Chapter Four
I was only halfway through the door when she pounced.
“Ohmigod, what took you so long? Tell me everything right now!” she blurted out, not bothering to take a breath.
I shook my head to clear it. Perry sounded awfully jacked-up for someone who should’ve been lying down with a dark cloth over her eyes. Those cute, fluffy drinks caused some wicked hangovers.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her, stepping the rest of the way inside. I glanced around, not seeing anyone else. Mom and Frank must be in the kitchen.
“Don’t even think about changing the subject.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the spare room, my foot tripping over the rug. “And I’m fine, by the way. I kept my promise. Now it’s time to keep yours.”
“Barely,” I said. I didn’t have to carry her last night, but I did have to hold her up as we stumbled back to the car. Unfortunately, she knew exactly what I’d been up to when I came back to the party. She outed me immediately; I must have been glowing or something. But fortunately, she was drunk enough to accept my not wanting to talk about it then.
Perry sank her nails into my shoulders and plopped me down on the couch, sitting beside me. “Don’t you know I’m dying here? Start talking.”
I sighed. “There’s not much to say, Perry. I did something I shouldn’t have. It was a one-time thing, and that’s it.”
She tapped her fingers over her lips. “Uh-huh.”
“You were right. I was overdue, and I guess that made me a little crazy. I was impulsive and rash, and it won’t happen again.”
“With him, or with anyone?”
I pulled a rubber band out of my purse and tied my hair back. “I’m not running off to join the convent, Perry. I just have to be more careful about the appropriateness of the guys I sleep with.”
“Was the sex good?”
I leaned my head on the cushion and let out a long exhale, shivering as if he were touching me all over again. The tingles ran over my skin, and I brushed them off like imaginary bugs. I didn’t want to think about it, much less feel it.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“So what if it was fantastic? It was wrong, and after I realized that, I got my control back. There’s no need to make it into a big deal.” I had to keep chanting that to myself: No big deal. No big deal. Because last night, I was freaking out, and it was a very big deal.
And to top it all off, I never did get my fried eggplant.
“I never asked if it was fantastic; I asked if it was good.”
“Whatever, Perry.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Will you stop saying that?”
Perry planted her face within inches of mine. “You’re telling me that you’re not going to see him again, not even for sex?”
“Of course I’m not. In case you didn’t notice, he’s not exactly in my age bracket. It wouldn’t be responsible to see him again, for any reason.”
“Screw responsibility. Have a little fun, get wild for a change. Holy shit, in case you didn’t notice , he’s fucking gorgeous.”
I raked my hands down my face. Argh. “For one, even if he were suitable for me, we’d have no way to contact each other. Two, I’m sure after the heat of the moment was over, he realized his mistake too. He probably had no idea what he was getting into before the push-up bra came off. Hopefully, I didn’t scar him for life.”
Okay, that last part was a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe. Who knew what was going through his impressionable young mind when he saw my perky-challenged boobs? It’s like buying a cantaloupe from the store and then coming home and pulling a wilted squash out of the bag. That stuff can really mess with your reality.
“God, are you actually listening to yourself?” She smacked me on the forehead, and I narrowed my eyes at her. “One, I could easily get his number from Stu, and as for your stupid-ass number two—”
“Hey, sis.” My brother entered the room, drinking a Spotted Cow.
“Where’d you get that?”
“I brought over a six-pack. Want one?”
My all-time favorite beer? Hell, yeah. I started to get up, but Perry pushed my butt back to the couch.
“Perfect timing, hon,” Perry said to Stephen. “If a guy’s trying to get it on with some girl he’s never seen naked before, but ends up disgusted once her clothes are off, does he keep chugging along with his eyes closed or does his dick shrivel up?”
“Why the hell are you asking me that?”
“Well, Jills just had her very first one-night stand and—”
Stephen held up his hand and walked out, shaking his head. “And Mom says she wants you in the kitchen,” he yelled back. “I shouldn’t be the only one helping in there.”
“Was that necessary?” I asked her, standing up.
“Yes, although he wasn’t much help. Look, I can’t attest to your bedroom skills, but I’m sure the sex was just as fantastic for him, so stop worrying about it.”
“I’m not worrying about anything! You’re the one talking about it. It’s barely even a blip in my mind anymore.” I headed out of the room, and Perry got up and followed me.
“Uh-huh.”
I stopped cold, and she smacked into me. “Perry, promise me you’ll drop this, okay? Because I can guarantee you that Chase already has. I’m sure I was just one of many, and I’m fine with that.” I turned around to face her. “So, please promise me you won’t find out his information because you think I secretly want it. Because I don’t. I don’t want to see him again. I don’t want to sleep with him again. I just want to pretend it never happened.”
“And continue working day in and day out—”
“Perry.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Okay, I promise. I won’t dig for any dirt.”
“Thank you.” Despite being perfectly happy with my life, I wasn’t opposed to a man in it. The operative word being man . “Come on, before Stephen finishes off the beer.”
We headed toward the kitchen, the tangy scent filling my nose. Perry joined her secret future fiancé at the table, and I zeroed in on the stove. That wonderful smell was wafting up from a large metal pot. I lifted up the lid to take a peek, and my mother swatted my hand. “Don’t let Frank catch you doing that.”
I smiled, dropping it closed. “Bolognese?” My stomach rumbled. Frank was a marvel in the food department. We either had a family lunch or dinner every weekend, depending on our schedules, and my stepdad did most of the cooking.
I faced my mom and gave her a hug. “Yes. Homemade pasta too.”
“Can’t wait.” I broke away and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle. “What can I do to help?”
“Just set the table, dear.” I popped off the top and took a long swig. “Have you heard from Daniel lately?” she asked.
I set the beer down and grabbed a stack of plates from the cupboard. “Just last week. He says hello. I miss him terribly, but he’s doing so well, Mom. Straight A’s.”
“Of course. He has my genes.”
“You know that’s impossible, right?”
She waved her hand. “Tomayto, tomahto.” I laughed; I should’ve known better. My mom loves that boy just as much as I do.
I counted out silverware as Frank crept up behind my mom and seized her around the waist, giving her a loud smooch on the cheek. “Ready to eat, my beauty?”
I carried the dishes to the table, not catching her reply. Their connection filled me with so much warmth. I loved them together. He was perfect for her, much more suited than my father ever was.
“Hey, don’t forget about the game Thursday,” Stephen said as I set down plates. He and Perry sat at the table, practically on top of each other. There was no shortage of affection surrounding me. “You are coming, right?”
“Of course she is,” Perry said.
“One ten?” I asked.
“Yeah, but come earlier. We’re gonna start tailgating around eleven.”
Thursday would be tough cutting work short, but I made a pact to try and balance my life better and give fun a little more priority. It wasn’t always working so well. “I can’t guarantee when, but I’ll be there.”
Whenever Stephen got free tickets from work, they were in the luxury boxes, complete with all the free food and drink anyone could handle during the game, but they still brought coolers and grills to cook out beforehand. It was tradition, and I missed it. God, when was the last time I was even at a game? It was years ago with Daniel and Mike.
“Who’re they playing again?”
“The Cards.”
Frank placed a basket of fresh-baked bread down next to me. Divine. I wanted to snatch the whole thing and run.
“Perry, dear, will you help me a moment?”
“Coming, Mrs. B.” She jumped up, grinning at Stephen and me. “She called me dear. She loves me.”
As soon as Perry skipped over to help Mom, I glared at my brother, tapping my ring finger. Yes, my mother loved her; we all did. She was already considered family. Now it just needed to be official.
I sat close to him and whispered, “What is taking you so long?”
“Shhh… keep it down. Soon, promise.”
Once everything was on the table, we sat down for our weekly feast. I didn’t know where to start, but I grabbed a slice of bread while it was still hot and slathered on loads of butter. I was starving today for some reason. Earth-shattering, explosive orgasms must burn a lot of calories, because ho-hum ones certainly didn’t.
I stuffed a piece in my mouth, quivering from the memory. At least I was able to check toe-curling pleasure off my bucket list.
“Jillian,” my mom started, taking a sip of wine. “Perry said you met a nice, young man last night. Tell us all about him, dear.”
I sputtered, almost choking on my bread. Then I squinted at my target. She gave a half-smile and shrugged.
Fucking Perry .