Baffled, Crystal asked, “Romance of the year? Us?”
“Well, heck yeah,” Ella enthused. “No one has ever seen Mark walk around at Danvers holding a woman’s hand. You two are joined at the hip almost every day when you come through the door, and trust me, it’s been a hot topic. Did you know that your boss calls him . . .”
“Mr. Big,” Crystal filled in with a laugh. “Yep, she’s convinced that we’re the Danvers/DeSanto version of Carrie and Mr. Big from Sex and the City. Of course, I think she’s concentrating on Mark’s right-hand man, Jacob, more than anything.”
“She mentioned that too,” Ella agreed with a grin. “It’s nice to see her smiling again every day, though, isn’t it? I mean, I knew Lydia a little before you went to work as her assistant, and she always seemed so sad. I’m not saying that anything will ever come of her crush on Jacob, but it’s great to see her living life again.”
“I’ve been trying to get Mark to set them up,” Crystal confessed sheepishly. “He says he’s not getting involved, though, and that Jacob doesn’t really do long-term commitments.”
“Well, neither did Mark,” Ella argued.
“We aren’t exactly engaged; it’s been like a month,” Crystal pointed out.
“For a man like Mark, that’s major,” Ella added. “I’m just saying that sometimes people do things a certain way because they haven’t found someone who makes them want more. Look at Declan—he wasn’t looking for love, marriage, or a family, but that changed.”
“That’s true,” Crystal said thoughtfully. “Whatever it is, I’m enjoying what we have. I never knew that a man could make me feel so much.” Dropping a hand over her eyes, she whispered, “I flat out lust after him as much as I did back when I used to stalk him around the office. And it’s not just that. He’s funny, thoughtful, and one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met.”
Moving in for the kill, Ella asked bluntly, “And are you willing to lose that to keep from hurting Bill’s feelings?”
“No”—Crystal cringed—“not at all. Of course, you’re right. I’ll do something about it.”
“Thank God,” Ella deadpanned. “Now, are you two coming to Suzy’s party this weekend? I have no idea what’s going on because she’s been really secretive about it.”
“I think Gwen knows something.” Crystal nodded. “When we were having lunch the other day, she acted really funny when Mia brought up the party.”
“Same thing here from Beth. She’s a horrible liar, and I can normally get her to break, but this time she’s keeping her mouth shut, which is highly unusual.”
“Mark doesn’t know anything,” Crystal said thoughtfully. “He asked Gray if there was some special occasion, but instead of answering, he said Gray just smiled and walked off. I tried to get him to ask Nick or Jason, but he told me that men don’t harass other men for information like that.”
“Oh bullshit.” Ella snorted. “They try to pretend that women are so much worse about gossip, but I’ve heard Declan in action, and they’re every bit as nosy. He probably already tried it but didn’t want to admit to failing.”
Before Crystal could reply, her phone chimed and she fished it from her purse. Her insides went all gooey as soon as she saw the text from Mark. When’re you going to be home, Angel?
“Dear Lord, let me see that.” Ella chuckled as he grabbed the phone from Crystal’s fingers. When she read the message, she said, “Awww, that’s so sweet. Is he waiting at your place or something?”
Crystal knew she was blushing as she admitted, “No . . . he’s talking about his house. He calls it ‘home’ because—it is, right?”
Wiggling her brows, Ella said, “Mmm-hmm, it’s his place all right. But he’s referring to it as your home. That’s a big difference.” When her sister started humming the bridal march, Crystal got up from the sofa and threw a pillow at her.
“Keep it together, crazy. If Mark hears you doing that, then no doubt he’ll run for the hills.” Picking up her purse and snatching her phone away from Ella, she walked backward to the door. “I’m leaving now before you start ordering wedding invitations and creating a song list.”
Ella laid back full-length against the couch cushions, putting her hands behind her head. “Come on over to the dark side, Crys—it’s pretty sweet here.”
Crystal shook her head and gave a wave before leaving. She quickly typed out a response to Mark’s text letting him know she was on her way as she settled in her car. She didn’t want to admit it to her sister or anyone else, but she’d started to let herself think of Mark’s place as home. She only hoped for the sake of her heart that it was a permanent residence and not temporary housing.
• • •
She and Mark had just finished a dinner of Chinese takeout and were curled up on the sofa watching television. It seemed so domestic and normal that Crystal had pinched herself once just to prove that she was awake. Somehow, she’d always imagined being with a man like Mark would mean lots of socializing, but they’d actually developed a fairly low-key routine. Most evenings they cooked, ordered in, or went out to eat, and then went back to either her apartment or Mark’s place—mostly his. They had gone to the movies a few times and spent lazy days on the beach in front of his house. She loved it since she’d never been one who liked to be constantly on the go.