us women and our tender hearts,” Lida grouched, propping her feet on Arden’s filing cabinet. “It’s not fair that men can go out and sow their wild oats and we can’t.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. Dating Philip was good for me, even if we didn’t have sex.”
Lida raised a cynical eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
Arden laughed, feeling self-conscious. “Yes. Really.”
“But you won’t go on a date with Shane Donner.”
Arden snorted. “He hasn’t asked.”
“But what if he does?”
“Oh Lida, he won’t.”
Lida frowned. “How can you be so sure?”
Arden quickly told her about what had happened with her and Shane. Lida’s eyes grew wide and wider, until finally she put her hand over them. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I wish I were.”
That made Lida put her hand down. “No, you don’t.”
Arden laughed, but the chuckle trailed into a sigh. “No, I guess I don’t. But I do.”
“Gotcha.” Lida shook her head. “I don’t envy you, hon. So what’re you going to do?”
That was an easier question to answer. “Nothing,” Arden replied in a tone that refused argument, and turned back to her sewing.
Chapter Eight
Aislin and Maeve had gone to spend the night with friends, a new arrangement Arden hadn’t expected to bother her so much. Sending them to stay with Gran and Grampy was one thing…but sleepovers had opened up an entire new world. Her girls really were growing up.
She’d showered and dressed in a worn sleepshirt, left her hair tangled and damp, and come downstairs to watch a movie. When the phone rang, it sounded so loud in the empty house that she jumped and spilled her popcorn all over the floor.
The voice on the other end made her spill her soda too.
Arden took a breath, ignoring the mess on the floor for the moment. “I didn’t think you’d call me.”
Silence reigned for a brief moment, in which she heard the sound of his breathing. “Why not?”
Arden sighed. “Do you need me to spell it out for you, Shane?”
“I guess I do.” He sounded the way he always did, cocky and self-assured, but the tone didn’t match his words. “Go ahead and tell me why you thought I wouldn’t call you.”
“I thought after our last conversation—”
“What are you wearing?”
Arden held the phone away from her ear for a moment in shock. “What?”
Shane’s voice shifted. Got a little deeper and, heaven help her, sexier. “What are you wearing?”
She looked down at her oversized cotton T-shirt. Her wet hair had dampened the shoulders and the material clung to her breasts from her wetness underneath. She wore nothing else.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m imagining you in black lace and high heels. Garter belt and stockings. Red lipstick. Black sunglasses.”
His words set her heart pounding. He knew how to work her, all right, especially since she’d once worn an outfit exactly like that for him. But he also knew how to add just that touch of incongruity that would make her ask: “Sunglasses?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not wearing sunglasses.”
He chuckled. The noise traveled through the phone lines, out the speaker, through her eardrum and directly to the pleasure center of her brain. Arden’s thighs spread open and she leaned back in the chair before closing them again. It took effort.
“Shane, I have to go.”
“Kids need you?”
“They’re staying with friends,” she said, and the words sounded too much like an invitation. “Goodbye.”
“Wait…please?”
The please did her in. She walked into the kitchen to grab a cloth for the spill on her rug. “Why did you call me?”
“Why’d you send me that message the first time?”
She had to think of just what to say, old habits holding her tongue. “I was just…back in town, and someone told me that they saw a sign for your company, and I thought… Well. I thought I’d check it out.”
She paused, then added, “I didn’t think you’d answer. At least, not the way you
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. Dating Philip was good for me, even if we didn’t have sex.”
Lida raised a cynical eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
Arden laughed, feeling self-conscious. “Yes. Really.”
“But you won’t go on a date with Shane Donner.”
Arden snorted. “He hasn’t asked.”
“But what if he does?”
“Oh Lida, he won’t.”
Lida frowned. “How can you be so sure?”
Arden quickly told her about what had happened with her and Shane. Lida’s eyes grew wide and wider, until finally she put her hand over them. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I wish I were.”
That made Lida put her hand down. “No, you don’t.”
Arden laughed, but the chuckle trailed into a sigh. “No, I guess I don’t. But I do.”
“Gotcha.” Lida shook her head. “I don’t envy you, hon. So what’re you going to do?”
That was an easier question to answer. “Nothing,” Arden replied in a tone that refused argument, and turned back to her sewing.
Chapter Eight
Aislin and Maeve had gone to spend the night with friends, a new arrangement Arden hadn’t expected to bother her so much. Sending them to stay with Gran and Grampy was one thing…but sleepovers had opened up an entire new world. Her girls really were growing up.
She’d showered and dressed in a worn sleepshirt, left her hair tangled and damp, and come downstairs to watch a movie. When the phone rang, it sounded so loud in the empty house that she jumped and spilled her popcorn all over the floor.
The voice on the other end made her spill her soda too.
Arden took a breath, ignoring the mess on the floor for the moment. “I didn’t think you’d call me.”
Silence reigned for a brief moment, in which she heard the sound of his breathing. “Why not?”
Arden sighed. “Do you need me to spell it out for you, Shane?”
“I guess I do.” He sounded the way he always did, cocky and self-assured, but the tone didn’t match his words. “Go ahead and tell me why you thought I wouldn’t call you.”
“I thought after our last conversation—”
“What are you wearing?”
Arden held the phone away from her ear for a moment in shock. “What?”
Shane’s voice shifted. Got a little deeper and, heaven help her, sexier. “What are you wearing?”
She looked down at her oversized cotton T-shirt. Her wet hair had dampened the shoulders and the material clung to her breasts from her wetness underneath. She wore nothing else.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m imagining you in black lace and high heels. Garter belt and stockings. Red lipstick. Black sunglasses.”
His words set her heart pounding. He knew how to work her, all right, especially since she’d once worn an outfit exactly like that for him. But he also knew how to add just that touch of incongruity that would make her ask: “Sunglasses?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not wearing sunglasses.”
He chuckled. The noise traveled through the phone lines, out the speaker, through her eardrum and directly to the pleasure center of her brain. Arden’s thighs spread open and she leaned back in the chair before closing them again. It took effort.
“Shane, I have to go.”
“Kids need you?”
“They’re staying with friends,” she said, and the words sounded too much like an invitation. “Goodbye.”
“Wait…please?”
The please did her in. She walked into the kitchen to grab a cloth for the spill on her rug. “Why did you call me?”
“Why’d you send me that message the first time?”
She had to think of just what to say, old habits holding her tongue. “I was just…back in town, and someone told me that they saw a sign for your company, and I thought… Well. I thought I’d check it out.”
She paused, then added, “I didn’t think you’d answer. At least, not the way you
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