Chapter 5
Sarah
Saturday morning brunch with the ladies is interesting, to say the least. It’s just Lisa and Cassie, since Missy has a dentist appointment and Junie’s at driver’s ed.
Cassie wears a comfy fleece jacket over a T-shirt that reads “Soil scientists like it dirty.” Her hair is in a messy topknot, and she has the look of a woman who’s been up all night doing unspeakable things with her hot fiancé.
Lisa is clad in a silk blouse and black pencil skirt, and she’s carefully stirring milk into her chamomile as she eyes me across the table.
They’re as opposite as two sisters can be, but they’re unified in one thing:
“You’ve lost your ever-lovin’ mind,” Lisa says, shaking her head at me. “I love you, but I can’t believe you’re even considering this.”
Cassie keeps the judgey comments to herself, but the fact that she doesn’t argue with Lisa’s statement says something. She grabs a piece of sourdough toast from the basket in the middle of the table and starts loading it with strawberry jam. “So what are you going to do?”
I shrug and swirl my last bite of eggs benedict through a puddle of hollandaise on my plate. “I told him I’d think about it,” I say. “We agreed to do a few test runs with social events. Accompanying each other to business dinners and parties and stuff.”
“Sort of like having an escort?” Lisa asks.
“I suppose.” I tear off a corner of toast and use it to mop up the last of the sauce. “I wouldn’t have to pay for the sex, though.”
Cassie grins. “Judging by that smirk you’re wearing, it would be worth the money.”
I dab my mouth with a napkin to hide my smile, not willing to admit just how right she is. I gave them the bare bones of what happened last night, but I left out most details. The earth-shattering orgasms. Ian’s commanding presence and penchant for dirty talk. The way our bodies fit together like we’d done this a million times before.
“I hope it’s okay, I’ll be bringing him as my date to your wedding,” I tell Cassie.
“Of course it’s okay.” Cassie does a mock round of applause with her toast. “You said a few weeks ago you wanted to bring someone really hot. Mission accomplished.”
“Does this mean you have a date for tonight’s costume gala?” Lisa asks.
“Yep.” I drain the last of my orange juice. “You know I was dreading going alone.”
“That is one upside of marriage,” Lisa says. “You always have a date for things.”
She shoots a dubious look at Cassie, whose expression radiates more concern than judgment.
“You don’t have to worry,” I assure them. “I promise I won’t run off and elope or anything. You have to admit, what he says is pretty sensible.”
Lisa frowns and sips her tea. “Marriage isn’t about being sensible. It’s about passion and commitment and love and?—”
“Right, but what if that’s not in the cards?” I set my fork down and press the tips of my fingers into the table. “I’m serious, I’ve been dating since my teens and I haven’t found the one.”
Lisa gives me a sympathetic head tilt. “Like Joe ‘I can’t stop looking at my own reflection when we walk by store windows’ Johnson?”
“Ew.” Cassie makes a face. “He was the worst.”
“Not as bad as Bradley ‘I have to check my phone every six seconds because I might miss a sports score ’ Reynolds,” I point out. “Though he did have nice hair.”
“So did that one guy—David? No, Devon!” Cassie claps her hands together so loudly our waitress jumps. “The one who talked with the fake French accent?”
“I don’t think I met him.” Lisa swirls a little honey into her tea. “Who was the guy you dated for like a year? The one who got you the cheese grater for Christmas.”
“Dan,” I mutter, determined not to be bitter that I spent two hundred dollars buying him the GoPro he’d asked for. “But that’s still better than Chris, the guy who took me shopping for engagement rings.”
Lisa frowns. “I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”
“It was before I met you, maybe five years ago?” I shake my head, more annoyed than bitter. “I told him I didn’t want anything too blingy or flashy or expensive, but he insisted that whatever was on his wife’s finger was a reflection on him as a man and a provider. We got into this big fight about it and he ended up dumping me.”
