“Did he?” I ask.
“She said he looks pretty good.”
No, he doesn’t. He’s sad and maybe scared, and it’s not my job to help him.
“Good for him.”
I press play and pretend to be engrossed in the show. When I’m finished with my ice cream, Scoot jumps down into my lap and curls up, but when I pet him, he hisses, so I leave him be.
“I know that Mia is glad that Landon’s home,” Riley says, and now I want to hiss at her.
“Why are we still talking about this?”
“Because you’re not saying anything,” she says.
“There’s nothing to say. He’s home.”
“And you love him,” she reminds me.
I shake my head. “I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t know him, Ri. I’ve carried a torch for a boy I used to know. A lot has happened.”
She’s frowning. “But it’s Landon.”
“I’m fine,” I say, exasperated. “It’ll be nice to see him once in a while, but I’m not a teenager, Riley.”
“Is it weird because of Brian?” she asks, making me frown.
“Why would it be weird because of Brian?” I’m deliberately being a pain in the ass. I don’t like to talk about this. It just makes me feel guilty and bad.
“Look, people get divorced all the time.” Riley’s voice is calm and matter-of-fact. “I’ll admit that being friends with your ex is odd, but people do it. I’ve heard.”
“Brian doesn’t have anything to do with Landon.”
“Well, given that they didn’t know each other before, and Brian’s not even from here, you wouldn’t think so. But I know differently.” Riley’s eyes are soft as she watches me. She’s the only one who knows all of the reasons that my marriage to Brian didn’t work.
And one of the reasons is Landon.
“I was young, and when I met Brian—”
“You were still hung up on Landon. I know.”
“But I didn’t marry Brian to spite Landon, Riley. That’s dumb. I did fall in love with Brian, and our relationship evolved naturally to marriage. It was the logical next step.”
“Logical,” she says with a nod.
I blow out a gusty breath. I don’t have to tell Riley that my marriage with Brian didn’t work because I’d never allowed myself to fall in love with him the way he deserved. That I’d been holding a piece of my heart aside for Landon.
Even though I knew that Landon wasn’t going to ever come back.
Except now he’s back, and I’m no kid, and I’m still so attracted to him that it’s silly.
“Can we not talk about this anymore and watch our show now?”
“Okay.” She doesn’t sound convinced, but I really don’t want to talk about Landon. When the show is over, we clean up and Riley leaves, and I climb the stairs to my bedroom. I don’t argue with Scoot when he jumps onto the bed and curls up behind my knees.
I’m not a teenager anymore. I failed in a marriage with a good man because I was hung up on Landon. It’s childish. It’s ridiculous.
It needs to stop now. It’s past time to move on with my life.
I LOVE OUR restaurant. We’ve worked our asses off for it. I walk through the dining room and stop to fuss over a centerpiece, enjoying the cozy color scheme and richness of the fabrics. It’s inviting. Sexy.
Everything about our place is sexy. We made sure of it. From the warm atmosphere to the aphrodisiacs on the menu, Seduction screams classy sex.
And I like to think that it mirrors the five women who own and run it.
I walk through to the wine bar that Kat runs and grin when I see her and Mia, our master chef, with their heads bent over wine goblets, sniffing deeply.
“It smells like wine,” Mia says.
“It smells like cherries and oak. It’s full-bodied.”
“Like me.” Mia smirks and pats her round hip. Mia may carry a few extra pounds, but she’s sexy as can be with it. Her long dark hair, usually worn up and under a hat, hangs in loose curls to her waist.
“I wish I had your curves,” I say as I join them. “What are you doing?”
“Kat’s trying to teach me how to smell wine.”
“How’s that going?”
“It smells like wine,” Mia says with a shrug.
“I give up,” Kat says with a frown, her red lips twisting in disgust.
“Kat, you’re the one that needs to know this stuff,” I remind her. “And you’re excellent at it.”
“Exactly,” Mia agrees, nodding. “You’re the wine expert. I’ll keep doing what I do in the kitchen.”
“Good plan,” Addie says, her heels clicking on the hardwood as she and Riley join us. Addie’s tall and rocks curves of her own. She’s the most fashionable person I know, and since she’s a former model, I’d expect nothing less.
“Kat, I just got off the phone with Leah, your new bartender. She’ll be here by three to start training.”
“Cool,” Kat says with a nod. “Not sure why she called the front of the house and not my cell.”
“She said she lost your number. She sounds a little—” Addie struggles to find the word.
“Not the brightest bulb in the shed?” Kat asks. “She’s a little dense, but she’s an excellent bartender, she’s adorable, and she doesn’t take shit from the customers who have had too much to drink. She comes highly recommended.”