Page 35 of Take A Number
“This is the strangest conversation I’ve ever had with you two,” Maggie says, shaking her head as she glances back and forth between Kate and Lynsey. “And that’s coming from someone who heard you two talk about how it doesn’t matter if you shave your crotches because every time a man enters a woman’s vagina, he’s won the lottery.”
“It’s true!” Kate and Lynsey shout in unison, and it causes all of us to burst out laughing.
God, these girls are fun. Crazy and completely unfiltered. But fun.
“So…Norah,” Kate says with a flourish and turns her terrifying eyes to me. “You’ve been quiet this evening.”
I take a sip of my drink and shrug. “I’m just enjoying the show.”
“Well, it’s your turn now to spill the tea. You and Dean in a relationship. Gosh, I still can’t believe it.”
I shrug and offer a weak smile. “He’s a persistent guy.” Which became very evident when he propositioned me for sex again in our room earlier tonight. Thank goodness I never saw him before he left tonight because I have no clue how I’m going to act around him.
“Have you guys done the nasty yet?” Kate asks, waggling her brows at me.
“No,” I reply honestly because it’s the first thing that pops into my mind. Seriously, these girls are relentless. I had no idea this weekend was going to be consumed with so much sex talk. I should have seen it coming, though, because this is a bachelorette party for a bride who writes sexy books for a living. I clear my throat and add coolly, “We’re taking it slow.”
Kate and Lynsey look dumbfounded.
“Dean Moser is taking it slow with a girl?” Lynsey asks, clearly not buying it. “He must have serious feelings for you.”
I flush, wondering if I’ve revealed too much, so I decide to hit them with more honesty. “Well, the slow thing is my idea. I’m not really into relationships. No offense to you guys who all seem blissfully happy, but I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”
“Then you’re a perfect match for Dean.” Lynsey hiccups and then covers her mouth like she said too much.
“Why do you say that?” I find myself asking.
She glances at Kate nervously. “Just that…well, his parents weren’t exactly picture-perfect when he was a kid. And he took their divorce really hard.”
“Interesting,” I reply with a frown. “I got the impression he was glad they split up.” Lynsey and Kate exchange a weird look, and then Maggie’s voice interrupts me before I can pry further.
“Why don’t you want to get married? Did your parents have a messy divorce too?” Maggie asks, her brows furrowed with genuine interest, not judgment.
I shrug and sigh heavily because it’s the million-dollar question I get from everybody. “I just worry I’ll have to give up my dreams. My mother was a huge sales rep for Mary Kay cosmetics before she had me. She was one of those ladies who was so successful they gave her a pink Cadillac.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve seen those. I want one!” Lynsey laughs.
“Right! It’s amazing. She was a big deal and a top rep nationally. I’ve seen the awards she’s earned tucked away in her closet. It’s impressive and she made women feel good and earned a crazy-amazing living doing it. But once she had me, she gave it all up. I don’t want that for myself. I have big goals for my bakery, and if I get married, I’m scared those goals will change. Marriage almost always leads to babies, and I can’t do what I want to do with a kid.”
Lynsey leans forward and frowns at me. “Lots of married couples choose to never have kids. And lots of women don’t give up careers for their children. I’m a perfect example of finding a balance…even if I have a wide-set vagina now.”
Everyone bursts out laughing because she said it so seriously, like she wasn’t trying to be funny, which just makes it that much funnier.
When we all recover, I hit her with a meaningful look. “I know it’s possible, but gosh, you and Josh are such an amazing partnership. You literally share a medical practice. That’s a unicorn kind of guy you found there.”
“Max said Dean’s an investor in your franchise, right?” Henley states out of nowhere, turning all of our attention to her. “Isn’t that kind of a partnership?”
My brows furrow. “Well, he’s really a silent investor.”
“That sounds even better,” she replies with a bitter laugh. “To find a man who believes in you so fully he doesn’t try to force his opinion on your business. Does it get much more unicorn than that?”
Everyone goes quiet for a moment as we process the sort of monumental truth Henley just dropped out of nowhere.
“Dean basically offered to be my baby daddy too,” Lynsey adds with wide, sweet eyes. “When things were weird with Josh and me, he was willing to change his whole life to help me out. He’s a total unicorn.”
Kate nods. “Yeah, he may be a mountain manwhore, but even under his whorish ways, he’s got magic in the horn of his.”
Everyone nods in agreement, but my mind wanders back to our talk in the bedroom earlier tonight. I don’t know if it’s the firelight or the wine flowing in my veins, but I’m starting to ask myself why I was resisting Dean’s idea so much? Yes, obviously, I’m busy. But if it’s not a real relationship, how much more time could hooking up occupy? And clearly, Dean is a good guy, so I could do a lot worse as far as casual sex goes. And if there was a chance I could see him naked in that sexy shower, I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t take it.
