Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Valentina

“Shit.” Ford pulled into his driveway. A red convertible had parked in front of us, and two girls were removing luggage from the trunk.

“Unexpected company?”

He groaned and shook his head. “Unexpected, no. Unwanted, yes. I forgot Bella’s friends were coming out for the weekend. I think she’s having six of them.”

Each girl had a rolling suitcase and a duffle bag. “Looks more like they’re staying for the summer.”

“They better not be. I should have made her cancel after the crap she pulled. But I totally forgot. And of course, she didn’t remind me.” Ford opened his car door. “I hope you don’t mind me spending a lot of time at your place this weekend.”

I smiled. “That’s fine with me.”

As soon as we exited the car, the girls spotted Ford.

One squealed and rushed over to greet him, her arms open wide as she approached. “Ford! I was hoping you’d be here.” She pressed her young body against his. Ford did the one-arm, pat-on-the-back awkward hug.

“What’s up, Sierra?” He lifted his chin to the other girl. “Hey, Holly.”

The hugger looked him up and down. “You look good.” Her eyes glinted with interest, and she flashed a coy smile. “Then again, you always look good.”

“Yeah. Thanks. I guess my sister is in the house. I haven’t seen her since last night.”

The girls finally noticed another person standing next to Ford, and he made the introductions. “Valentina, these are two of my sister’s pain-in-the-ass friends, Sierra and Holly.”

I smiled. “Nice to meet you, girls.”

Sierra tilted her head, quickly forgetting me. “Can you help me up the stairs with my suitcase, Ford?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re packing so much for, but yeah, sure. I need to talk to Bella anyway.” He turned to me. “You want to come over?”

I figured I’d let him deal with Bella and her friends on his own. “I have a few things to do. I’ll talk to you later.”

Ford nodded, though he didn’t look thrilled to be going with his sister’s friends.

On my way up the stairs to my front door, I tried not to notice how he looked more their age than mine. I had just been starting to forget, and seeing him with young people brought it all back.

Inside, I started a load of laundry and did a little cleaning. When my phone rang, I grimaced seeing my ex’s name on the screen and considered ignoring it. But we had a son together and shared assets. It wasn’t like he called me to shoot the breeze, so I reluctantly picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe.”

I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him every time he called me that. I’d corrected him at least a dozen times. Perhaps I should’ve argued for the return of my proper name as part of our divorce settlement.

“Valentina, please.”

“Habit. Sorry. Though I don’t get the big deal. I wouldn’t care if you called me a pet name.”

No? Which one would you like? Asshole, dickwad, cheater?

“What can I do for you, Ryan?”

“Jeez, Val. You don’t have to sound so miserable every time I call.”

But I was, and it took effort to hide it—effort I no longer cared to expend. “Have you talked to Ryan? Is everything okay with him?”

“No. I haven’t talked to him. That’s not why I’m calling. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be out in Montauk tomorrow. I have a contractor meeting me to give an estimate at two o’clock for the pilings we need replaced.”

He’d already had one guy come to give an estimate last week.

“Was the first one not good or something?”

“It was high. This guy’s supposed to be more reasonable.”

I sighed. “Okay. Fine. But I’ll be here, so you don’t need to come out.”

“We’ll get a better price if I’m there.”

My brows drew down. “Do you know him or something?”

“No. But men get better prices.”

Such a dick. “Who says?”

“It’s a known fact.”

“I don’t know that to be a fact.”

“That’s because you’re a woman.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can handle it myself. I’d prefer if you didn’t come out.”

“You don’t have to be a bitch about it. I’m coming, and that’s the end of the discussion.”

Thatsounded more like the Ryan I knew.

“Actually, this is the end of the discussion.” I hit disconnect and tossed my phone on the table.

God, how had I stayed married to that jerk for twenty years?

I decided to go for a walk on the beach to clear my head and get some exercise. Changing into a sundress, I dug my headphones from a drawer, lubed up with sunscreen, and tied my hair in a ponytail.

On the way out, I found a new yellow sticky note stuck to the back door. Kiss Ford more. I peeled it off with a smile on my face. I wasn’t even sure when he’d stuck this one here. That was one to-do item I wouldn’t mind doing.

The hour-long walk did me good. I even jogged for half of it, and the rush of adrenaline left me feeling more relaxed. As I approached my house, I heard music blaring. Bodies were out on my neighbor’s deck. The closer I got, the more skin I saw. It looked like Bella and her friends were starting their party early. Ford stood at the deck railing, leaning over and watching me as I walked.

“Come save me,” he yelled.

I smiled. The bikinis on the women flitting around behind him were pretty small. “Doesn’t look like you’re being tortured.”

“Looks can be pretty damn deceiving.” He waved for me to come up to the deck. “Come on. You forgot to take the gift I bought you home today.”

I cocked my head. Gift?

He smirked. “At the toy store. Don’t worry, if you’re too busy to come up, I’ll just ask my sister to deliver the bag.”

“Cute. Very cute.”

However, I didn’t put it past him to actually hand his sister anal beads and porn to deliver to me, so I walked up his deck stairs instead of mine.

Bella was laying out on the lounge chairs with two of her friends. She greeted me and made a face at her brother.

“Oh boy,” I whispered. “Still giving you an attitude, huh?”

He nodded. “She actually had the balls to ask me to pick up alcohol for her and her friends. Can you believe that shit?”

“Ford!” the girl I’d met earlier yelled. I think her name was Sierra. “Can you help us carry these chairs down to the water’s edge?”

He shook his head. “They think I’m their cabana boy, apparently.”

“But if you do it, they won’t be sitting up here on the deck with you.”

He pointed to me. “That’s very true. I’ll be right back.”

I watched from the deck as Ford lugged lounge chairs down the stairs to the beach. When he was done, Sierra gripped his arm and tried to pull him into the water with her. She wore a thong string bikini bottom and two small triangles up top that barely covered her nipples, and she did her best to get him to notice. The girl definitely had her eye on him.

“I think you have an admirer,” I said when he returned.

“Sierra’s a pain in my ass. On my sister’s twelfth birthday, she had a sleepover. That one snuck into my bed while I was sleeping. I was eighteen and woke up with a twelve-year-old next to me.”

I covered my mouth. “Oh my God. It’s a long-running, unrequited crush then.”

“Lucky me,” Ford grumbled. “You want some wine or something?”

“Actually, I’ll take a water, if you don’t mind.”

He nodded. While he went to fetch us drinks, I watched the girls on the beach. Sierra was doing cartwheels and back handsprings. She really had an incredible body. She may have been a girl when she first tried to get Ford to notice her, but she was definitely a woman now.

Ford returned with my water and leaned on the railing next to me, watching what I’d been watching.

“Your little crush is quite limber.”

He turned to face me, still leaning. “Is that a hint of jealousy I detect in your tone?”

How could I not be jealous of that girl’s body? “She’s pretty. With the body of a nineteen-year-old.” I shrugged. “I can’t compete with that.”

“You mean she can’t compete with you.”

I wasn’t being insecure or jealous. I honestly didn’t comprehend how Ford could say such a thing—yet I really believed he meant it.

“I don’t understand, Ford. How could you want to be with me, when you could have that?”

He looked me up and down and shook his head. “You look in the mirror and see the woman your ex made you feel like—a thirty-seven-year-old mom. I look at you and see what you actually are—a sexy-as-fuck woman who has a killer rack, curves I want to memorize in the dark, and a laugh that’s contagious. She can’t hold a candle to you, Val.” He cupped my cheek. “And if our summer together is all you want, I hope that at least by the end you can look in the mirror and see the woman you are.”

God, this man was absolutely intoxicating. I ached for him, and I was exhausted from trying to fight it.

I leaned over to him. “How about we order takeout and you stay at my house tonight, so Blondie doesn’t make a second attempt at climbing into your bed?”

Ford searched my eyes. “What if Bella asks where I slept?”

I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Then lie…or tell her the truth. I’m not even sure I care anymore.”