“Amen, sister. Now I’m going to go home to my husband and beg him for a foot massage. Thank God for a man with big, strong hands.”
The thought of someone giving her a foot massage made Stella groan. “Lucky woman.”
Lisa pointed one slender finger at her. “You could have yourself a man. You push them all away.”
Stella zipped up her bag and grabbed her coat, sliding her arms into it. “This is true. I have enough on my plate without dealing with a man in my life.”
Lisa shrugged into her jacket. “Honey, you don’t know what you’re missing. Let me remind you. Foot. Massage. Did I mention Louis gives amazing back massages as well?”
Stella laughed. “You’re a cruel woman, my friend.”
Lisa waggled her brows. “Don’t I know it. I’m just trying to remind you what you’re missing by going the single route.”
“I know what I’m missing. And what I’m not missing. You go enjoy your hot husband and his amazing hands. I’m going home to my bathtub.”
Lisa left and Stella grabbed her bag, planning to go home and take a bath as well. Maybe soak for an hour. Or two. Or three.
But when she got off the subway in her neighborhood she changed her mind and ended up at her friend Carolina’s design studio, since it was near her apartment. When Carolina debuted her line of clothes at New York’s Fashion Week last year, her friend had been nonstop busy ever since, and they hadn’t had a lot of time together. Plus, Carolina was in love—with Trick’s best friend and teammate, Drew Hogan—which ate up the rest of Carolina’s time.
Stella was thrilled for Carolina. Drew was a great guy. Funny, honest, and God, he really loved Carolina. It made her heart melt seeing how much that man loved her best friend. And he’d gone to great lengths to prove it to her.
Which didn’t mean that Stella needed a man in her life. In fact, that was the last damn thing she needed. Sex? Definitely. True love? She’d tried that before, and it had laughed in her face. She didn’t need to be mocked by love more than once in her life.
She rang the bell downstairs, and Carolina answered.
“It’s me,” Stella said.
“Shouldn’t you be home soaking in a hot tub?”
“Of course I should. But I know you keep alcohol up there. And pretty clothes.”
Carolina laughed and buzzed her up. When she opened the door, Carolina gave her a critical eye.
“You’ve lost weight. And you look exhausted. Do you ever sleep or eat?”
“Not right now. You know what rehearsals for a new show are like.”
Carolina pulled her in for a hug. “God, I’ve missed you. It seems like it’s been months since I’ve seen you.”
“I know. Why are we both so busy?”
Carolina shut the door and Stella shrugged out of her coat. “Because we both have kick-ass careers?”
Stella laughed. “I guess. Though mine is currently kicking my ass.”
“Come on. I’ll open a bottle of wine. No beer here, sorry.”
“Wine will do.”
“Good. I needed a break anyway. Gearing up for fashion week again is killing me right now.”
“It feels like you just premiered your line, and here you’re ready to do it all over again. Do you ever feel like a hamster on a wheel?”
Carolina laughed as she grabbed a bottle out of the refrigerator in the break room of her studio and pulled a bottle opener out of the drawer. “Only all the time. It’s one of those ‘be careful what you wish for, you might just get it’ type of things.”
Stella took a seat at the bar. “But look at how far you’ve come in less than a year, honey. You’ve already moved into a bigger studio space, you’ve launched your design brand, your clothes are in stores, and Carolina Designs is a name people recognize. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Carolina poured the wine into two glasses and slid one over to her, then she took a deep breath. “Thank you, Stell. And the same goes for you. The lead in a new show. I’m proud of you, as well. We’re both doing good.”
“We are. Here’s to us.”
They touched glasses, and Stella took a sip. The wine tasted fantastic. She was normally a beer person, but the wine was flavorful and she knew it would help relax her so she could sleep tonight.
Carolina came around the bar and took a seat next to Stella. “Other than looking like you need to eat a few cheeseburgers, tell me what else is going on.”
Stella took another few sips of wine, then set the glass down. “I hooked up with Trick again.”
Carolina’s eyes widened. “You did? When did this happen?”
“Very recently. Greta was in town and we went to the hockey game, then hit up a bar afterward. Trick was there with some of the guys from the team, and we reconnected.”
“As I recall, things had cooled between the two of you. But you didn’t end it badly.”
“No. It was more our work schedules. And you know how it is with me—I don’t like to see a guy too much.”
“Yes, I do know how it is with you. The love-’em-and-leave-’em type. Though I think having a man more or less permanently in your life might be good for you. Someone to be there for you, to remind you to eat . . .”
Sometimes having Carolina for a friend was like having another sister to watch over her. “Ha ha. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and don’t need a man to do that for me.”
“Oh, but having a man around can be advantageous. Someone to take out the trash, replace batteries in the smoke detectors, sex on demand . . .”
“Speaking of sex on demand, how is Drew?”
“Oh, he’s very good. At taking out the trash, of course.”
Stella laughed. “Of course.”
“I’m sure Trick is very good at taking out the trash as well.”
“I can’t say I’ve sampled his trash or battery replacing skills, but he’s fantastic in bed.” And just talking about sex revved her up when she should be trying to relax.
“So why are you here with me instead of with him?”
“Because I love you and haven’t seen you in a while. And because it’s not always about the men.”
“This is true.”
“So show me all your pretty clothes and what you’ve got going on, and tell me how crazy your life is right now so I won’t feel like it’s just me.”