crush on for a while and fall head over heels for.” She smiled dreamily, probably thinking of her own dream guy, her husband Ryan.
Amber was willing to admit Bare wasn’t in the same class of hot guy as Ryan, but he did have good qualities, and she didn’t appreciate Liz talking about her friend like that.
“You just have to get to know him,” Amber said. “He’s a nice guy. Smart too.”
“So bang him,” Steph said with a smirk.
“Stephanie!” Liz said. “You’re so crude.”
Steph shrugged one shoulder. “Either she wants to or she doesn’t. If she doesn’t, then it’s friends all the way. It’s not rocket science.”
Amber took a sip of her iced tea and thought about that. “There was one amazing kiss…”
Liz giggled.
Amber’s eyes snapped to hers. “What’s so funny about that?”
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Liz said. “You know, Barry dancing in his cow costume…” She giggled. “Kissing.”
Amber thought back to that kiss. “Well, it was nice,” she said defensively. “Of course, I was sitting on the washing machine on the spin cycle.”
Liz cracked up, one hand on her ginormous belly.
“Shhh!” Amber hissed.
Liz looked contrite and bit her lip in an attempt to stop smiling. “I shouldn’t have laughed. Sorry.”
“We’ve talked about this guy long enough,” Steph said. “Kiss him again without the spin cycle. Boom. Simple as that. Now who wants to share a room with me at the Connecticut Core Standards teacher conference in August?”
“I’ll be on maternity leave,” Liz said.
“I don’t have to go,” Amber said. “Art doesn’t change all that much.”
“I hate rooming alone,” Steph said.
“So pick up a hot guy teacher and have a conference fling,” Amber said.
They all laughed at the idea of a hot guy teacher. They were like unicorns. They’d heard they existed, but none of them had ever seen one.
Amber went home after work that day, still unsure what to do about Bare. If she kissed him and it wasn’t great, wasn’t that like encouraging him further? And then she’d have to reject him again and further hurt his feelings. No, better to wait him out. He’d warm up to her again. Soon, she hoped.
She reached her front door and let out a gasp. There was a picnic basket with a bouquet on top in a vase. But the bouquet wasn’t flowers, it was paintbrushes. She bent down. Sable brushes, the highest quality, a dozen of them in different sizes. Omigod. She carefully put the vase to the side and opened up the picnic basket. A bottle of merlot, crackers, and cheeses. All her favorite cheeses—cheddar, Monterey jack, gouda, havarti, baby Swiss. She loved cheese.
She closed the basket with a smile. There was only one person in the entire world that would give her something so thoughtful. She knocked on Bare’s door, holding up the block of Monterey jack. The door swung open. “I got the cheese.”
He smiled and nodded. He wore a loud red Hawaiian shirt, and she tried not to get distracted by it.
“And the paintbrushes,” she said. “I can’t believe you remembered about the sable brushes. And the wine, oh, everything!” She shook her head at him. “What am I going to do with you?”
His voice dropped to a low tone, almost a growl, that made all her good parts start to party. “As much as possible, I hope.”
Look out, Slutty Amber in charge.
She licked her lips and considered testing the no-spin-cycle kiss theory. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. He did have nice lips, smooth and full, perpetually curved into a smile. Like now.
“You want to try again?” he asked.
She met his warm brown eyes. “I was thinking about it,” she admitted.
If the next kiss was anything like the first one, she’d gladly go birding every weekend just to get more.
“How about Saturday night?” he asked. “This time you plan the date. Whatever you like to do.”
Oh. He meant a date. Get your mind out of the gutter.
“Yeah, okay, sure.” She
Amber was willing to admit Bare wasn’t in the same class of hot guy as Ryan, but he did have good qualities, and she didn’t appreciate Liz talking about her friend like that.
“You just have to get to know him,” Amber said. “He’s a nice guy. Smart too.”
“So bang him,” Steph said with a smirk.
“Stephanie!” Liz said. “You’re so crude.”
Steph shrugged one shoulder. “Either she wants to or she doesn’t. If she doesn’t, then it’s friends all the way. It’s not rocket science.”
Amber took a sip of her iced tea and thought about that. “There was one amazing kiss…”
Liz giggled.
Amber’s eyes snapped to hers. “What’s so funny about that?”
“It’s just hard to imagine,” Liz said. “You know, Barry dancing in his cow costume…” She giggled. “Kissing.”
Amber thought back to that kiss. “Well, it was nice,” she said defensively. “Of course, I was sitting on the washing machine on the spin cycle.”
Liz cracked up, one hand on her ginormous belly.
“Shhh!” Amber hissed.
Liz looked contrite and bit her lip in an attempt to stop smiling. “I shouldn’t have laughed. Sorry.”
“We’ve talked about this guy long enough,” Steph said. “Kiss him again without the spin cycle. Boom. Simple as that. Now who wants to share a room with me at the Connecticut Core Standards teacher conference in August?”
“I’ll be on maternity leave,” Liz said.
“I don’t have to go,” Amber said. “Art doesn’t change all that much.”
“I hate rooming alone,” Steph said.
“So pick up a hot guy teacher and have a conference fling,” Amber said.
They all laughed at the idea of a hot guy teacher. They were like unicorns. They’d heard they existed, but none of them had ever seen one.
Amber went home after work that day, still unsure what to do about Bare. If she kissed him and it wasn’t great, wasn’t that like encouraging him further? And then she’d have to reject him again and further hurt his feelings. No, better to wait him out. He’d warm up to her again. Soon, she hoped.
She reached her front door and let out a gasp. There was a picnic basket with a bouquet on top in a vase. But the bouquet wasn’t flowers, it was paintbrushes. She bent down. Sable brushes, the highest quality, a dozen of them in different sizes. Omigod. She carefully put the vase to the side and opened up the picnic basket. A bottle of merlot, crackers, and cheeses. All her favorite cheeses—cheddar, Monterey jack, gouda, havarti, baby Swiss. She loved cheese.
She closed the basket with a smile. There was only one person in the entire world that would give her something so thoughtful. She knocked on Bare’s door, holding up the block of Monterey jack. The door swung open. “I got the cheese.”
He smiled and nodded. He wore a loud red Hawaiian shirt, and she tried not to get distracted by it.
“And the paintbrushes,” she said. “I can’t believe you remembered about the sable brushes. And the wine, oh, everything!” She shook her head at him. “What am I going to do with you?”
His voice dropped to a low tone, almost a growl, that made all her good parts start to party. “As much as possible, I hope.”
Look out, Slutty Amber in charge.
She licked her lips and considered testing the no-spin-cycle kiss theory. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. He did have nice lips, smooth and full, perpetually curved into a smile. Like now.
“You want to try again?” he asked.
She met his warm brown eyes. “I was thinking about it,” she admitted.
If the next kiss was anything like the first one, she’d gladly go birding every weekend just to get more.
“How about Saturday night?” he asked. “This time you plan the date. Whatever you like to do.”
Oh. He meant a date. Get your mind out of the gutter.
“Yeah, okay, sure.” She
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