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“Why the hell not?” She shrugs. “You’re here. The opportunity is in front of you. Or…” Her eyes narrow and she studies me for a moment. “Maybe Olwydd isn’t the one for you. Is there another Sasquatch you've got your eye on?”
"Absolutely not." Even as I say it, I realize it's true. None of the other Sasquatches have caught my attention in the least. None like Olwydd.
“I knew it.” A smug grin stretches across her face. “I knew it wasn’t all one sided. I knew you liked Olwydd too.”
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I do. I do like Olwydd. The way I feel around him, it's...different. Unlike anything I've felt before. I didn’t even fall this hard for the creepy jerk-faced liar who ended up ruining my life.
Olwydd is…sweet, funny, a bit of a show-off sure, but there's a genuineness to him that's hard to ignore.
"Earth to Bambi!" Steph's voice cuts through my reverie. "You still with us?"
I blink, realizing I've been staring into my coffee mug for who knows how long. "Sorry, just...lost in thought."
"Mm-hmm,” Kiki hums, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Thoughts of a certain tall, dark, and furry hottie?”
“A hottie who worships the ground she walks on.” Steph winks.
I feel my cheeks heat up. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Suuuure," Steph snorts.
I roll my eyes, but can't keep the smile off my face. “He doesn’t worship the ground I walk on.”
“Are you blind?” Deborah chimes in. "Honey, he follows you like you’re his entire world. And the way he looks at you…woo-hoo…like you hung the moon and stars.”
"He does?" I ask, my voice embarrassingly breathy.
The others exchange looks that scream "duh!"
"Oh, come on," Kiki says, exasperated. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you..."
"Like you're the last slice of pizza at 2 am," Steph adds helpfully. “The man wants to devour you whole. Uh-huh he wants to eat you up, lick you all over from head to foot, he wants to?—”
“We get it!” Kiki nudges her.
I laugh, but my mind is racing. No, it hasn’t escaped me that Olwydd has been over the top in his pursuit, of course not,but is it possible he has real feelings for me? I mean, not just because I'm single and available but because I’m ME?
The thought makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
“I’m telling you,” Kiki arches a brow, “at least take the hairy hottie out for a test drive.”
"I don't know," I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "It's just... complicated."
“What’s so complicated?” Steph asks. “Just do it. Bury the bone. Polish the porpoise. Batter dip the corn dog. Slime the banana. Take a trip to pound town?—”
“Enough! Sheesh,” Deborah huffs.
I let out a labored sigh and palm my forehead. “Listen, I swore off men after…well, you know. I vowed never to get involved in another relationship.”
“Understandable.” Steph claps me on the back. “But no one said anything about a relationship. Just do the no pants dance. Clean the carpet.Burp the worm in the mole hole. Ride the skin bus to tuna town?—”
“Stop!” Deborah glares at Steph who shrinks ever so slightly, but does indeed stop blabbering out euphemisms for sex.
“I don’t know.” But even as I protest, a traitorous little voice in my head whispers, "What if?" What if I let down some of my walls? What if I took a chance on...whatever this is between Olwydd and me? The very thought is as scary as it is titillating.
"Look," Deborah says gently, "no one's saying you have to make any big decisions right now. But…what would it hurt to give the guy a chance?"
I know the answer to that. I lived the answer to that—the worst case scenario. But, then again, I’m older and wiser now. Not as naive. Better able to suss out backstabbing, cheating, sociopathic liars. Aren’t I?
