Page 34 of Unfiltered
“No trouble at all.” Ricki moved across the room toward the hall, which must lead to the kitchen. “Please make yourself at home.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to see the rest of the house.” Abby was shocking herself with her boldness.
Ricki waved her hand. “Come to the kitchen. Then after we eat, we can show you around.”
CHAPTER 13
Blythe ran her napkinover the crumbs on the table. When Ricki offered to throw together a snack, Blythe hadn’t expected the spread Ricki brought out. This morning, the food wasn’t in the refrigerator, so Ricki must have picked it up after work. It was a pleasant surprise since Ricki usually steered clear of Blythe’s online friends.
“I’m so full.” Abby put her hands over her stomach and groaned. “Delicious and so much better than the protein bars I had in my bag.”
“You brought food with you?” Blythe asked.
A sheepish look crossed Abby’s face. “Uh, yeah. You never know when you might get hungry.”
“Have you eaten too much for the grand tour?” Ricki asked.
“Oh, no, I want to see the rest of this beautiful house.”
Ricki stood. “I’ll clean this up later.”
“Nope.” Abby rose to her feet. “My mama taught me to always help clean up.”
“Sounds like Granny,” Blythe said. “I was raised by wolves, so I would’ve left it.”
Ricki nodded. “She would have. But don’t blame her parents. They had little to work with.”
Blythe laughed. “You’re bringing out the worst in her,” she said to Abby. “She usually ducks and runs when I have someone over.”
“Because most haven’t read a book since high school. And it’s questionable whether they even read one then.”
“What can I say?” Blythe pushed back her chair and stood. She put her hand on Abby’s back. “My taste in women is maturing.”
“Halle-fucking-lujah. It only took her two years into her thirties, but I’ll take it.” Ricki winked. “I’m betting you were more mature than Blythe when you were twelve.”
Blythe glared at Ricki but chose not to respond.
Cleaning up took little time, so they were soon on their tour. Abby proved to be curious about everything, which caused the tour to take longer than Blythe expected. She was itching to get the footage Ricki shot edited and posted, but she couldn’t hurry things, so she reluctantly followed. She snapped a few pictures of Abby checking out the decor, but she was saving the video for when Abby saw Ricki’s mini library.
As they climbed the stairs to Ricki’s bedroom, Blythe readied her phone. The space was impressive, so she expected a reaction. Ricki’s bedroom—more like a suite—ran the length of the house. It occupied the attic, which was more a half-story than a full story, but Ricki refused to change the integrity of the house. Blythe had paid for the decision many times when she bumped her head on the sloped ceilings.
“Wait!” Blythe pushed past Abby and went in front of her. At the top of the stairs, Blythe held up her phone and pressed the record button. “Just pretend I’m not here.”
Abby gave her a half-smile and nodded. She brushed away a strand of nonexistent hair, which gave away her nervousness.
“Just act natural,” Blythe instructed.
“She could if you’d get the camera out of her face,” Ricki said.
Blythe resisted the urge to turn the camera on Ricki. It was their agreement that Ricki would never be filmed. Blythe considered pushing it since Ricki would likely be more compliant with Abby here, but she wouldn’t test her luck this early in the weekend. They needed Ricki to capture their adventures, so Blythe couldn’t risk her getting angry and bailing.
As soon as Abby set foot into Ricki’s sanctuary, her eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp.Good.Blythe wouldn’t need to tell her to be natural since the space did the work for her.
“Wow,” Abby said. Her head rotated from side to side, taking it all in. “This is amazing. Beautiful.”
Ricki beamed. “You like it?” Her cheeks dotted with color.
“Like it? I love it!” Abby pointed at the ceiling, which curved in on the sides. “But how do you keep from hitting your head?”
