4. Nadir #2
“You sure you aren’t just a lesbian?” Jules says, leaning against the glitter-papered wall. In her ripped concert T-shirt and shit-kickers, she looks like a biker in a toddler’s princess room. “Ain’t no shame in the girl loving game.”
Jackie shakes her head at Jules. “There is something wrong with you.”
“I wish I liked girls.” Rose snaps her sleeveless button-down shirt, leaving the bottom two undone so she can tie the ends in a knot. “Dick is getting complicated.”
I choke on my final sip of mimosa. Which is really just straight champagne.
“I’m serious,” Rose says, hands on hips.
“Now guys want to actually date you. And it’s like, they should really be able to find your clit with any regularity before they think they’re ready to lock a girl down, you know?
” She fluffs her hair. “Like, build your resume before trying to get hired by the big guns.”
“Wait. I’m confused,” Jackie says. “Are you the big guns?”
“No. These are.” Rose points both thumbs at her boobs.
“I really wish we’d waited in the car.”
We turn to see Holt standing in the doorway, running a hand down his face. Behind him is Flynn. The West brothers look mighty fine, even surrounded by the dress shop’s glitter, chiffon, and Victorian furniture.
“Hey, babe.” Jules jumps, and Holt catches her, hands under her ass. She locks her legs around his waist and smacks her lips against his. “Take me home, cowboy!”
“Good lord.” Holt rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. Usually more taciturn, he’s done a lot more smiling since he managed to wrangle Jules. “I will once we settle the tab.”
I wait for Jackie to argue, as she insisted on paying for the dresses when she asked all of us to be bridesmaids, but instead I find her squared up to Flynn, legs slightly bent and shoulder-width apart, arms swinging.
“Jackie?” Flynn’s nostrils flare, and I can tell he’s trying hard not to laugh at his intoxicated fiancée.
“I wanna do that too.” She rises up on her toes a few times but stumbles back. “But I can’t seem to balance my center mass in order to achieve the required vertical velocity.”
“Oh, sugar,” I say, not able to stop my own amusement from showing.
Flynn takes the two steps needed to bring him front and center to Jackie. “How about I help you out, darling?” Bending at the knees, he lifts Jackie in his arms like a little kid.
Instead of wrapping her legs around his waist, she simply dangles against him, head resting on his shoulder, her glasses cockeyed. “You’re the best, Flynn.”
Rose saunters over and plucks Jackie’s glasses off.
“Careful with those.” Flynn eyes Rose as she folds and places the glasses in her oversized purse.
“Dude.” Rose shakes her head. “You’re so weird about her glasses.”
“He likes when I wear them during sex,” Jackie mumbles, nuzzling Flynn’s neck.
My mouth drops open. Flynn turns red, making us all laugh.
“Hot damn, hooker,” Jules says, sliding off Holt. “I knew you had it in you.”
“Ugh.” Rose rolls her eyes. “And people think I’m the perverted West sibling.”
Flynn’s face still flushed, he stammers, “I… it’s not…” Giving up, he snaps his mouth shut and hefts Jackie over his shoulder, fireman style. With a spin on the heel of his cowboy boot, Flynn marches out the door.
“Such a drama queen, I swear.” With a smirk, Rose slides her feet into her sandals and follows after them. “Later, bitches,” she calls out as she exits, hand in the air.
“You Wests sure are entertaining.” Having already changed into my clothes, I bend down to grab my heels, then eye the white sequined dress I’d tried on earlier.
I want it. Grabbing my purse from the couch, I pull out my wallet, ready to take the plunge.
I need a dress to the black-tie event Ian’s roped me into anyhow. Might as well go in style.
“Hold up, Shortstack, you aren’t paying for your bridesmaid dress.” Jules shrugs into her leather jacket. “Remember, Holt has actual wedding funds for his siblings.” She snickers and kisses Holt’s cheek. He blushes.
“I know.” I smile kindly at a red-faced Holt. “Thanks, by the way.”
Holt nods, his hand sneaking down to pinch Jules’ backside. “No problem.”
She swats his hand. “Then why the wallet?”
“I need a gown for the event I’m going to with Ian.”
Jules tilts her head, eyebrow arched. “You’re going on a date with Ian?”
“I thought you knew.” I blink, trying to clear my head of all the champagne. “It’s for letting me park my trailer at his house.”
“You’re staying with Ian?” Holt asks, pulling his eyes away from Jules.
My eyebrows pinch together as I contemplate my friend. “You didn’t tell him?”
Jules snorts. “Please, girl. Hoes before bros.”
“Oh.” I try smiling at Holt, but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace. “Please don’t say anything to the others.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it worth his while to stay quiet.” In a girlie move I never would’ve seen coming from the hardass astronaut, Jules grabs Holt’s hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. Holt’s eyes light up like he won the lottery.
A pang of jealousy shoots through me.
“Thanks.” I pull out my phone. “I’ll just call an Uber.”
“No need.”
Swinging my head in the other direction, I blink a few times more to focus on the delicious, tall drink of man standing in the archway. Ian’s wearing shorts, an unusual occurrence. A pair that highlights his muscular calves. I’ve never thought about calves as being sexy. Now I do.
My gaze slides up from his legs, and I find his khaki shorts are fitted, his button-down shirt tucked into the front with a thick brown belt. No T-shirt and low-hanging cargo shorts for this man.
A pang that is decidedly not jealousy shoots down to my lady parts.
“Ready?” Ian asks, hands in his pockets, framing the part of him I’ve become the most curious about.
I lick my parched lips. “ So ready, sugar.”
When his eyebrow quirks up, and Jules laughs behind me, I realize I might’ve put a heavy dose of innuendo into my words.
It may be the alcohol, or the envy I’m woman enough to own up to after seeing Flynn with Jackie and Holt with Jules, but I don’t apologize or clarify my meaning.
Instead, dress forgotten, I sling my crossbody purse over my shoulder as I walk up to Ian, then use him to balance while I slip into my heels.
Once I’m steady and four inches taller, I link my arm in his.
Without looking at Jules or Holt, I call, “Bye, y’all” over my shoulder and let Ian lead me out.
Still snickering, Jules calls out, “See ya, Shortstack.”