Those Sweet Words (Misfit Inn 2)

“She’s in luuuuuurve,” Ari sang.

“It shows. Hard to duplicate that kind of glow with even the best products. You look great.”

Kennedy beamed. “Thanks. Being happy agrees with me.”

“The regular nookie doesn’t hurt,” Athena added.

Pru clapped her hands over Ari’s ears. “Athena!”

“What? It’s true.”

Ari tugged the hands away. “Joan already had the talk with me. Great sex between mature, committed individuals is good for your mental health.”

Pru’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out. Her face felt frozen somewhere between horror and laughter.

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Kennedy admitted.

Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me. No great sex in…. Have I ever had truly great sex? When was the last time I had even mediocre sex? Oh, dear God, why am I thinking about this now?

Cheeks burning, Pru looked at Abbey, who was valiantly trying not to snicker. “Our mom was really big on female empowerment. But for you, young lady, that can wait until you’re twenty-five.” She grabbed Ari by the shoulders and marched her toward the kitchen, laughter in their wake as everyone trailed behind.

Abbey unloaded the bags she’d brought and began mixing ingredients, while Kennedy rounded up a bunch of towels. As she created multiple bowls of fragrant glop, Abbey scanned them all. “So, other than the bride, who else is tripping down the relationship highway? Or dating? Or anything involving the prospect of a significant other? Because I most definitely am not, and I need to live vicariously through somebody.”

“Those Mississippi boys not doing it for you?” Athena asked.

“There’s one very serious problem with them—it seems all the good ones are taken.”

“It’s a definite problem in small towns,” Pru agreed. “I can’t remember the last time I had a date.”

“Didn’t you go out with Gavin Harkness around Christmas?” Maggie asked.

“I went to dinner with him. For what I thought was just a meal between joint committee members for that Angel Tree fundraiser. I didn’t realize he thought it was a date until he tried to kiss me when he brought me home. I turned my face at the last second and he hit my cheek. Then he just kind of froze there for several seconds, until I managed to twist the doorknob and escape. It was…awkward.”

“Well, it’s not like the city is any better for prospects,” Maggie said. “In L.A., everybody meets people with an eye for how they can be used to further their career. There’s no such thing as a simple girl meets guy on an elevator and gets asked to dinner, for a night of conversation about mutual interests. Instead, he’s asking enough questions during the salad course, you feel like you’re in the middle of a job interview.”

Abbey grimaced. “That sounds awful. Please tell me you skipped dessert.”

“I gave serious thought to disappearing to the bathroom and never coming back. But he knew my boss, as it turns out, so I stuck it out.”

“What about you, Athena?” Abbey asked.

“I intimidate men.”

“Shocker,” Kennedy murmured.

The impact of the middle finger Athena shot up was somewhat mitigated by the bright green avocado mask smeared all over her face.

“So, other than the bride, we’re all failing in the dating department. Y’all, this is a sad state of affairs. We are smart, sexy, available women. What is wrong with all these men?” Abbey came back to the table, passing out warm, wet wash cloths. “Everybody wipe off your mask with firm, downward strokes from the center line of your face.”

Kennedy rubbed at the bentonite clay mask already flaking off her face. “Maybe I should hook y’all up with some of Xander’s single friends. All of his groomsmen are available.”

“Please,” Athena snorted. “Porter was one of our brothers.”

“That still leaves Logan and Jonah,” Kennedy pointed out.

“Athena and I don’t live here, so that seems a pointless effort. But maybe one of them would suit Pru.” Maggie angled her head, studying Pru from across the table.

“Hello, I’m sitting right here and not looking for a setup, thanks very much. I do not need a pity date. I haven’t even thought about dating—” She cut herself off before since Mom died could spill out. No reason to drag the group down. “Besides, I’ve got enough on my plate with the inn and the fact that I’m acquiring a teenager.”