Page 78 of So Much More
When she says nothing else, I prompt, “Did you have a reason for calling?”
“No, I haven’t talked to you in a couple days, so I thought I’d call. Did you do anything tonight?”
My smile grows bigger at the thought she might be missing me. “Hung out here at home with Ash. We played some games on the Nintendo and now I’m reading in bed.”
“Whatcha reading?”
I roll over and pick up the book, as if she can see it. “James Michener’sAlaska.”
“Wow. That’s a huge book.”
“Yep.” I flip to the back of it. “More than eight hundred pages.” I set it back down. “What did you do tonight?”
“Packed for the weekend and talked to Andrea again.”
“Did you learn anything interesting about her?”
“We mostly talked about our jobs. She’s a second-grade teacher, and in the summers she works part-time at the public library.”
“So she’s a reader, too.”
“Yes, we had a good time talking about our favorite books and authors. We have quite a few in common.”
“Like Jane Austen?” I guess.
Wendy chuckles. “Like Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery and Mary Higgins Clark and … Danielle Steele.”
“Why did you hesitate before saying Danielle Steele?”
“I might be a little ashamed to admit I read romance novels,” she admits.
“Don’t be ashamed of reading books you enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with reading romance novels.”
“Read a lot of them yourself, do you?”
“Tons.” I smile. “I’m quite partial to the bodice rippers.”
Wendy bursts into laughter. “How do you know that term?”
“Who knows where my vast amounts of knowledge come from? If you ever go to a trivia night, you need to take me along. I clean up in the ‘random facts’ category.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. And maybe you should consider being a cover model for those bodice rippers as your next job.”
I chuckle. “You think I’d be good at that?”
“Well, I’ve never seen you without your shirt on, but I’ve felt those pecs and abs, and I’m pretty sure you could give Fabio a run for his money.”
I’m not nearly as ripped as Fabio, but I can’t help but grin at her words. “I’d need to grow my hair out.”
“Nah,” she says. “We need some variety in romance cover models. Not all of them should have long hair. I’m a fan of shorter hair myself.”
“Oh, yeah? And what color are you the biggest fan of?”
“Hmm. I’m thinking dark brown is just right.”
My grin grows even bigger. “And I’m thinking red hair is perfect for the heroine. Long, wavy red hair, that is. And a tiny, curvy body in a low-cut dress. Yep. That sounds just right.”
Wendy clears her throat. “Uh-huh.”
