you of your mom. It’s a lot, even for our resident yoga queen.”
Libby drank in the outdoor space.
Harper wasn’t wrong.
Her mother had taken a class at the community center across from the playground. She’d babysat Anders and Alec here, keeping one eye on the boys while glancing into the building to try to catch a glimpse of her mother through the windows that lined the exercise studios.
But they weren’t all heavy memories.
She’d played at this park with Charlotte, Penny, and Harper. They’d each take a swing and pretend they were flying through air back when they were just a pack of pig-tailed schoolgirls.
“I’m okay, H. I am.”
But was she?
She sat back and looked on as a pair of children pumped their legs, sailing through the air on the swing set. The creak and whine of metal rubbing against metal as the children swung back and forth hung in the air above the chatter of boys and girls playing tag and venturing across the monkey bars. She twisted the jade beads on her bracelet and pictured the day she’d met Sebastian and brought him here—to this park, her park. He was a shy kid clutching a sketchbook, and now…
Now, she didn’t know if she’d be a part of his life anymore.
She closed her eyes and focused on the scent of lilacs in the air.
“Hey, Libbs, hey, H,” Penny said, sitting down next to her as Char sidled up next to Harper. “I was happy to see you texted about meeting up. I’ve been worried about you. Is everything working out with the Gale Gaming apartment?”
Libby opened her eyes, grateful to be with her girls. “Yes, Penn, thank you.”
When she’d returned to Denver, she’d had nowhere to go. And even though she was certain Raz wouldn’t be at his mega-mansion in the Crystal Hills neighborhood, she couldn’t return to the place where they’d made love for the first time, where the like cures like experiment started, and where her world had been turned upside down by one hell of a handsome slice of beefcake. When she’d texted the girls, asking for hotel recs, Penny mentioned there was an apartment in the Gale Gaming office building. She’d said that the entire place would be empty for the annual weekly summer shut down and that she’d be welcomed to stay there.
