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She laughs too. “If you’re ever late for anything, I’ll know the world is ending.”
“I don’t know why I’m so prone to punctuality. My brothers aren’t.”
“It’s not a negative, Maeve.”
“Yeah, I know. It makes me seem uptight, though. Like some goody-goody who doesn’t want to get in trouble. Or like I’m sucking up to my boss.”
“I think you’re wasting energy thinking about this. Let’s talk about your hot date instead.” Lucy raises her eyebrows and cocks her head. “C’mon, now, no holding back. Get talking.”
“Who said anything about it being hot?”
“Oh, please. Don’t waste my time denying it. You had sex and an orgasm.”
Propping my elbows on the table, I lean forward. “Actually, I had more than one, but how can you tell?”
“You seem extra cheerful, and who isn’t happy after great sex and orgasms?”
“That’s so true. I feel like the sun’s shining a little brighter today.”
Lucy laughs. “It’s amazing what consistent sex has done to improve my mood. I haven’t yelled at anyone on my crew in months.”
“Whenever we have discussions about sex, I really wish you weren’t in love with my brother.”
She snickers. “So tell me what happened on your date.”
“We met on the rooftop deck at BLITZED, and he was even better looking than his profile pic. He was personable and kind. He bought my drink, and we had good conversation. It didn’t feel awkward at all.” I pause for effect. “Then we went to his house.”
“Where does he live?” she interrupts me.
“Mount Pleasant. And yes, his home is beautiful, and he shares it with his thirteen-year-old daughter.”
“She lives with him all the time?”
I shake my head. “No, it sounds like she’s with her mom most of the time and with him less.”
“So, the sex was good?”
“No, it was amazing. James is older and knows what he’s doing.”
“How much older?”
“He’s forty-two.”
Her brown eyes open wider. “Hello, daddy.”
I laugh. “I feel like referring to him that way should disgust me, but it doesn’t.”
“It’s not about him being your daddy as in a father figure. It’s about him being older and able to take care of you in all the most important ways,” she points out.
“Yes. That’s it exactly.”
“When are you getting together again?”
I roll my lips inward and prepare myself for Lucy’s inevitable disappointment. “We’re not.”
She gasps loudly. “Why not?”
I shrug. “It was just a hookup.”