Rules of Contact
Page 5
“You could still go to medical school if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want to. I’m happy being a nurse. It fulfills me.”
“Then you’re right where you need to be.”
“As are you. I’ve never known anyone who loves what they do more than you. And God knows you kept the entire dorm fed the first year. I was the only one smart enough to become your best friend, thereby ensuring I’d eat well through college.”
Amelia laughed. “See? You’re good at math, an angel of mercy and insightful as well.”
“I’m practically perfect. And so are you.”
“Is that what we’re doing tonight? Talking about our perfection?”
Laura swirled her wine around in the glass. “Not a bad way to spend the evening. But you could tell me about your night. Was it busy?”
“Not too bad. Ninety-Two has been bringing in a lot of patrons since we opened. I’m happy about that.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“And I met with Ken and Flynn before opening today. Flynn is having a team party there later this week.”
Laura set her glass down. “The Sabers are all going to be there? Oooh. All those hot football players.”
Amelia shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “Which means a lot more to you than it does to me.”
“Bullshit. You love football.”
“I do love football. I’m just not a football player groupie.”
“Granted. Still, all those hot men assembled in one room. So many of them single. You could have your choice.”
Amelia picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. She’d already had what she thought was a great guy. And she’d been wrong. The last thing she wanted was to go down that road again. “No, thanks.”
“Oh, come on, Amelia. It’s time to get back in the game.”
Amelia frowned. “The football game?”
“No, doofus. The dating game.”
Amelia shook her head. “I’m not ready yet.”
“It’s been over a year since your divorce. Have you dated even once since then?”
“Actually, I have. I went out on a date before I moved from Portland.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “You did? How come this is the first I’ve heard about it?”
“Because it was uneventful. Someone at the restaurant set me up with some friend of her husband’s.”
“And?”
“And he was kind of awful. We went to dinner and he complained about the food as if he was some kind of culinary expert, when the guy couldn’t tell the difference between cuts of steak if they slapped him between the eyes. Then we went to a movie and he talked through the whole thing. Then he drove me home and tried to go in for a kiss when it was obvious there was zero chemistry between us.”
Laura wrinkled her nose. “Yuck.”
“Exactly. As soon as the date was over I promptly forgot about him.”
“Can’t say I blame you for that. But one date failure doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing men out there. It’s time to dip your toes in the water again.”
Amelia waved her hand in dismissal. “Honestly, I’m not interested. I have the new job, which is keeping me busy enough at work, and other things to occupy my time when I’m not at work.”
“What other things?”
“The cookbook.”
“Oh, right. That’s an awesome thing, that cookbook you’re writing, and you know I hope you’re super successful. But, honey, you can’t have sex with a cookbook.”
Amelia nearly choked on her sip of wine. “What?”
“You heard me. It’s time for you to get out there and get laid. Time to quit mourning the death of your marriage. Life shouldn’t stop just because one man broke your heart.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not in mourning.”
Laura shot her a look. “Aren’t you?”
Leave it to Laura to tell her things she didn’t want to hear. “Okay, maybe I have been. Aren’t I entitled?”
Laura shifted, grabbing the bottle of wine to refill her glass before leaning back against the sofa. “Hell yes you were entitled. That asshole hurt you. He made promises he didn’t keep. You were entitled to wallow for a long time. But now it’s been long enough, don’t you think?”
“You might be right.”
Laura’s lips lifted. “Of course I am. Remember that guy you dated in college? What was his name? Carey? He played violin and you were so sucked in by his musicality.”
She finally relaxed against the sofa, glass in her hand. “Oh, my God, yes. Carey. I haven’t thought about him in years. I fell madly in love with his magical fingers.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “Right. You waxed poetic about his hands and his talents and he cast this musical spell over you. He’d put you off and tell you he had hours of practice and you waited ever so patiently for him. And then you found out he was sleeping with the dean of music.”
“The bastard.” She took a sip of wine.
“Let’s not forget the Alpha Tau Omega guy.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Frat Guy. You had to admit, though, the beer parties were amusing.”
“Honey, that one spelled disaster from the first date. I warned you about him.”
“I was on the rebound from Carey.”
“Please. I’m amazed you didn’t end up with an STD. He was such a horndog.”
“True. But you can’t deny the parties were a blast while they lasted.”
“I’ll give you that. But I’m always right about men. At least I was during college.”
“You were.” She smiled at Laura, remembering all the time the two of them spent together in college. Laura, full of life and adventure, always willing to pick herself up after heartbreak and go after her dreams. Laura was never one to give up, and Amelia had learned a lot of her own willingness to go after her dreams from her best friend. When she’d arrived at college as a freshman she’d been shy and withdrawn. She had Laura to thank for pulling her out of her shell, making her attend social events. Maybe that’s why she’d gone out on so many dates. At first she’d been reticent, determined to do nothing but study.
That hadn’t lasted long.
God, they’d had a good time together. And they’d stayed friends all these years. She couldn’t imagine life without Laura. And now they were neighbors.
“I don’t want to. I’m happy being a nurse. It fulfills me.”
“Then you’re right where you need to be.”
“As are you. I’ve never known anyone who loves what they do more than you. And God knows you kept the entire dorm fed the first year. I was the only one smart enough to become your best friend, thereby ensuring I’d eat well through college.”
Amelia laughed. “See? You’re good at math, an angel of mercy and insightful as well.”
“I’m practically perfect. And so are you.”
“Is that what we’re doing tonight? Talking about our perfection?”
Laura swirled her wine around in the glass. “Not a bad way to spend the evening. But you could tell me about your night. Was it busy?”
“Not too bad. Ninety-Two has been bringing in a lot of patrons since we opened. I’m happy about that.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“And I met with Ken and Flynn before opening today. Flynn is having a team party there later this week.”
Laura set her glass down. “The Sabers are all going to be there? Oooh. All those hot football players.”
Amelia shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “Which means a lot more to you than it does to me.”
“Bullshit. You love football.”
“I do love football. I’m just not a football player groupie.”
“Granted. Still, all those hot men assembled in one room. So many of them single. You could have your choice.”
Amelia picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. She’d already had what she thought was a great guy. And she’d been wrong. The last thing she wanted was to go down that road again. “No, thanks.”
“Oh, come on, Amelia. It’s time to get back in the game.”
Amelia frowned. “The football game?”
“No, doofus. The dating game.”
Amelia shook her head. “I’m not ready yet.”
“It’s been over a year since your divorce. Have you dated even once since then?”
“Actually, I have. I went out on a date before I moved from Portland.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “You did? How come this is the first I’ve heard about it?”
“Because it was uneventful. Someone at the restaurant set me up with some friend of her husband’s.”
“And?”
“And he was kind of awful. We went to dinner and he complained about the food as if he was some kind of culinary expert, when the guy couldn’t tell the difference between cuts of steak if they slapped him between the eyes. Then we went to a movie and he talked through the whole thing. Then he drove me home and tried to go in for a kiss when it was obvious there was zero chemistry between us.”
Laura wrinkled her nose. “Yuck.”
“Exactly. As soon as the date was over I promptly forgot about him.”
“Can’t say I blame you for that. But one date failure doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing men out there. It’s time to dip your toes in the water again.”
Amelia waved her hand in dismissal. “Honestly, I’m not interested. I have the new job, which is keeping me busy enough at work, and other things to occupy my time when I’m not at work.”
“What other things?”
“The cookbook.”
“Oh, right. That’s an awesome thing, that cookbook you’re writing, and you know I hope you’re super successful. But, honey, you can’t have sex with a cookbook.”
Amelia nearly choked on her sip of wine. “What?”
“You heard me. It’s time for you to get out there and get laid. Time to quit mourning the death of your marriage. Life shouldn’t stop just because one man broke your heart.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not in mourning.”
Laura shot her a look. “Aren’t you?”
Leave it to Laura to tell her things she didn’t want to hear. “Okay, maybe I have been. Aren’t I entitled?”
Laura shifted, grabbing the bottle of wine to refill her glass before leaning back against the sofa. “Hell yes you were entitled. That asshole hurt you. He made promises he didn’t keep. You were entitled to wallow for a long time. But now it’s been long enough, don’t you think?”
“You might be right.”
Laura’s lips lifted. “Of course I am. Remember that guy you dated in college? What was his name? Carey? He played violin and you were so sucked in by his musicality.”
She finally relaxed against the sofa, glass in her hand. “Oh, my God, yes. Carey. I haven’t thought about him in years. I fell madly in love with his magical fingers.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “Right. You waxed poetic about his hands and his talents and he cast this musical spell over you. He’d put you off and tell you he had hours of practice and you waited ever so patiently for him. And then you found out he was sleeping with the dean of music.”
“The bastard.” She took a sip of wine.
“Let’s not forget the Alpha Tau Omega guy.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Frat Guy. You had to admit, though, the beer parties were amusing.”
“Honey, that one spelled disaster from the first date. I warned you about him.”
“I was on the rebound from Carey.”
“Please. I’m amazed you didn’t end up with an STD. He was such a horndog.”
“True. But you can’t deny the parties were a blast while they lasted.”
“I’ll give you that. But I’m always right about men. At least I was during college.”
“You were.” She smiled at Laura, remembering all the time the two of them spent together in college. Laura, full of life and adventure, always willing to pick herself up after heartbreak and go after her dreams. Laura was never one to give up, and Amelia had learned a lot of her own willingness to go after her dreams from her best friend. When she’d arrived at college as a freshman she’d been shy and withdrawn. She had Laura to thank for pulling her out of her shell, making her attend social events. Maybe that’s why she’d gone out on so many dates. At first she’d been reticent, determined to do nothing but study.
That hadn’t lasted long.
God, they’d had a good time together. And they’d stayed friends all these years. She couldn’t imagine life without Laura. And now they were neighbors.
