Page 22 of The Hook Up
“I was right,” he said. “You are a great mom. Where’d you learn to do that?”
“The mom-ing or the sandwich?”
“Both.”
“My mom, I guess.” Ellie shifted in her seat, her chest rattling with loss and longing at the memory of her mother. “On both counts.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Ty spread his hands over his knees and stared right into her eyes. “People can’t help but repeat what they learned from their own parents. Whether it’s sandwiches or bedtime stories or favorite curse words. Sounds like you had a good mom.”
“I did,” Ellie admitted, her voice thick. “The best.”
She held back, not wanting to volunteer the whole story of how her mother died when she was little, or how her big brother raised her. As much as she liked Ty, she didn’t want to start down that path. Not yet, anyway.
“My mom was incredible,” she said. “If I can be even half the mom she was, it’ll be the proudest achievement of my life. Nothing else compares.”
“There,” he said. “The way your eyes lit up just then. That’s perfect.”
Ellie blinked. “What do you mean?”
“You’re passionate about your family. About being a mom, about your own mom—it makes you light up from the inside.” Ty beamed and gestured toward the camera. “That’s what I want to see from you when that’s rolling. I saw it the other day when you were doing your presentation, so I know you can do it.”
Ellie laughed, not sure whether to feel flattered or awkward. She settled for a bit of both. “So you’re saying I have the same maniacal gleam when I’m talking about my mom as I do when I’m talking about anal beads? That’s disturbing.”
Ty smiled and shook his head. “Tell me what you love about your company.”
“It’s empowering,” she said, no hesitation at all. “For women in particular. So many of them have spent their whole lives thinking their sexuality is dirty or shameful. Something they’re not supposed to talk about. But Madame Butterfly shows them that sex is not only normal, but fun and exciting. And they can learn things about the way their bodies work. About what gives them pleasure, and how to ask for it from their partners. I love helping women find that for themselves.”
Ty raised his hands and applauded. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
“What?” Ellie shifted on her barstool, a flush of pride washing through her.
“What you did just then. When you relaxed and opened up and then got a little fire in your belly. That’s what you need to bring to your presentations. To your on-camera presence.”
Ellie glanced at the camera. She’d almost forgotten about it while they’d been talking. A cluster of butterflies stirred in her belly, but Ty’s voice cut through the hum of their wings.
“Uh-uh,” he said. “Look at me. Not at the camera. Just forget it’s there.”
Ellie took a deep breath and looked back at his handsome face. Those coal-dark eyes were suddenly so familiar to her. So soothing. She’d only been sitting here with him for, what—five minutes? Ten?
But already she felt a thousand times better about this whole video thing.
Then he smiled, and a warm ball of sunshine spread from her belly all the way to the tips of her fingers.
“You ready to try this for real now?”
She nodded. “Let’s give it a shot.”
* * *
Ty had just shutdown the camera equipment for the day when his cell phone rang. He was planning to ignore it, figuring personal calls could wait until after business hours.
But the name on the screen sent him fumbling to answer.
“Anna, hi.” Ty cleared his throat and said a silent prayer this wasn’t an emergency call. That his half-sister wasn’t hurt or sick or in jail or?—
“I’m getting married!” she squealed.
Or that.
