“Willow? You there?”
“I’m here,” I respond quietly. Holding the phone to my ear, I roll over to my back and look up at my ceiling. “I’ll be okay. You can’t lose anyone who you never had, and Eddie, I never had him or her. Before Mom died, Dominic Logan wasn’t the type of ‘father’ who showed me much love. I was okay with that, taking what I could, but I realize now that I’m better off. And even though Ivy is … well, Ivy, I gave up the hopes of having a normal sister relationship with her long before she slept with Brad. I guess in a way they did me a favor. I wouldn’t have left Logan without being pushed out. Being there reminded me of when I would go to work and spend the day under my mom’s desk, my old desk. It was an unhealthy way of keeping her alive.”
Eddie hums in agreement. “You’re loved, Will. Just because that bastard and his evil spawn aren’t capable of being decent humans isn’t a reflection on you. You do know that, right?”
Smiling, I respond. “Yeah, I do. I would be miserable without you and Kirb.”
“Yeah, you would.” He laughs, the somber mood lifting slightly.
“Did Kirby tell you everything about yesterday?” I question, wondering just how much Eddie heard.
“I think she hit all the highlights. I got a playback of what she heard and then an even better playback of your imitation of those little ‘mine’ seagulls from Finding Nemo while you grabbed everything that wasn’t nailed down. I’ve always loved those little seagulls. Let’s see, then we went over your impression of its raining men with your computer against the glass wall.” He pauses and just when I think maybe Kirby left out the fact that Kane Masters had yet again been witness to my misfortune, he continues. “And she ended her play-by-play with Kane sexy-as-hell Masters.”
I sigh. “Yeah … that about sums it up.”
“So, Willow, the good friend in me would wait for Kirby to fill you in on what you’ve missed while you slept off your hangover, but you do know how I love a good juicy story full of dramatic flair.”
Sitting up, I swing my legs out from under the covers and shiver with the chill in my bedroom. “What are you going on about, Eddie? I swear you have the worst ADD.”
“No, no. It’s all related and flows with the topic at hand. And that hand is pointing straight toward Kane Masters.”
“There is no way I’m awake enough to deal with this. Let me shower off this hangover and you can come over and gossip until your head falls off.”
I don’t give him a chance to continue. I quickly pull the phone from my ear and press the red circle to disconnect the call while his deep voice rumbles through the earpiece. I smile, despite the unease settling in my gut, and make my way to shower and wake up. Knowing Eddie, he’ll be walking through my door before I’ve had a chance to rinse out my shampoo.
Shockingly, I was able to rinse my shampoo and conditioner before I heard my bathroom door open and Eddie’s muffled greeting over the shower spray.
“Do you even care that I’m in here naked right now?” I ask, bringing my body wash-lathered loofah up my left arm and around my shoulder. “I mean most friends would give someone the privacy they deserve when they’re bathing.”
I hear a grunted laugh and the sounds of him rummaging around in my cabinets.
“What are you looking for?”
The curtain jerks and I squeal when his head pokes into the steamy confines of my solitude. His eyes light with mirth when I hastily cover my breasts with one arm and my crotch with the loofah.
“Relax, Will! It’s not as if you’re working with the right stuff to stir little Eddie from his nap. Where’s that hemorrhoid cream you had from that one time you—” I cut him off by picking up the closest thing I could find—my shampoo bottle—and throw it at his head. He squeals, like a girl, and jumps back. “What the hell was that for?”
“You know damn well I’ve never had hemorrhoids, Edward!”
He laughs and sticks his head back into the stall.
“Nice tits, Will.” He smirks. “If I didn’t love a good dick so much, you might be able to convince me to give a woman a run.”
“Get. Out!” I scream.
“Right, well, since you asked nicely, I will. But only because I don’t want it to go to your head that I’m so impressed by your girls. First, where’s that cream?”
“You’re such a jerk. It’s in the bottom of the facial mask basket in the right side of the cabinet directly under the sink. Now, go!”
I make quick work of rinsing off and wrapping a towel around my body. Eddie isn’t one for personal boundaries so it wouldn’t surprise me if he barged back in.
Throwing on some sweatpants and an old college sweater, I grab my brush and pull it through my long tresses as I make my way into my living room slash kitchen slash dining room.