“The hard part is finding the perfect one. Trust me, I’d been through quite a few before Raine came into my life. Now, I don’t know what I’d do without her. She wasn’t perfect at first, but we just clicked, and I knew eventually she’d get it. If she ever tries to quit, I’ll have to tie her up and never let her go.”
“Ugh, I didn’t think about the process of finding one. I’m not looking forward to that.”
“On with brighter news. Since you’re now a big shot author, I was thinking we should do a photoshoot. Get you some headshots and maybe take some other pictures if you want.”
My face flushed. I certainly didn’t feel like a big author. “I would be an idiot to turn you down.” I looked down at my lap and picked at the hem of my sweatshirt. “I have to be honest; when I first met you, I had no idea who you or Ryder were. I think after the second time I met you, I looked you up because of something that was said and realized that you’re kind of a big deal. Both of you are, and to know how down to earth and sweet you both are made me love you all the more.”
“Aw, you’re going to make me crazy.” Lexie smiled big, making her blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight. “I don’t expect people to know who I am. It’s not like a lot of people follow photographers. Now that I’m with Ryder and he posts pictures of us, more people recognize who I am, and it’s weird. Before, the only people who knew who I was were in the industry, and now they know me because of who I’m with. I’m sure you’ll get familiar with it soon enough. Because obviously when you were on your book tour, those people knew who you were, but don’t be surprised if you get stopped now and then at the grocery store.”
“Really? That’s got to be weird and something I’m not sure I’ll be ready for when the time comes.”
“Oh, it will be here before you know it.” Lexie shivered. “What do you say we go inside? This wind keeps picking up, and I’m getting cold.”
I wasn’t sure how she’d been able to stand it as long as she had on a light t-shirt and shorts. I had on leggings and a sweatshirt and was cold after only about thirty minutes.
I followed Lexie into her kitchen, one that would make a chef jealous.
“When it gets this windy, I get nervous. Do you want a cup?” she asked, holding up a coffee cup. It was too late for me to drink coffee and be able to sleep tonight, so I turned her down.
“Why do you get nervous?” I asked as I sat down on a stool at their kitchen island.
“Fires, plain and simple. It’s so easy when everything is so dry, and then it gets windy like this.”
“The one thing that worried me about moving here was all the fires. Have you ever been in one?”
“No, but we haven’t lived here very long. The only thing I can say is I hope you got fire insurance.”
“Can you even live here and not have fire and earthquake insurance?” It wouldn’t be smart not to have it.
“You can, but you’d have to be stupid or insanely rich,” she answered over the rim of her piping hot coffee.
“Where’s Delilah?” I was surprised I hadn’t seen her running around.
“Oh, she’s napping a little later than usual. Her energy was boundless today, and she kept going until she couldn’t go anymore. Ryder thinks we should get a dog to wear her out, but I’d hate to have to leave a dog at a kennel every time we go out of town. Our next option is swimming lessons, so she’ll wear herself out in the pool.”
“I’d say I’d watch the dog, but I can’t always promise to be home. Although a puppy sounds like what I need in my life. Maybe we should co-parent a dog.”
Lexie shook her head at me. “You don’t need any other distractions in your life. If we get a dog, and that’s a big if, I’ll let you see it as much as you want. You can even have sleepovers.”
It was sad when I was excited at the prospect of having the company of a dog. Pen had done a tour around the States a few months ago, and it was such a success they were now doing a world tour, so I wasn’t sure when I’d see her unless I flew to some random country they were playing in. Thinking about it, it did sound like a good idea because I’d yet to meet Walker.
The mystery of who he really was made me want to meet him all the more.
Lexie leaned over the counter with a mischievous smile. “What’s that look for?”
I felt the smile grow on my face as I spoke. “I’m thinking about surprising Pen while she’s touring with Crimson Heat since I’ve yet to meet her beau.”
“Oh, yes! That sounds like a wonderful idea and so much fun.”
“What sounds like fun?” Ryder asked as he sauntered into the kitchen, a sweaty mess. Sweat had never looked so good on a man before. He pulled out a water bottle from the refrigerator and chugged half of it. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as his throat worked. It wasn’t fair for a man’s throat to be sexy. I really did need to have sex.
“Surprising Pen while she’s on tour and finally meeting the guy she’s…” Lexie scrunched up her nose and looked at me. “What are they doing?”
“According to Pen, they’re just having fun, but I think it’s more than that. I think she really likes him, but she’s worried if anyone finds
