She got it. He was sexy, and he was likely used to every conversation with a woman being a flirtatious one. Maybe he didn’t even notice how damn sensual a gaze alone from him could be. Whatever the explanation, just like all those girls waiting outside and any girl who knew of him, clearly Ella wasn’t immune to his allure either, as she was trying so desperately to pretend she was. Now that she could admit it, since it’d be ridiculous to try and deny it, she at least knew what to do about it.
Nothing.
There was no way she could allow herself to give into that fantasy, the fantasy she was certain so many other girls would give into in a heartbeat. No way could she go along with it when she thought he might be flirting and then jump at the chance of a once-in-a-lifetime fling with a living legend—not to mention sex symbol—if it ever got that far.
It wasn’t in her to be able to do something like that and then just never look back. Her parents hadn’t raised her that way, and she was certain her mother wouldn’t approve. As crazy as it sounded, she needed to be on speaking terms with her mother. And to think there could ever be anything beyond just that with Felix—a fling—she’d be fooling herself as much as she’d been when she told herself she wouldn’t lose her cool around him.
“Okay,” Drew continued diligently with her questions. She held a slice of pizza in one hand and her pen in the other. “So your mom lost her battle with breast cancer when you were seventeen?”
Ella nodded, noticing once again how closely Felix watched her. He smiled that amazing smile when she glanced at him, and she had no choice but to smile, hoping he didn’t notice how deeply it made her inhale and exhale.
“How old are you now?” Drew asked, bringing her back to reality.
“I’m twenty-one,” she said. “Just turned twenty-one a few months ago.”
“And can you believe she’s never gone out to celebrate her twenty-first birthday the proper way,” Carmen said.
“I did,” Ella reminded her.
“Dinner with your family and boyfriend doesn’t count.” Carmen began to roll her eyes; then it seemed to come to her and nodded quickly. “Oh you mean when Grayson took you out alone for a more romantic dinner? That still doesn’t count as proper. You’re supposed to go out with your girlfriends and get wasted for your twenty-first. At the very least go see some hot stripper show.”
Ella felt her face warm, and if she could’ve leaned over and swatted her friend with the rolled up paper menu she’d absentmindedly been fidgeting with, she would have.
“So Grayson is your boyfriend?” Drew asked before Ella could respond to Carmen’s comment.
“No,” she said quickly and, for some reason, not at all comfortable getting into this topic.
“He was then though, right?” Carmen said, nibbling on her pizza.
Ella was going to kill Carmen. She should know this was not a topic she wanted to get into around this group. It was too personal and had nothing to do with her work at 5th Street.
“Yes, but not anymore” was all she offered.
Putting down the pen for the first time since her interview questioning started, Drew smiled. “He’s not anymore, but only a few months ago on your birthday he was? Sounds juicy. Do tell!”
“Is he that cute cop I’ve seen you talking to outside the gym a few times?” Charlee asked suddenly, looking and sounding just as curious as Drew.
It was the only time Hector had pulled his attention away from the basketball game on the TV monitor mounted on the wall. He took a swig of his beer and glanced at Charlee, lifting a brow. Charlee smiled, pecking him softly on the lips then turned back to Ella.
Ella concentrated on tearing a piece of pizza away from her slice but hadn’t missed the way Felix was now peering at her curiously as if waiting for her response. “Um,” she cleared her throat but nodded. “Yes, that’s Grayson.”
“Grayson huh?” Drew said as if savoring the name. “And he’s a cop?”
“Same guy from earlier today?” Felix asked as he reached for another slice of pizza.
Unlike earlier, he wasn’t gazing deeply into her eyes. He wasn’t even looking at her, too busy trying not to take the other slice of pizza that was stuck to the one he’d reached for.
“Yes, that was Grayson,” she had to admit. “It just didn’t work out. But as you can see, we’re still friends. There are no hard feelings.”
“How long were you with him?” Charlee asked.
“Forever,” Carmen answered for her.
Now Felix studied her, and the questioning continued no thanks to her blabbermouth best friend. Ella was seriously going to have a talk with Carmen when they got back to her car tonight.
“No, not forever,” she explained. “I’ve known him for a long time. He was the officer who detained my brother when all that happened, and he was really helpful during the whole ordeal. He even got us in a touch with a good lawyer.”
“Oh, wow,” Drew said. “What an interesting way to meet a boyfriend! I’m almost kind of sad it didn’t work out. Imagine the stories you could’ve told your children. Proof that, at even one of the darkest times in your life, you can still find the silver lining. In your case, the incident might’ve put you in touch with love of your life.” She shrugged, sipping her beer. “Well, you never know, right? Maybe it’s just a temporary fizzle. If he’s still coming around to see you, then he obviously hasn’t lost interest.”