Page 47 of Taking the Pitch
“Mmmm,” she hums, not believing me but letting it slide.
“So, I heard the interview was rescheduled to next week,” Charlie says, peering over her cup at me while she sips on her coffee.
“Hello to you too, Charlie. How have you been? Me? Great, great, just living the dream,” I tease.
Charlie rolls her eyes. “Good morning. How is everyone? Great? Awesome. Now tell me why Judd texted me, asking what you ate when you had a migraine and were sick.”
Busted.
I forgot Judd did that. Knowing I won’t get out of explaining what went down, I gulp down a fourth of my drink and sigh. “He drove me home from the library. Ran me a bath that was the perfect temperature by the way and then went and got my car that we had to leave behind. All without complaint.Thenhe brought me hot and sour soup, made me drink a Gatorade because he just somehow knew I was dehydrated and gave me the best shoulder massage I’ve ever had in my life. Oh, and we agreed to be friends.”
The girls stare at me in varying degrees of surprise.
“Friends?” Hazel asks, like the word is foreign to her tongue.
I nod.
Charlie picks up a scone and bites the corner. “I give it a week,” she says around the pastry.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “A week for what?” I ask, grabbing my own scone, biting into the flaky, buttery goodness. Tart cranberries making my taste buds dance.
“A week until the sexual tension between you two is so great that you can’t deny it anymore.”
Hazel tips her head to the side and looks at me. “Nah, I think Millie will make him wait at least two just to spite us.”
“No. We’re friends. Friends don’t bone.”
“Friends with benefits do,” Charlie suggests.
Hazel points her scone at Charlie. “Yes, agreed.” She turns to me. “Use all his benefits. I bet he has a lot of benefits.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, sighing. “No, no benefits. And can we stop saying benefits, please?”
“Come on, Millie. You can’t tell me having his hands on you last night didn’t bring up some feelings?” Hazel challenges.
That’s the problem. Having his hands on me brought up too many feelings. Feelings I haven’t had for someone in a long time, if ever. Imagining his hands venturing beyond my shoulders left me achy and needy. Let’s just say my vibrator got a good workout after I went to bed.
“That’s what I thought,” Hazel says, taking my silence as an admission.
“Okay, fine. Imayhave felt…things, but that doesn’t mean it has to go anywhere beyond friendship. It can’t go anywhere beyond friendship. I’m not interested.” I sit back and cross my arms, almost believing the lie myself. “Look, can we just drop this, please? I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Judd and I are friends. End of discussion.”
Charlie sets her scone down and brushes the crumbs from her hands. Leaning forward, she lays one hand across the tableand grabs my free one. “It’s ok to be scared, Millie,” she says softly, giving my hand a squeeze.
“I’m not scared. I just don’t have time. And this is a bad time of the year for me to be getting involved with anyone, anyway.” I look between my two best friends, my constants, the only ones who have never given up on me, even in my darkest times. “No one ever stays, and I don’t blame them. I’m a lot.”
Hazel’s hand darts forward and lands on top of mine and Charlie’s connected ones. “No oneworthyever stayed,” she says, bright-hazel eyes boring into mine. “And that’s their loss. You’re amazing Millie, and I think Judd sees that too. You just have to decide if you want to let him in.”
“What if I do and he decidesI’mnot worth it?”
“Then he wasn’t the right one for you, but you’ll never know unless you try,” Charlie chimes in.
I take a deep breath and blow it out. “I don’t have enough coffee in my system to be making these decisions right now, but I’ll think about it.” They both give my hand a squeeze and pull away. “Enough about me. What’s happening with you two?” I ask, needing a change of subject.
“Nothing really with me, just trying to get ahead of all the holiday orders I’m going to be hit with in the next few weeks,” Hazel says, sipping on her coffee. Hazel’s holiday treats sell out every year. She already has a preorder list a mile long.
“When do you sleep?” I ask, knowing she’s working long hours.
Hazel snorts. “I don’t. I got home at nine last night, fell asleep in the middle of sexting Jason, and was up and out the door by three. My sex life is suffering,” she pouts.
