Her eyes widen. “With what? Are you okay?”
I quickly share the situation with Kenzie since it’s the easier topic to tackle. Plus, I could use a laugh, and Gina always delivers.
“Tell Kenzie to go screw herself.”
Just as I expected.
“Oh, by the way, Asher showed up last night with Kenzie because, you know, you see Kenzie as another sister, and you would’ve been devastated if she hadn’t come.”
Her jaw drops. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
“Nope. Thought you’d enjoy that.”
“They’re the most delusional couple I’ve ever seen. Don’t go to Kenzie’s bridal shower. You owe her nothing, Harper,” she says, strolling toward the kitchen. “I don’t know why you needed my help with that.”
“I kissed Ford.”
She stops abruptly, turning to stare at me in disbelief. “When?”
“Last night when he took me home. And again just now. In his pickup.”
“Tell me everything,” she insists, returning to sit beside me.
“Well, he brought me home last night, and I could barely walk. Thanks again for that, by the way. He helped me to my room, took off my boots, and went to fetch me water and aspirin. I meant to kiss his cheek, but somehow ended up kissing his lips instead.”
Her jaw drops further. “What did he do?”
“He kissed me back. A lot.”
“And you stopped at kissing?”
“I had to. I sort of threw up about thirty seconds later.”
Her laughter is relentless, and she leans back, clutching her stomach. “Oh God, that sucks. I’m sorry, Harp. Oh… oh no.”
“Real funny. Yes, so hilarious.”
Wiping tears from her eyes, she finally manages to control her laughter. “Okay, I’m okay. Is that why he showed up this morning?”
“He brought my equipment. He promised to pick it up after he dropped me off last night. He said he thought the kiss was nice,which isn’t what I wanted to hear, but considering how wasted I was, it’s probably a compliment.”
“Nice could mean different things, I guess. Go on.”
I lean back and sigh. “He pulled up right after Kenzie cornered me on Main Street. Seriously, it feels like he has a tracker on me because he offered me a ride home.”
“Your superhero.”
“He gave me advice about Kenzie, then kissed me after I apologized for the night before. He told me not to apologize, and then… he kissed me.”
I touch my lips, smiling at the memory of how gentle he was. How he waited for me to deepen the kiss, the way he caressed my face while our tongues danced together.
“It was good?”
“So good,” I groan. “Unexpected and surprisingly gentle. But he’s Asher’s best friend. I can’t date him. That makes me no better than my ex.”
She takes my hand and smirks. “Ford didn’t plan to come over until he knew you were going to be there. And he saved you most of the night. Including carrying you when you couldn’t walk.”
“He’s just being a nice guy. A friend.”
