She’d been in her car all day, driving from client to client to check out accidents and vehicular damage, and driving always gave her mind time to wander. And when it wasn’t focused on Lila, it was focused on Ellis.
“Oh, Ellis,” she sighed now quietly as she headed home. While it was very common for her to wish the apartment would be empty as she drove home, for the first time in longer than she could remember, she hoped everybody was home. She’d had more than enough time with her own thoughts for the day. She wanted to be distracted by the thoughts and jokes and comments of others for a while.
It had been a long day, and she’d worked two hours longer than usual. Ellis was visiting her sister, so Cherry had the evening to herself. The level of her exhaustion hit her hard as she pulled into the parking lot and cut her ignition, taking a moment to lean her head against the headrest, blow out a breath, and justbefor a few moments. Her brain actually hurt.
Distraction was definitely on the menu that night because when she walked into the apartment, three faces greeted her. Shea, Adam, and a man she’d never met before.
“Sup, bitch,” Shea said, and Cherry saw the stranger’s eyes widen just slightly in what was likely surprise. It made her grin.
“OMG, what a day.” She dropped her laptop case and purse onto the floor, crossed the living room to the only open seat—a beat-up recliner—and dropped into it like a rag doll. “Is there alcohol?”
Shea made apfftsound as if she’d asked the stupidest question in the world—and she kind of had—and stood. “Wine, beer, or hard?”
“Surprise me,” Cherry said with a wave of her hand, and Shea disappeared from the room. Meanwhile, Adam’s eyes were on her, like he was waiting his turn, and she noticed his hand on the other man’s thigh. When she met his gaze, he smiled widely—almost too widely—and it occurred to her that this introduction was important to him. She sat up a bit and gave him her attention.
“Cherry, this is Jared,” Adam said, and Cherry took the time to look at him. He was older than them, maybe in his late forties or early fifties? Handsome in a distinguished way, the slight gray at his temples and the crow’s feet in the corners of his blue eyes really the only indicators of his age. He was sitting, true, but he looked fit, andhis clothes were neat. Jeans, a light blue oxford, the sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular forearms covered in dark hair, brown loafers with no socks. He stood and held out a hand, so Cherry stood, too.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cherry,” Jared said as he enveloped her small hand in his large one. His skin was surprisingly soft, his grip firm but not crushing. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Uh-oh,” she said, then laughed.
“Only good things. I promise.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard about you as well.” They sat back down, and Adam blushed furiously, which she so wanted to tease him about but decided to save it for later.
“Voilà,” Shea said, and a glass appeared in front of her face.
Cherry took it and sipped. “Amaretto sour,” she determined. “Perfect. Thank you.” The drink was cold and sweet and delicious. Once again, her best friend knew exactly what she needed. “So, Jared, what do you do?”
“I own a payroll company,” he said, and they spent the next hour, the four of them, talking about marketing and clients and the ins and outs of working for small businesses, which they all did.
Cherry watched Adam’s face as Jared spoke and had to swallow her own huge grin. Adam was clearly entranced, obviously smitten.Do people even say smitten anymore?The thought made her happy, and then Shea was asking her a question.
“What are you grinning at?”
Cherry blinked several times, as if coming out of a trance. Which she kind of had. “What amIgrinning at? I’m grinning at Adam grinning at Jared.” They all laughed, and Adam’s blush returned. This time, Jared saw it and closed his hand over Adam’s, and that’s when Cherry noticed that Jared was just as enamored with Adam as Adam was with him. The thought made her warm from the inside, so happy that her dear friend had found somebody worthy of him.
“That’s how you look when you talk about Ellis,” Shea pointed out.
Adam nodded. “Truth.”
“Where is she, anyway?” Shea asked.
“Is Ellis the girlfriend?” Jared asked Adam, who nodded.
Cherry was both touched and a little freaked that they’d discussedher love life. “She’s with her sister tonight,” she said, and when she looked to Adam, she could tell he’d already given Jared the details. He nodded.
They spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking and getting to know Jared, who turned out to be a really cool guy. Cherry liked him, liked the way he looked at Adam. The age difference had been a concern at first, but Jared never seemed to talk down to Adam or treat him like he didn’t know as much, and she was relieved. Adam tended to gravitate toward older men but had yet to find one that treated him like an equal.
“Anything from you-know-who?” Shea asked quietly later on as they sat side by side while the guys talked with each other.
She shook her head.
“And how do you feel about that?”
She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea how to feel.”
“Do you think you’ll call her?”
