Page 47 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
“Aren’t they the top selling books in the country?”
“Stop being coy!” She swats my arm.
“My ex and I used to have a few drinking games we played while listening to them.”
“Take a drink every time the word throb is used,”I hear Kate’s voice saying the first time we played it at her lake house, the summer we met, eight years ago.
“You two were together for a long time …” she trails off.
I deeply inhale and decide to tell her more about that relationship.
“When we met, we were both having arguably the craziest summers of our lives, and together we were like gasoline to a fire. You could say that was the height of my addiction. I was doing coke all day, drinking all day, and then taking other stuffwhen it felt right.” Maybe I should feel self-conscious about sharing that, but that’s my past. She doesn’t look sheepish after hearing more about my addiction; rather, she’s fully engaged in this conversation, holding my gaze. “I kept partying for a couple years after that until I decided to get sober.”
“How’s being sober?”
“The best decision I’ve ever made.” She nods, and I’m curious if she feels nervous to talk about all of this. “I was talking about you in therapy today.”
“Really?” she asks, a mix of surprised and teasing.
“My therapist likes that you have boundaries and purpose, which are two things I also really like about you.”
She looks down, hiding a smile.
“But back to books, the one you recommended is the filthiest one I’ve ever listened to.”
She laughs. “I know worse … I’ll make you a list.” Taylor looks deep in thought before she hits her thighs with both hands. “Okay. I’ll stay the night.”
“Nice. Want to have a fire outside? I love sitting by the fire in the evenings.”
“You should totally do that! I … I am thinking about the scope I just sold Chad and need to put it together into a contract for him to sign. I also want to get acclimated with his existing social presence.”
Her mind’s on work.I get it.
“It is a school night,” I say, reaching for her plate and stacking it with mine.
“Exactly.”
“Let me show you the room everyone always fights over when they visit,” I say, wishing we could cuddle in my bed, but understanding why we can’t.
31
“This view!” I nearly gasp, entering a room with floor-to-ceiling windows. “How perfect to be staring at the lake while thinking about social media ideas for boating on Geneva Lake!”
Brandon leans against the door as I continue to take in the large, cozy room. The big bed is tightly made like a hotel, and there’s a sitting area with a couch, a chair, and a coffee table. “I love how excited you are about this. If you want to take a break, I’ll be on the patio, sitting by the fire.”
“Sounds good,” I say, flopping on the bed with my laptop and phone in hand. He leaves, and I tap my phone. It’s a little after seven. I’ll work for an hour and then join him.
Arranging the pillows to give me back support, I start reviewing the boat rental’s existing social media, creating a SWOT analysis. Strengths: They already have a couple thousand followers on each channel. Weaknesses: Their posts are all over the place. Some look professional. Some are terrible. They don’t have any posting cadence. Opportunities: video. There are no videos. Brand voice. There’s no personality. Threats: Time to see what his competitors are doing.
There’s a soft knock at the door. I look up and see Brandon with a glass of water in hand and some clothes in the other.
“I’m going to bed, but I thought you might want to sleep in something else.”
I look at the time on my laptop. “Shit,” I breathe. I’ve been working on this analysis for three hours already.
“So passionate,” Brandon says, setting the water glass on the bedside table.
I smile up at him, thinking how he is the sweetest guy I’ve ever hung out with. Staring into his big blue eyes, I’m so conflicted, but I know he wants something serious and I’m just not ready yet. “What’s your stance on cuddling?” I ask.
