time.”
I waved her off. “Oh stop. It’s not all roses and sunshine, trust me. Both of the men in my life have tremendous egos.”
“A reasonable concession for how hot they both are. You don’t know how good you’ve got it. I encounter different versions of the Big Bang Theory cast members on the job. Egos, check. Smarts, check. Good looks, not so much.” She grimaced, but after a quick beat, her hands shot up. “Hey! Maybe you could set me up with Vance?”
I shrank back. “No, no, no. No way.”
“Why?” She frowned. “You think I’m not good enough for him?”
“Are you crazy?” I searched for my bottle of spray cleaner under my sink. I set it on the counter and shook my bun loose so my hair could dry. “You’re too good for him. I could never do that to you.”
She squinted and studied me. “Wait a minute. Do you secretly have a thing for him? You can tell me. Girl code swears me to secrecy.”
“What? Vance? No way. No. That’s just… just crazy. I have a boyfriend.” Spritzing cleaner over the table, I gathered spilled grains of rice into my palm and tossed them into the trash can.
She leaned farther over the arm of the couch. “Oh my gosh, Diana Cain! You have a thing for your partner. You hussy!”
“Would you shut up? I do not.” I washed my hands and kept my back to her so she couldn’t see my inflamed cheeks. I did not have a thing for Vance DeLuca.
She smacked the back of the couch. “Get your skinny ass over here and spill your guts right now.”
I huffed and turned around, twisting my towel in my hands. “There’s nothing to spill. I’ve got a good thing going with Gabe, and Vance...” I thought hard how to explain it. “Puts moves on me all the time that mean nothing.”
She hopped up off the couch and ran into the kitchen. She flipped a chair around at the table and faced me. “Stop the presses. What now? He puts moves on you? Now I’m totally green! No wonder you love your job.”
I sighed. “It’s not like that at all. It’s hard to explain.”
“Lucky for you I’m not going anywhere. Please, begin. My business is dissecting, so let’s slice this sucker open and get to the guts.” She rested her elbows on her knees and cradled her chin.
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s gross.”
She batted her eyelashes and grinned.
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Vance can get any woman he wants, and he usually does. He sees a woman, gives her his puppy dog eyes, a quick one-liner, and they eat it up. Every last one. But with me, he can say and do anything he wants but knows it’ll go nowhere. I’m a risk-free plaything.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.” She dropped her hands and squinted. “So, in all the time you two have worked together nothing has ever happened? You guys have known each other for years, right?”
“Yeah.” I tossed the towel on the edge of the sink and tied a lock of my hair into a knot over and over while staring off at the pantry door.
She gasped. “You’re not looking at me. Something has happened. I swear, if you don’t tell me I’m going to have to beat it out of you. How have you never told me this?”
I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “It was once and it was nothing.”
She clapped her hands to her cheeks à la Macaulay Culkin. “Ah! I knew it! You guys have had sex. Tell me everything. What’s he like? I bet the whole macho thing is an act and he’s super attentive in bed.” She raised her brows. “If you catch my drift?”
“Yes, I catch your very subtle drift, but no, we’ve never slept together. What did happen didn’t mean anything. It’s hardly worth mentioning. He doesn’t even remember it anyway.”
She dangled her arms at her sides and rested her head on the back of the chair, releasing an exaggerated moan. “You’re seriously killing me here. It’s like pulling teeth.”
I pouted and conceded. “Last year when we were working, he got shot in the shoulder. I drove him home from the
I waved her off. “Oh stop. It’s not all roses and sunshine, trust me. Both of the men in my life have tremendous egos.”
“A reasonable concession for how hot they both are. You don’t know how good you’ve got it. I encounter different versions of the Big Bang Theory cast members on the job. Egos, check. Smarts, check. Good looks, not so much.” She grimaced, but after a quick beat, her hands shot up. “Hey! Maybe you could set me up with Vance?”
I shrank back. “No, no, no. No way.”
“Why?” She frowned. “You think I’m not good enough for him?”
“Are you crazy?” I searched for my bottle of spray cleaner under my sink. I set it on the counter and shook my bun loose so my hair could dry. “You’re too good for him. I could never do that to you.”
She squinted and studied me. “Wait a minute. Do you secretly have a thing for him? You can tell me. Girl code swears me to secrecy.”
“What? Vance? No way. No. That’s just… just crazy. I have a boyfriend.” Spritzing cleaner over the table, I gathered spilled grains of rice into my palm and tossed them into the trash can.
She leaned farther over the arm of the couch. “Oh my gosh, Diana Cain! You have a thing for your partner. You hussy!”
“Would you shut up? I do not.” I washed my hands and kept my back to her so she couldn’t see my inflamed cheeks. I did not have a thing for Vance DeLuca.
She smacked the back of the couch. “Get your skinny ass over here and spill your guts right now.”
I huffed and turned around, twisting my towel in my hands. “There’s nothing to spill. I’ve got a good thing going with Gabe, and Vance...” I thought hard how to explain it. “Puts moves on me all the time that mean nothing.”
She hopped up off the couch and ran into the kitchen. She flipped a chair around at the table and faced me. “Stop the presses. What now? He puts moves on you? Now I’m totally green! No wonder you love your job.”
I sighed. “It’s not like that at all. It’s hard to explain.”
“Lucky for you I’m not going anywhere. Please, begin. My business is dissecting, so let’s slice this sucker open and get to the guts.” She rested her elbows on her knees and cradled her chin.
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s gross.”
She batted her eyelashes and grinned.
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Vance can get any woman he wants, and he usually does. He sees a woman, gives her his puppy dog eyes, a quick one-liner, and they eat it up. Every last one. But with me, he can say and do anything he wants but knows it’ll go nowhere. I’m a risk-free plaything.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.” She dropped her hands and squinted. “So, in all the time you two have worked together nothing has ever happened? You guys have known each other for years, right?”
“Yeah.” I tossed the towel on the edge of the sink and tied a lock of my hair into a knot over and over while staring off at the pantry door.
She gasped. “You’re not looking at me. Something has happened. I swear, if you don’t tell me I’m going to have to beat it out of you. How have you never told me this?”
I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “It was once and it was nothing.”
She clapped her hands to her cheeks à la Macaulay Culkin. “Ah! I knew it! You guys have had sex. Tell me everything. What’s he like? I bet the whole macho thing is an act and he’s super attentive in bed.” She raised her brows. “If you catch my drift?”
“Yes, I catch your very subtle drift, but no, we’ve never slept together. What did happen didn’t mean anything. It’s hardly worth mentioning. He doesn’t even remember it anyway.”
She dangled her arms at her sides and rested her head on the back of the chair, releasing an exaggerated moan. “You’re seriously killing me here. It’s like pulling teeth.”
I pouted and conceded. “Last year when we were working, he got shot in the shoulder. I drove him home from the
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