Mandy saw the exchange and turned her attention to him. “You don’t mind if we borrow your girlfriend for a while?”
He looked between the three of them, studying them before he answered. “I’m okay with it if she’s okay with it.”
That was a peculiar response. He was very quick to point out that they weren’t friends, but he wasn’t as protective of the wordgirlfriend. What was also strange was that he was fine with them making that assumption. He was so confusing.
Mandy faced her again. “It’s my bachelorette party tonight and you’re coming.”
Jasmin still felt uncomfortably nervous. She didn’t know why they would just randomly select her as a party guest. “You…don’t even know me. I’m not…sure if I would…fit in.”
Sandy slapped her shoulder, clearly not interested in her excuses. “Get the hell up! Kiss your lover goodbye and let’s go shopping for something less…awful.”
She hesitantly stood up, looking at Kevin and he still didn’t feel the need to correct them. “Um…we’re not…he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Oh!” Candy’s eyes lit up and she leaned towards him, lightly running her finger across his cheek. “Then I think I should let you know that I’m not getting married. I’m very,verysingle.”
He said nothing, but kept his eyes on her and when he smiled, Jasmin had to suppress a twinge of jealousy. She knew she shouldn’t be jealous. She didn’t really like him and he didn’t like her and that kiss was a joke! It was more obvious now.
He didn’t flirt with her the way he was with Candy right now. He didn’t look at her the way he looked at Bella, the waitress. Her time with Kevin was made up of ninety percent fighting, eight percent sarcastic remarks and two percentwhat the hell just happenedmoments. That two percent was nothing to get excited over. That two percent didn’t mean anything.
He slowly pulled Candy’s hand off his face and looked over at Mandy. “You ladies better get going. Just…take care of her, okay?”
“We will.” Mandy snapped her fingers again. “Come along now, ladies. There is much to do.”
They started walking away as Jasmin gathered her stuff. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to do this. Uneasiness was making her palms clammy. What if they didn’t like her? She was awkward and weird. They were tall and tanned and beautiful and she felt completely out of place. She took a deep, calming breath. This was the purpose of the trip, she told herself.
She was about to walk away when Kevin’s fingers wrapped her around her wrist. “Don’t be nervous,” he said. “You got this. And don’t worry about fitting in. Your crazy matches their crazy. Just have fun.”
“Okay.” She smiled, feeling more settled. “Um…I need my wrist back.”
“Sorry.” He immediately let go. “I guess…it just…it feels weird…not being with you every second.”
This was one of those moments that undoubtedly slotted into the two percent category. This day just got more confusing. “I’ll…I’ll see you just now.”
He grinned. “Yeah, whenever that might be.”
She hurried out of the restaurant and the three other women were outside waiting for her.
“What’s your name, by the way?” Sandy asked. “Not your real name, your Vegas name.”
She gave it a moment’s thought. “Uh…Brandy?”
“Brandy! I love it!”
She spent the rest of the afternoon with them. She was quiet at first, feeling a bit intimidated, but it didn’t take long before she felt like she could open up a little. They were great. Actually, they were a riot. All of them. Fun-loving and game for anything. They were about three or four years older than her, but that didn’t even present an issue. Sandy had a deranged sense ofhumor. Candy was all-round wacky. And Mandy was just plain weird.
The reason why they were scouting for a fourth member was because she had an odd obsession with even numbers. She believed everything should be paired, nothing should ever be alone. Even when one of her socks went missing, as socks do, she paired the remaining one with another lonely sock and wore them mismatched so that said sock would feel like it found a new soulmate. Strange, but a very intriguing point of view.
They shop-hopped, picking out dresses for the party that night. Jasmin hated dresses. She was too short and dresses made her look stumpy, but they refused to listen to her protests. She tried on dozens of dresses and matching shoes. A lot of them she would never be caught dead in. They were too revealing and she promptly put it back on the rack, but there were a few that suited her oblong figure.
The other ladies gushed over her, telling her that she looked amazing. They were so sincere that she wondered why she’d been nervous. She had always thought of herself as a tomboy, but shopping with the girls was unexpectedly fun. They gave her advice and tips, not once sounding judgmental or condescending. By the end of the afternoon, she’d selected two dresses that looked semi-decent on her and she felt more confident about the upcoming party.
They were all staying at the same hotel, the other women rooming two floors above her. She returned to her room and had three hours to kill before she would have to leave again.
She opened the door and had to stop for a second. The view was amazing. Large windows overlooking the city, but the room itself was something her imagination could not even conjure up. It was made for pimps. Plush, leopard print carpets coupled with heavy velvet, cerise curtains. The colors shouldn’t match but they did.
Kevin was sitting on one of the large double beds watching TV when she walked in, but he switched it off and gave her his full attention. “And?”
“It was great,” she replied immediately. “I had so much fun. They’re amazing.” She tossed her shopping bags on the other bed and sat down. “What did you do?”
