Page 94 of Too Good to Be True

“Maybe some of the married ones too,” Kelsey teased.

Paige covered her face with her hands and groaned.

“Debbie and Cheryl, what did you think?” Stacy asked, attempting to rescue Paige from further embarrassment.

“I thought it was sexy but also sweet,” Debbie said. “I liked the way Jason treated Sam. You could tell he really loved her.”

“I thought it was interesting that even though Jason was younger, in some ways, he was more mature than Sam. He didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of their relationship, while Sam fretted over it.”

Stacy shifted on the uncomfortable fold-out chair she’d hauled up from the basement. Cheryl’s statement hit a little too close to home. In fact, she might have been describing Stacy and Nick’s relationship.

Kelsey shot her a knowing look, which didn’t make her feel any better.

“I agree,” Jenna said. “It proves that age isn’t a measure of maturity, and I should know. I’ve dated younger men who know exactly who they are and what they want, and I’ve dated older men who still live at home with their mom!”

“Chad still lives at home,” Karen admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

“That’s only because he’s saving money to buy a condo,” Paige said, defending her younger brother.

“Can I say something?” Kelsey asked, directing her question to Stacy.

“Of course.” Stacy already knew where Kelsey stood on the subject, so she wasn’t overly worried. Still, her friend surprised her sometimes.

“I haven’t known anyone in a relationship with as big an age gap as Jason and Sam. However, I have known couples with five, eight, ten-year age gaps. I think it can work as long as both people are fully invested in it.”

“That could be said of any relationship,” Karen mused.

“True,” Debbie added.

“Let’s face it,” said Cheryl. “Relationships are hard work at any age. It’s not all sunshine, roses, and sex, like in the books.”

“That’s why we read the books,” Jenna teased.

Everyone laughed and nodded their agreement.

“What about you, Stace?” asked Kelsey. “You were the one who chose this book. What’s your take on it?”

Stacy had been pleasantly surprised by her friends’ responses. Plus, she was on her second glass of wine… “I enjoyed the story even more than I thought I would.”

Jenna noisily cleared her throat and smiled.

“I agree with Debbie that it was sexy and sweet, although the age gap was rather big, and I questioned how that would work in real life.”

Kelsey sighed, but Stacy seemed to be the only one who’d noticed.

“Since it was a romance novel, it had to have a happy ending. However…”

“Happy endings happen in real life too,” Jenna said pointedly.

Debbie, Cheryl, and Karen looked taken aback by the edge in Jenna’s voice, but Kelsey and Paige were used to the gentle ribbing between the sisters.

Kelsey, perhaps to prevent an argument, held up her wine glass. “Let’s drink to happy endings.”

“Hear, hear,” said Karen.

As they lifted their glasses and drank, Stacy felt grateful to Kelsey and all her friends for supporting her in various ways. If needed, she could lean on any one of these women, and the sentiment went both ways.

“Okay. Now it’s Kelsey’s turn to reveal our next read.”