Page 48 of Loverboy
Oh wow, my hormones say.That’s romantic.
And also embarrassing.
“Hey—are you okay?” My sister appears in the doorway to my bedroom. “I can’t believe someone trashed the pie shop! You should have called me!” She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.
“You were having a fun date, and I didn’t want to ruin it. You probably wouldn’t have even checked your phone. One of us should be having sex.” I cover my face with my hands. “I tried, Ginny. I almost managed it. But before we even got across the street, the vandal shattered the window.”
“Oh, honey!” Ginny bounds into the room and plops onto the bed. “Really? You picked up a guy? That’s—” Ginny’s eyes go wide. “Omigod. Was it Gunnar?”
“Yes,” I sigh, feeling embarrassed all over again. “I invited him home for spicy chocolate pie and sex. Instead, all he got was a long conversation with the cops. And the pie, I guess. Eventually.”
“Whoa…” Ginny sits on the edge of the bed. “This is more shocking than the break-in, Posy. You really went for it? That’s bold! How did you put it to him…” she wiggles her eyebrows “…so that he’dput itto you?”
“Actually, I was kind of a chicken,” I grumble. “I used the pie as an excuse to invite him over. But my intentions were clear.”
“Were they?” She gives me a once-over. “Maybe they weren’t clear enough, or you could have gotten some after the whole crime scene thing.”
“I was too upset.” I sit up a little. “And too tired. What time is it?”
“Nine,” she says.
“NINE?” I throw off the blanket. “I have to get downstairs. Gunnar asked some kind of security company to stop by and board up the window.”
“Oh, they’re just about done,” Ginny says with a wave of her hand. “Although it isn’t boarded up. They found a glass company that works Saturdays. They’re putting the finishing touches on it. And Gunnar had them give your security grate an upgrade.”
“Gunnar did what?” I wrestle my PJ shirt off and lunge for my bra. “I can’t afford an upgrade.” I’m about to spend my day throwing away pie, cleaning up debris and basically starting over.
“You can’t afford to get broken into again, though,” my sister says, examining her nails. “Aren’t you going to ask aboutmynight?”
“How was your night?” I ask, jumping into a pair of jeans. “Just tell me the G-rated parts.”
“There weren’t any G-rated parts,” she says with a grin. “This guy had all the moves. I’m going to be thinking about it for a month.”
“Aren’t you going to see him again?”
She shrugs. “I hope so, but you never know. He seems a little flighty. A little full of himself. He’ll probably find someone with fewer obligations to bang. Kind of hard to blame him. But at least I got one great night. It could be months before I get another. But that’s okay, I can store it up. I’m like a sex camel.”
“A sex…” I decide not to pursue that idea any further. “Good for you.” Let’s face it—I really don’t understand my sister. We’ve always had completely different approaches to life. She has a very fulfilling sex life, though, and she’s not afraid to pursue it. Note to self.
I dash for the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth and hair before I have to come face to face with the hottest man I almost-but-not-quite had sex with.
14
Gunnar
It’sno accident that I let Posy sleep in while my crew fixed up the pie shop. By the time she appears in tight jeans and a T-shirt that says BAKE right across her delectable chest, there’s a new window installed on the shop, and a sturdier lock on the back door. The floor has been swept clean, and the display case has been repaired.
Except for the pies themselves—which my guys were sad to throw away—the place looks completely untouched by last night’s crime.
Some of our fixes aren’t visible to the eye, though. There are six brand new cameras hidden around the cafe. They’re top-of-the-line devices, and so well camouflaged that nobody will ever find them. Nothing that happens in this space will go undetected by the team at The Company headquarters.
I feel terribly guilty about this, even though Posy’s shop is now safer than Fort Knox. She wouldn’t appreciate the deception. Hopefully it will be over soon, and she’ll never have to know.
On the bright side, she appreciates the cleanup job I’ve supervised. As soon as her eyes sweep the room, taking everything in, she squeals with happiness. “Oh my god! Gunnar! This is amazing. I can’t believe how much better it looks in here. I’m terrified to see the bill.Trulyterrified. But I’m still super impressed.” She turns slowly in a circle, her mouth open. “My god—I can reopen tomorrow. Even if the insurance company stiffs me, at least I won’t be closed more than a day.”
“They won’t,” I say quickly. “I took pictures before they fixed the window.”
At that, Posysmiles. And it’s not just a little smile, it takes over her whole face. And I feel that smile everywhere, because I put it there. As soon as I get the chance, I’m going to make her smile again, for entirely different reasons.
