Jade held up her hands in surrender and Hope nodded in thanks. Making a full 360-degree turn, she asked, “So? Will this work? I couldn’t find the blouse I wanted—”
“Smokin’ hot,” Jade said and winked. “That top is great. Where are those jeans from?”
“Uhh, they’re Judy Blue’s, I think,” she said, glancing down at the body-hugging black jeans. Small tears in the knees and across one thigh gave them an edgy vibe. Paired with the black strappy, chunky heels, and a simple black, scoop neck t-shirt that hugged every curve from hip to chest. She felt sexy while still being comfortable. Her blonde hair had been left down and she’d even used a curling iron to put a little wave in the long locks. Simple make up adorned her face, but a vibrant red lip made her feel fearless. At least for a little while.
Jade scratched Bruno’s head, they said good-bye to the old dog, and then Jade slid her arm through Hope’s as they exited the apartment. Climbing into the passenger seat of Jade’s car, she said, “I’m so ready for a drink. Where are we going, by the way?”
“It’s calledThe Wine Garden,” Jade said, turning down a side street and aiming them in the direction of Petoskey’s downtown gaslight district. “Phenomenal wine list.”
“Well, I would hope so,” Hope laughed, shaking her head. It only took a few minutes for them to reach their destination, and when Jade parallel parked in front of a cozy looking restaurant with a brick paved walkway lined with wrought iron lanterns, Hope nodded in appreciation. There was a small patio off to one side of the building, but with the sun going down across the bay, the temperature was dropping, so no one was sitting outside.
They exited the car and walked toward the heavy wooden door and entered. A young hostess in a chic black dress greeted them from a small hostess stand just inside the door.
“Good evening, Jade. How many in your party tonight?” the girl asked, smiling kindly at them, her eyes bouncing from Jade to Hope. Her hands hovered over a stack of leather-bound menus.
“The usual, plus one,” Jade said with a laugh. “So six of us. Thank you, Jenny.”
The young woman smiled and nodded, plucking up the menus. “Perfect. Right this way, Mr. Price has your table ready, as usual.”
“The man is as wonderful as they get,” Jade laughed, following the hostess toward a round table in the center of the room. A giant stone fireplace sat against one wall, a small fire glowing in the hearth.
“I do have to tell you, please be patient this evening, we are down a waitress, so the other servers had to take on an extra table each for the evening,” the young woman said as she set the menus down on the table.
“We’ll be on our best behavior,” Jade promised with a wink. The young lady laughed.
“Thank you,” the hostess said with another smile, then nodded toward the kitchen. “It’s been a… well, it’s been a day.” She leaned down close and whispered conspiratorially, “This is on the down low, but Mr. Price and Chef had to fire someone today, so he’s grumpier than usual.”
Jade gasped, looking around, then whispered back, “Who?”
Hope stared raptly between her sister and the hostess, who glanced around once again before whispering, “Nolan, the bartender. I guess he was stealing booze.”
“Nooooo…” Jade breathed, her eyes wide. Hope wanted to laugh. “That’s crazy! Well, thanks for sharing the drama, sis!”
“You ladies make my Friday nights better,” the hostess said and laughed, finally straightening. “I’ll send the other ladiesover as soon as they get here. Teresa will be over in just a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Hope and Jade murmured at the same time, smiling. When the hostess walked away, Jade laughed.
“Gosh, I do not miss the drama of restaurant work,” she laughed, shaking her head. “So glad I didn’t have to go back to waiting tables after finishing my classes.”
“How is work going, anyway? Do you still like it?” Hope asked, taking a sip of the lemon water in front of her. It was icy and delicious on her tongue.
“I love it, and I get to split my time between the salon and the gym,” her sister said with a smile. “Salon perks and a free gym membership? Shoot, I get the best of both worlds. And I get to work with some really awesome people at both places. Let me tell you, the eye candy in the gym… phew! There are these two sheriff’s deputies that come in… They’re so stupidly hot, it’s not even fair.”
Hope laughed. “You’ve always been boy crazy. I’m sure working in a gym with a bunch of hot men doesn’t help.”
Jade waved her hand and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I don’t mix business with pleasure. That’s a strict rule I follow. Too messy. But they are nice to look at.” She sighed then. “Sometimes it’s hard, you know? I walk in and I get so many nasty looks. A girl my size in the gym?” She snorted, before taking a drink of her own water. “You’d think me being there is a personal offense to them.”
“Well, that’s their own problem, not yours,” Hope muttered. “And when they get hurt and need a massage, who is going to help them? You are. Because you’re a better person than they are. Size doesn’t determine someone’s worth. You know that, right?”
“Of course,” Jade scoffed, but she smiled. Gesturing to herself, she winked and whispered, “I haven’t had anycomplaints in the sex department. Ugh, not that I’ve had any in for-freaking-ever.”
“Oh god,” Hope laughed, cringing. “I don’t want to know any details.”
A waitress dressed in black slacks, a crisp white button-down shirt, and a long black apron stopped at their table. “Hello, how are you this evening? What can I get you two ladies started with to drink?”
“Cabernet for me, please,” Jade said without hesitation, not even flipping open the drink menu. Smiling up at the waitress, she continued, “And I know we want to start with the olive oil and balsamic crostini’s, please!”
Teresa laughed and nodded. “Of course. I’ll bring extra over; I think I saw Keri and Bailey walk in when I was on my way over here. What can I get you to drink?” she asked Hope, who was busy scanning the wine list.
