Page 35 of Pickled
“I’m just not—”
“I know, I know. I get it. You’re not ready.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “Girls, it’s time to get out of the pool,” she shouted, then returned her attention to me. “Humor me. If you were ready, who would you pick? Mr. Cocky with the gorgeous biceps from the club or the mystery man who made you come so hard you’re still glowing the night after?”
I couldn’t help myself. “Mystery man was ten times hotter than that guy today.”
I took off my sunglasses and put them in my purse. While Olive was busy climbing out of the pool, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I don’t think I can ever have sex again. I reached the pinnacle last night.”
“Well.” Lisa crossed her arms and stood. “Unless you’re joining a convent, that means you’re going to have to go back for more.”
Going back would lead to nothing good. “No. I have to think about Olive. She’s my priority right now.”
The girls had ignored Lisa and were lined up on the edge of the pool, trying to see who could make the biggest cannonball splash. I would always put Olive first. No matter what.
Lisa’s sigh was drowned out by the squeals of the girls. “Does that mean you’re going to be single until Olive’s eighteen?”
Shrugging, I tried to act nonchalant. Eighteen-year-old Olive was thirteen years away. A calculation I hadn’t done until that moment. “I guess so. Unless an emotionally stable man who is also amazing with five-year-olds magically appears.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Let your best friend fix that statement. Aridiculously hot, triple-orgasm-delivering, emotionally stable man who is amazing with five-year-olds.”
“You left out magical because I’m probably going to have to take up witchcraft in order to conjure this mystical man.”
“Lisa,” a voice called from the house. Gerry, her husband, leaned out the sliding glass door. When he saw me, he waved. “Hi, Piper.”
I waved back. “Hi, Gerry.”
“Hi, Daddy,” Gabby shouted. “We played pickleball today with the Myers sisters!”
“Awesome.” Gerry’s chest puffed. “Did they notice you’ve been working on your serve?”
Gabby nodded enthusiastically and dove back into the pool.
“I picked up some chicken for dinner, Piper. Are you and Olive staying? We’ve got enough to start our own Popeyes here.”
“No, we’ll be leaving once we drag the girls from the pool. We’ve been trying to get them out for the last hour.”
Gerry chuckled. “They won’t come out until they look like raisins. Lisa, have you seen the barbecue lighter?” He loosened his tie.
“Did you look in the drawerwhere we keep it?”
“No.” He gave her thewink and a gungesture and disappeared into the house.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “The man can balance a billionaire’s profit-and-loss spreadsheet like nobody’s business but loses his glasses every single day.” Her eye gesture suggested annoyance, but the tone in her voice was giving total adoration.
“Found it,” he shouted from inside.
“We’ll continue our discussion later,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to continue.” I finished my drink.
“I haven’t seen you smile like this since I’ve known you. Give the man a chance. How do you know that he wouldn’t want to step in and look after you and Olive?”
I cast a glance at the door. “I don’t need a man to look after me.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Her eyes were kind.
“Olive,” I shouted through the splashes. “It’s time to go.”
Olive swam to the deep end, her tiny arms working hard inside her floatie vest.
