Plump & Pretty Read online

  Everyone looked at me skeptically before they continued dinner. Connor leaned over and whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. But I meant what I said. We, Riley. One day we will have kids.”

  Twenty-Four

  Connor spent the night with me that night, something I was getting used to in a hurry. He left early for work Monday morning, but brought me breakfast. On Tuesday he asked if he could join me for my girls’ night. Even though most of the others brought a boyfriend to meet the group at some point I found myself anxious about introducing Connor. He’d spent the night and gotten up insanely early for work, but he took the next day off so he could come with me, if I was open to it.

  There was no way I could deny him. We’d used the L word, there was no reason to keep him from my friends. He agreed to come with me to Pam and George’s retirement party and meeting everyone ahead of time seemed like a good idea.

  On the drive to Bite Me! I told him about everyone all over again. By the time we got there I was pretty certain his head was going to explode. The only ones he’d met were Mandy and Xander, Charlie, Carrie, and Sam and Brady, of course. Knowing he knew Charlie as well as he did helped, but I was nervous.

  I saw Addi and Joey, Lexi and Mike, and Claire and Aidan through the window. It looked like everyone heard Connor was coming and wanted to grill him, er, meet him. I hoped.

  Connor grabbed my hand once we were out of the car and held it as we crossed the parking lot. He looked delicious in his navy coat and dark jeans. His hair was still damp from the shower he’d taken at my house just before we left. It killed me not to join him, but I didn’t like wearing tampons in the shower and he didn’t need to witness the alternative.

  I heard our names and turned to see Sam and Brady coming toward us. Sam was in a red coat, fitted jeans that made her legs look longer then her 5’8” frame normally did, black boots that brushed her knees, and a black and red scarf. Her chestnut hair bounced behind her and her brown eyes twinkled before she winked at me. Brady held her hand tightly, his shaved head covered with a Dave’s Gym hat. He was a couple inches shorter than Connor but just as wide with broad shoulders, arms the size of trees, and legs as big as a toddler, the whole kid.

  Connor and I waited for them to catch up to us on the sidewalk, my nerves easing since Connor already knew Brady and had met Sam through him. The men exchanged a handshake, the two of them taking up nearly the entire sidewalk, and Connor hugged Sam while Brady hugged me. “Don’t be nervous,” he whispered in my ear. “Connor’s great.”

  I smiled my thanks at Brady, knowing he was the last one in the position of being the new guy. He’d turned out to be a great guy, even though he was quiet and a little scary at first.

  Connor held the door for everyone and Sam and Brady went in ahead of us, the sweet, sugary scent drifting out to meet us. Charlie greeted us all warmly, teasing Connor about being there twice in one day. “Yeah, I need to get Brady to give me some extra tips to keep from gaining weight after all your muffins and cupcakes. You’re a dangerous woman.”

  Everyone laughed. Connor didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, believe me, I’d checked. If the muffins that seemed to go straight to my hips were effecting him, I didn’t see it.

  Once we had our goodies we followed Sam and Brady to the table, Connor taking the seat next to Brady and an open seat on my other side. I introduced him to everyone else and made it around the table just as Carrie fell into the seat next to me with a huff. She was my best friend, but I always worried about men around her. Carrie was stunning with beautiful, cat-like eyes, fluffy brown hair, and a proportional figure I’d kill for. Not to mention, she had killer legs.

  “Bad day?” I asked.

  “Bleh. Beth the Bitch was on the warpath today. I swear she knows I want to get out of there on Tuesdays and makes things more difficult.”

  “Beth the Bitch?” Connor asked, clearly amused.

  “My boss,” Carrie explained. “She makes Miranda Priestley look like a walk in the park. Hey, speaking of bosses, when is the READ party?”

  “Two weeks from Saturday. You guys are all coming, right?”

  “Coming where?” Mandy asked as she and Xander sat next to Claire and Carrie.

  “My boss’s retirement party. Charlie’s baking the cupcakes.”

  “I’ll be there for that,” Joey teased. “Although I’m pretty sure Addi has a shopping list.”

  Addi loved books almost as much as I did. Being a high school teacher she was excited to learn as much as she could, and she frequented READ regularly. It helped that we offered a really good teacher discount.

  “We’re coming too,” Lexi said. “When do you sign the loan papers?”

  “The Monday before. As long as nothing changes. I have to hire a new person or two. There’s so much I need to learn.”

  “You’ll get there.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, eventually. I’ll miss spending time with my customers though.”

  "You don't like spending time with the customers," Carrie smirked.

  I rolled my eyes. "That's not entirely true. I love my customers, but I can’t wait to do more. I enjoy the behind the scenes stuff. I like working with local authors to promote their work and finding new ways to bring people in to the store."

  "I get it, Riles. I feel the same sometimes. I just want to bake, not always deal with everything else. For me though, my work was everything until I met you guys. Even now, most of you have someone to go home to so Bite Me! is my baby. I love it but it's harder without someone to share it with," Charlie told us.

  "I totally get that, Charlie. My career has been the only thing in my life I could count on. I'd do anything to make sure my career was successful because of it. I've never done anything illegal, but I haven't always done the right thing for everyone, but for me. Without anyone in my life, it's been full of emptiness," Connor told us.

  Everyone stared at him, shocked like I was. I was pretty sure he was talking about before I was around, but maybe not. If his career was everything to Connor, what would happen if he had to choose between me and his job? Would he pick me?

  "But you have Riley now, so it's better, right?" Xander asked pointedly.

  Connor looked at me and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. "Everything's better with Riley around."

  Feeling better, I leaned up to kiss him. When I settled back in my seat I caught the expression on Carrie's face. Her lips were pursed together and she looked pissed. I knew she was thinking exactly what I'd thought, except she didn't believe him. I trusted Carrie, but I trusted Connor, too.

  Lexi, seeming to sense the tension in the air, asked, “Connor, what’s your radio show about?”

  Connor smiled at her, slipping into his professional persona. He had the same look he’d had on our first date, the slick marketing guy, the guy who could talk anyone into anything.

  The guy I didn’t really like.

  “It’s a regional radio program for men. I talk about sports mostly, but we talk about women one day a week and on Fridays we talk about whatever my callers want to talk about. It’s a great chance for me to stay involved in the world of sports without playing.”

  I sipped my coffee and sat back while Connor talked. Carrie was still watching him closely, a crease between her eyes as she studied him. I knew how Connor sounded and could tell Carrie was thinking the same thing I’d thought the first night I went out with him. But over the last month I’d gotten to know Connor. I realized he put on a show for work, but it wasn’t really him. He was kind and sweet and loving and wonderful. Not a sleaze like the guy he appeared to be when he talked about work.

  “Did you play in college? Riles mentioned you were a high school star,” Xander asked, making me cringe. I wasn’t sure I wanted Connor to know how much I’d told them about him, especially before we were together.

  “Yeah, I played football, tight end. I loved it. I played two years of pro ball too. When that ended I moved here. I like Wint
erville and my grandmother lives here so I get to see her once in a while.”

  “You guys didn’t go to high school here though, did you?” Claire asked, her emerald green eyes bouncing back and forth between us.

  We shook our heads. “No,” Connor said. “We grew up closer to the city in Hamburg. It was just fate that we both ended up here.”

  He pulled me against his shoulder and kissed the top of my head. God, I still worshipped him. The fact that he was mine and sitting at a table with my friends talking about boring stuff like jobs and college amazed me. I never thought Connor Lee would be so normal, or could ever like me.

  “You interviewed Brady for your show a while back didn’t you?” Addi asked, bringing the conversation back to Connor’s work. “Is that how you guys met?”

  Sam and Addi had some tension around the time Sam and Brady started dating. They’d lived together for years, but Addi moved in with Joey when they got together and Sam was less than thrilled. Since Brady’s been around they’ve repaired their relationship and all seem to get along well.

  “Yeah,” Connor said with a grin for his friend. “I kept hearing amazing things from locals about Dave’s Gym and their acceptance policy. I had to find out more about it.”

  “What acceptance policy?” I asked, not knowing why Brady and Connor had hooked up to start with.

  “I refuse to let anyone in my gym be bullied,” Brady stated forcefully. His shaved head and wide frame were intimidating enough, but when his hazel eyes burned with passion, he was truly frightening. “People come to Dave’s Gym to exercise and be healthy, not to feel bad about themselves. We’ve had some assholes who thought they were better than others because they were just maintaining a physique, not improving it. I’ve kicked out a handful of people for the way they talked to others.”

  I noticed him put a protective arm around Sam as he spoke. She leaned into him and ducked her head, a move unlike Sam. The normally bold and outspoken woman was suddenly quiet. Her behavior made me think she was one of the people Brady was talking about, one of the ones who’d been bullied because of her weight. After her ex dumped her for being too fat - the asshole actually said that - she joined Dave’s Gym to get back at him. She’d lost weight, but her motivation was no longer to make her ex feel like a jerk. Now it was to spend time with Brady and be healthier, something I admired the hell out of her for.

  “I had to get him in there when I found out he was kicking people out. Of course the ones he kicked out weren’t happy, but in the world of sports there’s a lot of bullying that’s disguised as motivation. It was great to spotlight someone who was stopping bullying without a thought of what it would mean to his business. The show got pretty heated.”

  Brady and Connor laughed. “Some asshole called in and told me he thought I was an idiot. I told him I didn’t care what he thought and he got belligerent. Connor put him on hold and during the next commercial break we let the guy have it. By the time we were done talking to him he hung up with his tail between his legs. No one likes being called names, but most people are willing to let it go. I’m not, and I make that clear. If you don’t like that, there are plenty of other gyms in town.”

  “You guys sound pretty rough. Wouldn’t that be bullying?” Addi, the high school teacher who’d likely seen more bullying than the rest of us combined, asked.

  “I guess in a way it was, but we didn’t know the guy. We weren’t attacking him because we had no way to know who he was or what his sensitive spots were. A bully usually picks on the thing that bothers you the most. We just reminded him what good manners were and asked him to never call back if he wasn’t going to exhibit them. I don’t tolerate bad attitudes on my show, or bullying. We talk sports and lots of people have different opinions. I welcome a friendly discussion, but not if it’s going to turn into an attack on any one person. The athletes we talk about are people, no better or worse than we are just because they’re professional. Broadcasting that they’re worthless pieces of shit isn’t helping anyone. I have to protect my career, at the expense of everything else. If a caller is going to damage my career with his nastiness, I hang up on him, or put him on hold and read him the riot act.”

  “So harass a few in favor of the many?” Carrie asked, her eyes trained on Connor.

  He shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “Hmm,” she said, turning to sip her coffee. I knew that sound. Carrie wasn’t thrilled with Connor. She didn’t trust him and didn’t like him. It was going to be a long road to bring my best friend and my boyfriend together. And I wasn’t sure I was up to it.

  When we were leaving Bite Me! later Connor stopped me before we got to the car. "I have to go for an interview. I leave tomorrow."

  "Interview? I didn't know you were looking for a new job." I was thrown, and trying not to think about what it would all mean. If Connor got a new job, where would it be, and what would it mean for us?

  "I wasn't, but being on the radio you're always up for someone to steal you. My show is a local broadcast and my producer has been trying to grow it to national syndication. The interview is to do just that."

  "Where do you have to go? Where's the interview?"

  He blew out a breath and looked away. "Chicago."

  I sucked in my breath and tried to remain calm. Chicago wasn't as far away as California but it wasn't Winterville. I was so thrilled with the possibilities at READ and if Connor got a new job I'd have to choose between READ and Connor.

  "Is the job in Chicago? Would you have to live there?"

  He nodded. "Yeah."

  "Oh," was all I could say.

  We got in the car and headed back to my place. We made love and I tried not to think it could be the last time, even though I was sure it would be.

  Twenty-Five

  Connor called Friday afternoon and said he wanted to go out to dinner. I asked him about his interview, but he didn’t want to talk about it on the phone. He told me he’d tell me everything at dinner.

  We agreed to go to Luciano’s for dinner. It was a cute little Italian place with delicious food and a quiet atmosphere. It was a good place for me because it wasn’t so big and flashy that I would feel out of place, but it was a bit nicer than Soup’s On. Quite a bit, but I loved Soup’s On.

  When Connor picked me up I asked him about the interview, but he brushed me off again. “I’ll tell you when we get to Luciano’s. Tell me about the last couple days.”

  I sighed and launched into a boring description of my last three days. We were starting to get ready for the party since it was two weeks away. Pam and George had been handing more and more over to me to do. I’d gotten in touch with all their contacts for orders and had started to establish a relationship with them. I knew things were going to go well and Pam and George were making sure my transition to owning READ was seamless.

  When we made it to Luciano’s and into a booth, Connor ordered a bottle of wine. He picked up his menu, effectively ignoring me while he looked over the selections. With a huff, I focused on my menu and chose baked manicotti for dinner. I figured I could order a salad to go with it so I’d feel like I had something a little healthy, not that I was overly concerned with that.

  Connor sipped the wine he’d ordered and gave a nod of approval to the waiter then ordered dinner. Once the waiter was gone Connor raised his glass to me in a toast. “To possibilities.”

  I clinked my glass against his and waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t I prodded him, “What happened on your trip? I’m dying here.”

  Connor laughed and reached for my hand. “You need to relax, honey. Everything is good. Great even. The trip was amazing. God, their studios… I can’t even begin to describe it all Riley. It’s so awesome there.”

  I smiled, but I struggled with it. I was thrilled that Connor was happy with the trip. I wanted him to do well. I was proud of him and happy for him.

  But it sucked that he was so excited and all it meant for our relationship was the end.

&n
bsp; “That’s great, Connor. I’m glad it was a good trip. Did they offer you a job?”

  Connor nodded. “They did, Riley. It’s amazing there. I can’t wait to start my job. I’m finally going to have some real recognition for who I am, for everything I’ve ever done. My dad is not gonna touch me again. When he finds out I’m headlining my own national show he’s gonna be so pissed. I just wish I could be there to tell him myself.”

  I didn’t know how bad things were with Connor and his dad, but his animosity when he spoke of the man was palpable. I hated that Connor was so angry with his father that he wanted to make him feel bad.

  “Maybe your dad will be proud of you, Connor.”

  He stopped laughing and froze with his wine glass hovering in the air. I knew I’d said the wrong thing. His smile slipped and distrust replaced the happy expression. “You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, Riley. Don’t try to repair that relationship. It’s beyond saving.”

  “I’m sorry, Connor. I wasn’t trying to do anything. I just hate that you and your dad don’t talk.”

  Connor sighed and shook his head. He reached across the table and clasped my hand in his. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Thinking about my dad just pisses me off. I don’t have a great family and friends like you do. I have my career. Getting this kind of an opportunity is something my dad told me I’d never have. He was big on telling me I’d never amount to anything because I played sports. ‘Sports aren’t a future, Connor,’ he used to say. I’ve made myself a great life because of sports, not because of my father.”

  I squeezed his hand. “You have made a great life, Connor. You should be really proud of what you’ve accomplished. It’s amazing. Really.”

  I sipped my wine, stalling. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, to have him break up with me. He was moving to Chicago. I wasn’t. We would have one more night together, one more dinner, one more time before he moved.

  I forced myself to be normal the rest of dinner. We talked about the job offer and how excited Connor was. I tried to imagine my life without him. It was going to be different than I’d experienced over the last six weeks, but I’d get through it.