“Smart-ass.” She held up a yellow suit.
“Not your color. Here, this one.” I handed her a blue bikini that was a perfect match to her eyes.
“Ooh, nice.”
“I still don’t understand why you think it would be bad luck to move into your new house,” I said as she loaded her arms with bathing suits to try on. The house was gorgeous, but Autumn had this weird idea that she should only live in it as Brian’s wife, so they were residing in her apartment until the wedding.
“I just do, okay? We’ll spend our wedding night in it, then leave for Hawaii the next morning.” She grabbed my hand. “I’m so happy, Jenn, that it scares me. Like everything’s too good to be true.”
“Hush! You’re not going to wake up and find out it’s all a dream.” I pinched her. I didn’t like the ominous shiver that tickled my spine at her words.
“Ouch.” Laughing, she rubbed her arm.
“Just wanted to prove you’re awake and this is real.” The second she smirked and waggled her eyebrows, I knew something outrageous was about to come out of her mouth.
“Well, I am pretty sure I was awake last night when Brian brought whipped cream and cherries to bed with us.”
I put my hands over my ears. “TMI!”
Her eyes sparkled with happiness and the mischief that was always in those blue orbs. “You should try it sometime…well, not with Brian. I’d have to kill you. With your sexy police chief. Bet him how many cherries—”
“Autumn! Stop it.” We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
I’d stand as maid of honor when my bestie got married. Savannah would be home for Autumn’s Christmas wedding, and I couldn’t wait for the three of us to be together again. Autumn and I shopped till we dropped, and then I drove us back to Blue Ridge Valley, where we were meeting Brian at Fusions.
“Why don’t you call Dylan, see if he wants to meet us for dinner?”
“He’s probably busy.” We weren’t in a relationship, exactly. Not of the boyfriend/girlfriend kind. We were just having some fun until it was time to go, so I didn’t feel comfortable asking him out on a double date with my friends.
“Doesn’t hurt to ask.” She grabbed my phone out of the console cupholder.
“Don’t you dare.” Although I kind of hoped she would. If he didn’t appear to appreciate being called, I could always blame it on her. She punched in my pass code. Autumn was always forgetting her phone, so since she often used mine, she knew my code.
“Voice mail,” she whispered. “Hi, Dylan. This is Autumn, Jenn’s friend. We’re on our way to meet Brian at Fusions for dinner. Thought you might want to join us.”
“I can’t believe you did that.”
She snickered. “Yes, you can.”
“Truth.” Would he show up? I hadn’t heard from him since he’d kissed me good-bye yesterday morning. Maybe he’d only been looking for a quick tumble in bed with no plans to see each other again, but I hadn’t gotten that impression. This was me we were talking about, though, and we’d already established that I was a lousy judge of men.
“I don’t think he’ll come,” I said as I parked next to Brian’s shiny new Lexus.
“Guess we’ll know soon enough. Don’t tell Brian about that scrap of black silk masquerading as lingerie I bought, okay? That’s a wedding night surprise.”
“My lips are sealed.”
26
~ Dylan ~
Iwasin the shower when Jenny’s friend left her message. My plan for the night had been to finally get the last of my stuff unpacked, but that lost its appeal as soon as I listened to Autumn’s invitation to dinner, giving me a chance to see Jenny.
Several times during the past two days, I’d picked up my phone to text or call her but had stopped myself. I had no idea how she felt about me. Sure, it was obvious she enjoyed my company, and I wasn’t even questioning that she thought the sex between us was good. Damn good.
There was actually another consideration that played into my resolve not to get too involved with Jenny. She was leaving soon, and she didn’t know when she’d be back. Who knew what men she’d meet on her world travels? What if she fell in love with a dark-eyed Italian who whispered sweet accented love words into her ear or some damn Scotsman in a kilt that she couldn’t resist finding out what he wore under it?
I wasn’t going to be the man left behind who’d eventually get a letter saying,Sorry, but…So I hadn’t called her. She was going to stay a woman I enjoyed hanging out with and, yes, having sex with. When she left, though, she wasn’t going to take my heart with her. But I couldn’t resist the lure of seeing her, so I dressed, then headed to Fusions.
