A little too young for my taste, but cute.” She set the pizza in the middle of the table, then grabbed a Corona from the refrigerator.
“I noticed you asked if he had an older brother,” Dena remarked, taking the chair directly across from her.
“Of course. A girl has to explore every possibility,” she said as she helped herself to a slice of pizza.
Judging by the number of different guys that Dena had seen outside Krystal’s door, she assumed her housemate was definitely looking at her options.
“Have you heard from Maddie?” Krystal didn’t wait for an answer but continued on. “I got a letter the other day. She said that she and Dylan had a fabulous time on their honeymoon, but I guess that should come as no surprise, right? What woman wouldn’t be in seventh heaven with a guy like Dylan, right?”
“He seemed very nice,” Dena said between bites of pizza.
Krystal sighed dreamily. “He is. The world could use a whole lot more of his kind.”
“He has brothers, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but Shane’s married and Jason’s only twenty.”
“And the other one?”
“Oh…you mean Garret.” She looked startled that she’d forgotten to mention him. “He’s so quiet I sometimes forget that he’s a Donovan.”
“Isn’t he a doctor?”
She nodded. “He’s just finishing up his residency. He’s a sweetie, but so different from Dylan. Dylan’s big and brawny and an adventurer. He’s lived all over the world.”
“And Garret?” she prodded.
“He doesn’t have Dylan’s muscular build, but he’s not bad looking. You just never know what he’s thinking because he doesn’t talk very much.”
“He’s probably a good listener. That’s what you want in a doctor, isn’t it?”
“Oh, definitely. And you’re right. He is a very good listener.” She uncapped the Corona and took a long sip. “He’s over here a lot. He doesn’t have a washer and dryer in his place so he uses the laundry room here.”
“I haven’t seen him around, but then I haven’t met many people since I moved here,” Dena told her.
“Then you should come with me on Saturday night. A bunch of us girls are going out. We can show you which places rock and which ones don’t.”
“Thanks, but I better say no.”
Krystal shrugged. “Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know. You don’t have a steady guy, do you?”
“No.”
“Me, neither. What about an unsteady one?” she asked with a crooked grin.
Dena couldn’t help but smile back. “No, not that kind, either.”
“Would you like one…or maybe two?” Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
Dena chuckled. “Why? Do you have a couple to spare?”
Krystal grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do. And they’re not bad guys to have around if you just want to have some fun.” She took another sip of beer, then said, “I meet a lot of men through work.”
“Leonie said you work at the day spa and salon over on Grand.”
She nodded. “You have great hair. It’s natural, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I can tell. If you haven’t found a stylist yet, you might want to check out the salon. I mean, don’t feel like you have to come to me, but you can—if you want.”
There was something especially charming about Krystal that made Dena feel as if she needed to watch out for her. Curious, she asked, “How old are you, Krystal?”
“Twenty-seven.”
She was only a couple of years younger than Dena, yet Dena felt almost maternal toward her. It was an unfamiliar feeling and caught her off guard.
She almost said, You don’t act twenty-seven, but stopped herself. “You don’t look twenty-seven.”
Krystal frowned. “Oh, shoot, not you, too. I’m always hearing that. Do you know how many times I’ve been ID’d to get served a glass of wine?” She didn’t wait for an answer but changed the subject. “It’s not always easy to meet people when you’re new to the city, so I want you to feel free to call me anytime you’re looking to go out and have some fun. And we don’t have to go looking for guys.”
“I’m really not looking for guys.” She emphasized the word not.
“What about Quinn? You were coming down from his place earlier this evening,” she reminded her, obviously wanting to know why.
“I need to talk to him,” she said.
“Yeah, you and about ten thousand other women,” Krystal said on a chuckle. “Take a number and get in line.”
“This is for professional reasons, not personal,” Dena was quick to point out.
“If you say so.”
“It is,” Dena insisted, not liking the dubious look on Krystal’s face.
She held up her hands. “Hey—you don’t need to explain to me. I’ve got eyes. I mean, even if he didn’t have a gorgeous face, that body alone could make a girl shiver. Those wide, thick shoulders, those big strong hands, and just that rough, tough look he has about him…” She sighed and trailed off dreamily. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first girl who wanted to get to know him better.”
“I don’t want to get to know him better,” Dena said with a bit of impatience, although she knew it was probably a waste of time to try to convince Krystal she wasn’t interested in Quinn. Women like Krystal didn’t understand how any woman could look at him and not see a hottie.
“It’s probably just as well,” Krystal stated pragmatically. “I mean, being a hockey player and all, he probably has women chasing him all over town.”
“Have you seen any?” As soon as Dena had uttered the words she knew it sounded as if she were interested in his love life. “I mean, women don’t stalk him to this house, do they?”
She giggled. “No. I don’t think hockey players are quite as popular as rock stars or Hollywood celebrities.”
“Personally, I don’t see the attraction.”
Again curiosity flickered in Krystal’s eyes. “I suppose you want to thank Quinn for donating that hockey stick to the benefit the other night.” She explained, “I heard Leonie ask him for it.”
Dena saw no reason not to let her assume it was her motivation for seeing him. “Yes, I do. It was very kind
