Color Me Pretty: A Father's Best Friend Romance

Why didn’t I believe her though?

The music was loud, vibrating the ground as I walked toward the white house that was larger than my flat. I heard laughter, something crash, then more laughter following. Hesitating at the double glass doors that were wide open, I glanced into the building to see white everywhere inside too—carpet, walls, furniture. Except the expensive sofa that looked nearly identical to the Adriana Royal living room set that we had in our living room growing up had a bright red stain in the middle of it now.

Sam stared from her empty glass to the cushion, looking too amused over the wine stain. It was probably Cabernet, Screaming Eagle if I knew Kat. Her father loved the expensive stuff and had a cellar full of various wines he collected for garden parties they held on their estate.

“You made it!” Kat greeted me as soon as she stepped into the living room. Her arms wrapped around me as she squeezed me tightly to her, my lips weighing into a frown at the alcohol stench radiating from her.

It wasn’t quite eight yet because I knew if I were even a minute late, she’d blow up my phone and then hunt me down. Getting noise complaints from my neighbors again because of her loud entrance in my building was the last thing I needed when I wanted to lay low.

I pulled away first, keeping her at arm’s length as I watched Gina and Sam dance in the corner of the room. There was something off about them, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t see them often enough to know exactly what. “This place has changed,” I noted, examining the fur rug under the glass table perched between the furniture and the cobblestone fireplace that was lit despite it being warm out.

“I told you I was renovating,” she sang, looping an arm around my waist. “Want something to drink? I took out that nasty white wine you love so much.”

“Lame!” Gina called out from where the two of them danced.

I refrained from rolling my eyes, but the blush from her comment couldn’t be hidden on my face. “I’m driving home later, so I’ll pass.” I paused. “But thank you.”

Kat snorted. “Always so polite.” She unwound herself from me and grabbed a glass of red wine for herself to drink, stumbling slightly while doing it. “I obviously don’t need to introduce any of you, but how nice is it that we’re all together again?”

I wasn’t sure that was the word I’d use, but the other two cheered. Although, I was certain they’d cheer over anything right now based on the empty bottle of wine on the floor and the half-empty one on the table. “What are you guys planning on doing tonight?” I asked, walking over to the armchair, and sitting.

Kat gestured toward her wine. “Drink?”

That made Sam laugh. “What else is there to do on this fine Wednesday night?”

My lips twitched. “You mentioned renovating. How many rooms have you done so far?” I knew the guest house had three bedrooms and two and a half baths. We’d spent a lot of time here when we were younger having sleepovers and gossiping about boys we liked. It was in this same house that Kat admitted she had a crush on Lawrence, and Gina insisted she was going to tell. To my knowledge, Ren had no clue Kat had a thing for him, but what did I know? The only thing I was sure about was that old crush was long gone considering Kat’s adventures with other men who were the exact opposite of my best friend.

“I’ve only done the living room.” She dropped onto the couch, staring down at the stain beside her. “Though it looks like I’ll need a new couch thanks to someone.” Another laugh from the girls. “But I want to do my room next. It sees a lot of visitors, after all.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “What were you thinking?”

Before she could speak, Sam all but crashed into Kat on the couch. “Who cares about all that? It’s boring. We need to have fun.”

I frowned. “I actually like—”

Sam groaned. “Yeah, we know. You like all the artsy stuff. Your mom did too, right? She was an interior designer or something?”

I didn’t realize she remembered. “Yes, she loved what she did. So, I don’t find it boring at all. I thought that was why I was here.”

Kat frowned. “You’re here to hang out with your friends. Don’t think I haven’t heard the way you hole up in your apartment or visit your aunt when you’re not in school. Or go to that creepy ass warehouse your dad was always obsessed with. No offense, but Sophie is the last person I’d want to be around, and that warehouse is shady. You need to live your life, Del.”

“And not be a buzzkill,” Sam added.

Kat cut her a look that made Sam roll her eyes before returning to Gina. “Ignore her, she’s a mean drunk.”

“How’d you know I visit the warehouse?” It wasn’t somewhere I’d ever taken her. I felt like it was my spot alone—something I shared with my parents even if they weren’t around. My father hated when I snuck away to it on my own, but when he’d find me there, tell me stories about Mom, and everything would seem okay.

Gina snorted. “Kat is very familiar with that side of town. Aren’t you, Kat?” The girls all exchanged a look that I couldn’t decipher in time before Kat glanced at me.

“I’ve seen you around. Know some people who’ve seen you pass through. You used to tell us about it, remember? Not hard to figure out where you go.”

That wasn’t

the place anybody should go, I knew that. So why was Kat there? It didn’t make any sense.

She changed the subject. “Remember when I wanted to get my room decorated to look like what I imagined the inside of a princess’s castle looked like?” She giggled, looking at me with a wide smile on her face. “I’m glad my father suggested we wait because all that pink would have made me throw up now.”

I didn’t want to let go of the last conversation, but I saw she wasn’t going to have it. So, I laughed at the memory. “He did buy you that pretty canopy bed though with the pink tulle curtains. We used to pretend we were royalty.”