Page 40 of Just for the Plot

“Of course.”

I go to stand when she says, “How are you fitting into San Francisco so far?”

She might be a demanding boss, quite needy, but she does care about me, which is probably why I don’t mind running all of her errands.

“Great. Learning the lay of the land. My best friend’s brother lives here, so he’s been helping me. I stayed at his apartment the first few nights when my place was getting a fresh coat of paint.”

“Oh.” Adalade folds her hands on her lap. “Your friend’s brother…” She wiggles her brows, which makes me laugh.

“It’s nothing like that. He’s eight years younger than me. I’ve known him since he was a teenager. We’re friends.”

“You know, my first husband was ten years younger than me. There’s something to be said about the virility of a young man and their eagerness to please.”

Adalade Von Herbert!

I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk like that before.

I don’t even know how to respond, which of course makes her laugh.

“And then my second husband, well, he was six years older than me, and there’s a reason why that was my shortest marriage. Wasn’t quite up to the task like the previous husband. Couldn’t keep up.”

Well, consider me intrigued now, because never has she ever talked about her life like this.

“Wore him out on the honeymoon?” I ask.

Adalade chuckles. “Let’s just say things died down after that. Thank goodness for a prenup. He was gone within months. And then there was Larry.” She sighs and stares off at the fireplace. “My dearest Larry. Not the most well-endowed, but boy, did he know how to use what he had.”

I can’t help it; I chuckle.

She shivers and then looks up at me. “He was my friend’s brother as well.”

“He was?” I ask.

She slowly nods. “Twin brother. Just a year younger than me, but he rocked my world. We were friends first, and well, a relationship unfolded in front of us, and it was the best decision I ever made. Tell me, what does your friend’s brother do?”

“Well, he, uh…he actually is the starting third baseman for the Bombers.”

Adalade’s interest piques. “The baseball team?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, that’s an unexpected answer.” She holds out her hand. “Please, hand me my phone. I want to get a good look at this boy.”

I pick up her phone off the coffee table and hand it to her. She pulls her reading glasses from on top of her head and places them on her nose before typing on her phone. It takes her a second, but I know the moment Bennett shows up on her phone because a small gasp falls past her lips as her hand goes to her chest.

“Bower, is this him?” She turns the phone toward me, showing me a picture of Bennett, holding his bat and standing in the dugout, waiting to go out on the field. His helmet casts a shadow partially over his face while his stunning blue eyes stand out against the obscurity of his brim.

Yes, that’s him.

That’s my best friend’s brother.

And it’s hard not to notice just how attractive he is now that he’s all grown up.

I’ve always thought he was cute, but over the last year, something has changed in him. He’s grown thicker, taller somehow, and it’s as if he’s filled out into a man with his sharp angles, the endless beard scruff, and the way his muscles fit his body as if that’s how he was meant to be this entire time. I try not to pay too much attention to it, but it’s hard when he’s that freaking hot.

“Uh, yeah, that’s him.”

“My, oh my.” Adalade adjusts her glasses again. “If this was my best friend’s brother, I’d be asking her when I could officially become a member of the family.”