"I'm outta here."
As soon as he was out the door, Val asked, "Should we take the party upstairs? I don't want my kitchen smelling like nail polish."
"Sure. I'd love to raid your closet for a scarf."
Even when she didn't have the budget for a fancy selection, my sister's closet had been a treat. But over the years, her wardrobe expanded. It was a treasure island.
I already had a dress for the wedding tomorrow, and I was wearing my usual attire for the rehearsal dinner: a navy dress with a sweetheart neckline and a wide silver belt around the center. But I wanted to accessorize it with one of Val's scarves. Since it got chilly in the evening, I was also wearing a black velvet jacket.
"So... trying to make an impression, huh?" Val asked when we entered her room. Hailey didn't quite manage to disguise her smug smile, which meant they'd talked about me before I arrived. It was my own fault for giving them gossip fodder and telling them about the kiss yesterday.
"Is she blushing? Oh my God, she is!" Hailey exclaimed. "And she hasn't even had red wine."
Red wine did not agree with me. I always looked like I was developing an allergy after one glass.
"It's just a scarf," I said.
"I have a few that go with your dress," Val said, as Hailey and I sat cross-legged on her bed, uncapping the bottles of nail polish. Val took out a gorgeous red silk scarf, and another one, ivory with beautiful lace details in the center.
"If you want to knock someone off his ass, I'd go with this one." Val pointed to the red one.
"Got my vote too," Hailey piped up. I was drooling at the sight of it, but I knew I couldn't wear it. It stood out too much to qualify as work attire. The ivory one, on the other hand, was perfect.
"I'll take the ivory one. The red one stands out too much. And who said anything about knocking anyone on his ass?"
Hailey was hid
ing her face as she applied a coat of red polish on the nails of my right hand.
"Graham seems like a great guy," Val said, now plugging in the curling iron.
"How would you know?" I inquired.
Hailey was the one who answered. "We scooped every detail out of Jace, of course."
I groaned. "Girls...."
"What?" Val asked innocently. "You almost melted into a puddle when you told us about the kiss. Thought that warranted some detective work, to make sure he's not a total shit."
She didn't say it out loud, but I knew she'd meant to add “like Jeff.”
I'd told them about his e-mail, and they had both suggested a more aggressive approach—such as replying with all the expletives in the world. They argued it was a better way to get things off my chest. I had the tendency of playing out ugly conversations in my mind until I got myself in a funk. But I still thought ignoring him was better than engaging.
When Val went to the bathroom to get the hairspray, I whispered to Hailey, "I dreamed about sexy fun with Graham. Repeatedly."
Talking to Val about these things had always felt a little weird. Maybe because, for so many years, she hadn't just been our older sister, but more of a mother, and I still saw her like that. Hailey was my confidant for all things sexy. Well, had been, back in the days I'd actually had anything to confide other than X-rated dreams.
"Completely normal, considering how hot he is," Hailey reassured me.
"But that doesn't mean anything."
"Would it be so bad to have some fun?" Val asked, returning with the hairspray. Clearly, she'd overheard me.
"Yeah, it would. For the next few years, I'm sticking to daydreaming."
Even as I said it, I felt a pang of emptiness. After that kiss, I'd wanted to jump him right there, then pop open every button of his shirt and roam my hands over his bare torso. His muscles had felt exquisite even through the fabric, but I'd been greedy to touch and lick his skin. I tried to push that hot memory away.
"Why don't you shake things up a bit? Be wild for a little while," Val suggested.