Page 67 of Sexting My Ex's Dad

“Anyway,” Anastasia interjects, picking up on my unspoken plea, “we should get these cookies in the oven. They’ll be perfect by the time we start the movie.”

“Sounds good,” Isobel agrees, gratefully taking the change in topic. She busies herself with setting the timer on the oven as I release a quiet sigh of relief.

I’ll have to explain the truth to Isobel – and fess up to Anastasia. Just not tonight.

The sweet scent of baking cookies wafts through the air as we settle onto the couch, a fortress of pillows and blankets surrounding us.

“You knowI might have forgiven him had it not been for the fact that two weeks after he ghosted me, he started dating my cousin,” Isobel rolls her eyes.

How we’d gotten to the topic of failed relationships, I’m not sure…but it is nice to know I’m not the only one with crappy luck.

“Don’t even get me started on my ex who ‘accidentally’ forgot my birthday,” Anastasia chimes in. “You remember him, don’t you, Stella.”

I laugh. “There’s no way I could forget Gunner. Even his name was stupid. What a jerk.”

“He’s married now and bald, so I call it karma.” She shrugs.

“You know if I didn’t enjoy sex so much, I’d probably turn into a lesbian,” Isobel comments.

“Lesbians can have good sex,” Anastasia adds.

“You gonna show me?” She waggles her eyebrows, as Anastasia gets on her hands and knees crawling towards her. I watch the two of them, just laughing at the show. They’re ridiculous.

“Guys, I think it’s time for a cookie break!” I announce the second the oven goes off.

“We’ll finish this later,” Isobel says, pointing at her, as she moves into the kitchen with me and Anastasia trailing.

Anastasia carefully opens the oven door, revealing a tray of golden-brown delights.

“Careful, they’re hot,” she warns us, using an oven mitt to pull out the tray and set it on the counter.

“Those look amazing,” Isobel gushes, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the perfectly formed treats.

“Anastasia, you’ve outdone yourself,” I praise.

“Alright, ladies, grab a cookie and let’s get back to our movie marathon,” Anastasia instructs with a wink, carefully handing each of us a warm, gooey treat.

Isobel had been right. This is exactly what I needed.

39

STELLA

“Stella, you’re on fire tonight!” Isobel tells me encouragingly from the sidelines. “There’s not a man in here who can keep his eyes off of you. I might be a little bit jealous. Just when did you become a sexy little vixen?”

I smile. “I guess there’s nothing else holding me back.”

To be honest, it’d been a bit weird for me to see Elio and work at Regency at the same time. I’d felt like I was cheating because of what I was forced to wear and the way I had to talk. If he thought seeing me and Paul had been bad…well, he would have hated to see me at work.

But with no more guys in my life, that meant I could do whatever I wanted and there was nobody who would make me feel bad about it.

Isobel elbows me playfully before the smile leaves her face. “What is he doing here?”

My eyes scan the crowd, and that’s when I see him. Elio Lombardi, the man who broke my heart, standing near the bar with his piercing blue eyes fixed on me. I can’t believe he has thenerve to show up here after everything that’s happened between us.

Oh no, he’s not going back to coming here just so he can stare at me, is he?If that’s the case, I’ll shut him down here and now.

Isobel did say he was the new owner, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be here. Unless he bought the company just so he could torture me. I wouldn’t expect anything less out of a Lombardi.