Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
KAIA
I was still having doubts about going to Drea’s Christmas party. Sure, I knew everyone who was supposed to be there, and I knew where it was, but who knew what would happen? At least I had Daisy for support.
I’d been to Drea’s house only a few times in the seven years I’d known her.
She came from money but hadn’t wanted anyone to know that for the longest time.
Even as her employee, I had no idea until we had our falling out.
If it weren’t for Daisy and Blair, things would still be the same.
I’d still be letting her walk all over me without speaking my mind, and she’d still be a closed-off grump drinking and sleeping her way around the city to cope with her breakup with Skylar.
Daisy helped me stand up for myself and taught me that I deserved more than letting people walk all over me. I still struggled sometimes, but Daisy was always there.
Blair helped Drea realize she deserved to be loved and she needed to let people in more. Without those two, we would be stuck in our unhealthy rut. Drea wouldn’t be happily in love, and I wouldn’t be co-owner of the store.
The memory of how we had gotten here saddened me, but my frown turned into a smile at the thought of Daisy. My little ball of sunshine.
I was embarrassed to admit I might’ve chosen my outfit hoping she’d like it. I knew her type was soft and femme, and even though we would never be together, I couldn’t help but try every now and then. Maybe I was torturing myself, but I liked to think she noticed.
I decided on a green long-sleeved dress.
It had a V-neckline and stopped mid-thigh.
In the right light, you could see a faint shimmer throughout the dress.
I paired it with black tights and gold strappy sandals.
It wasn’t anything crazy like I knew Cara would be decked out in, but it did show a little more cleavage than my normal outfit choices.
It was a party, after all, and I wanted to dazzle.
I was touching up my makeup when I saw Daisy in the mirror, standing behind me. I dropped my makeup brush and turned around, thankful I was sitting down. “Wow” was the only thought that came out.
She smiled like she didn’t notice me staring and did a little twirl. Holy hell that was a dangerous dress. I’d never seen her in a dress that short. “You like? You don’t think it’s too much?”
Her dress was red and long-sleeved with a faux-fur trim around the neckline and bottom.
She didn’t wear tights, and I thought I was going to pass out.
Even though she was five four, that dress was short enough to make her legs look miles long.
She paired it with black strappy shoes, and I groaned when my eyes traveled back up to the neckline.
Her collarbone looked enticing, and her cleavage?
I swallowed. Too much for who? The party, definitely not.
Me? Absolutely. I couldn’t find the oxygen that was there minutes ago.
She looked like a Christmas miracle, and I was pretty sure I was drooling.
I wanted to sit in her lap and tell her what I wanted for Christmas.
It wasn’t even revealing, but to me, anything Daisy wore set my body on fire.
What was wrong with me? I was objectifying my best friend! Pull it together, Kaia!
“No. It’s great. You look great. Are you ready to go?” I stood up at her nod and checked my makeup one last time.
I froze when I saw her coming closer behind me.
When her fingers brushed my skin, I suppressed a shiver.
She was only fixing the tag in the back, but that didn’t stop my brain from imagining her doing something a lot more intimate, like taking off my dress or kissing my shoulders.
I shuddered but tried to stay calm until she was done.
I turned around and forced a friendly smile. “Better?”
She looked at me for a beat longer, but I didn’t know why. Her eyes traveled down my body and back up again. It was only a second, but it sent little shocks to every inch of skin she looked at. I couldn’t read the expression on her face, but it was gone faster than it appeared.
“Perfect.” She turned around and walked away without another word. I followed her, grabbing our coats and heading for the door, saying goodbye to Duke on our way out.
Our car rides were usually quiet, obviously, but this one felt charged. I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but every time I’d glance at her, she’d be doing the same and would quickly look away. At a red light, I turned and looked at her.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I can totally turn around, and we can order some Thai food.”
That made her smile. I knew it would. She loved Thai food. It wasn’t my favorite, but I always ate it when she craved it. Usually during her period. Thai food and cookie dough were her lifelines.
“I’m good. I’m just thinking about Duke. I hope he doesn’t get into too much trouble. By the way, you look really good. Is that a new dress?”
She played with the hem of my dress, and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as the light turned green. She needed to stop touching me or I was going to crash, and we wouldn’t even make it to the party.
Without taking my eyes off the road, I lifted one hand and said, “Yes.”
At another light, I dared a look at her, and my chest cracked. She was looking at me with the softest eyes and the brightest smile. I was trying to act as normal as I could around her, but it was hard.
Living together had only made things more difficult, but I was determined to go on as if nothing had changed.
It was easier when I was worried about where I would live or getting things together for the funeral.
Along with work, that kept me pretty busy, and I didn’t have enough time to think about my feelings for Daisy.
But now things were settling down, and I had more time to ruminate on those feelings, although I tried not to as best I could.
After the day she got sick, and I basically cried myself to sleep playing with her hair and thinking about the life I’d never have with her. I told myself it wasn’t healthy and I had to move on.
I wanted the dream of a wife and kids, and I needed to start looking for that with someone I had a chance with. Someone who wasn’t my best friend. I loved her too much to ruin our friendship by admitting my feelings and having her tell me she didn’t feel the same way.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Getting over someone you never had would be just as hard as getting over someone you did have, but I had to.
She was going to find someone someday, and I needed to be in the right place in life where it wouldn’t tear me up inside to see it. It would take time, but eventually, my feelings would go away. They had to.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, sunny.”
She rolled her eyes at the nickname. “Thanks.”
When we pulled up to Drea’s house, I looked at Daisy, whose eyes were so wide I had to laugh.
She had never been there before, and it showed.
You’d think, for a bookstore owner, she’d have a small house.
Maybe with a little yard and a garage. That was not where Drea lived.
She lived in a mini version of the white house, and the driveway felt never-ending.
On each side of the driveway, the grass was perfectly trimmed, as were the rows of shrubs lining the drive. Drea was nothing if not classy, and her home was a prime example. Although she had a lot of money, she also had a lot of humility and would never boast about material things.
Daisy stopped me before I could ring the doorbell. “Wow, Kaia. You told me her house was big, but you didn’t tell me how big! I should ask for a raise.”
I laughed and nudged her shoulder. “You teach one class a month. Calm down.”
She frowned at me and stuck out her tongue. “Real mature,” I said.
I rang the bell, and a few seconds later, the door opened and Drea and Blair greeted us.
Drea was stunning in a red jumpsuit. The sleeves were short and the cleavage was there.
I’d never seen her so dressed up before.
Blair was gorgeous in a matching short strapless dress, with Drea’s hand never leaving her lower back.
“Wow, look at you two. Fancy as hell!”
“Thanks, love. Thank you for coming,” Drea signed before bringing me in for a hug, then Daisy. It was short but warm and inviting, like she was genuinely happy to have us there.
“Thank you for inviting us. The place looks amazing.”
“We’re glad you could make it. You two look beautiful,” Blair signed and said aloud, looking between me and Daisy. Daisy looked better than beautiful, but it wasn’t my place to say that, so I smiled and said thank you.
“Give me your coats, and I’ll put them in the closet while you say hello to everyone.”
We handed our coats over to Drea, and Blair left to help her. Hopefully the closet wasn’t big enough for two people. I didn’t need those images tonight.
The house was decorated from top to bottom with red and gold Christmas decorations. In the corner of the living room was the biggest tree I’d ever seen with white lights, gold tinsel, and the most random decorations on it.
Some of the decorations looked like they were old from childhood, but some of them looked new. There was a red velvet cookie ornament, and even a little book. They also had one from the aquarium. It was as if the tree signified their lives apart and together. It was cute as hell.
“As I live and breathe. If it isn’t the mysterious Kaia Rhodes. How did Drea convince you to finally show up?” I heard Mackenzie’s voice before I turned around, rolling my eyes with a smile. She was as sarcastic as Drea could be sometimes, but it was always with the biggest heart.
She was rocking a black sequin dress. Fallon was next to her in a stunning green dress.