Charlotte clucked her tongue as she began to scroll through Marin’s photos. “I’d never call you boring. I mean, your heart stopped for two minutes. How many people can say that? And here you are, exploring your sexuality for the first time at forty-seven. Starting a new career, getting your first puppy. You’re doing so many new things, and they’re all exciting. Not boring.”
“Hmm.” It did sound exciting when Charlotte laid it out like that ... not that she recommended the whole “heart stopping” thing. But shewasproud of herself for making so many changes in her life.
“Okay, I like this one of you in your winter hat. Do you mind if I edit it a little bit? Brighten the colors, maybe crop it?”
“Go for it,” Marin said, desperately curious to see which photos Charlotte would pick.
Charlotte was quiet for a minute, clicking the screen as the tip of her tongue peeked out from between her lips.Distracting.
Marin looked down at her hands. Hopefully, she’d have someone new to daydream about soon. Someone she could do a lot more than fantasize about ...
“Okay. I’ve got two photos here that you can use, but I’m not sure we’ve got the right cover photo. Would you be up for taking a few pictures with me?”
“Um.” Marin touched her hair self-consciously. Suddenly, her cheeks were hot, and she wasn’t even sure why.
“Just saying, I think we could really show off your assets.”
“My assets?” Her cheeks were even hotter now.
Charlotte scoffed. “Please. You must know you’re beautiful, and you’ve got a great figure too. Let’s show you off a little bit. You’re all bundled up in these photos.” Charlotte held out the phone to show the two photos she’d chosen, one of Marin outside in her winter coat and hat with snowy mountains behind her, and another of her last year in Manhattan, a laughing selfie taken after a dinner with some of her coworkers.
Also, the woman she was currently attracted to had just called her beautiful and said she had great assets, so ... “Why the hell not? Do you want to dress me up too?”
“I mean, if you’ve got something in your closet that shows a little cleavage, I think that would be the definition of ‘showing off your assets,’” Charlotte said with a cheeky grin.
“Most of what’s in my closet right now is casual stuff for home and business attire for work, but I must have a few nice tops in there too.” Marin rose, realizing in a rush how tipsy she was. Maybe that was why she was going along with this, but then again, perhaps being slightly inebriated was helpful for taking photos and setting up an online-dating profile.
She went into her bedroom and rummaged through the closet, finally choosing a rose pink satiny blouse that dipped low in thefront and an emerald green top that she remembered Andrew complimenting her on the last time she’d worn it, not that she wanted him in her mind tonight. She carried them both into the living room. “Thoughts?”
Charlotte looked carefully at both shirts and then at Marin. “Try the green one first. I think the color might really suit your complexion, and I like the neckline.”
“Okay.” Marin went back into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She shed her long-sleeved tee and pulled on the green top, then walked to the mirror. The fabric folded at the neckline, giving it an understated look that nonetheless revealed a tasteful amount of cleavage.
What will Charlotte say when she sees me in it?
Marin’s heart raced. Since she was already primping, she pulled out her makeup bag, then touched up her mascara and reapplied lipstick ... a darker shade than she’d had on before. She added a diamond pendant that dangled just above her cleavage.
There. She looked nice.
Sucking in a deep breath, she went back into the living room. “So?”
Charlotte’s gaze lingered on her face, then dipped to her chest before sweeping down over her fitted jeans. “I think this is perfect. You lookhot.”
The words produced a burst of warmth low in Marin’s stomach. Had a woman ever called her hot before? She didn’t think so, and now she felt hot in an entirely different way. Heat flushed her skin, and when she met Charlotte’s gaze, she felt a throb of arousal in her core.
Well, this had gone off the rails alarmingly quickly. Marin cleared her throat, attempting to change the subject in her sex-starved brain. “So, where do you want to take these pictures?”
“Um.” Charlotte swept her gaze around the living room.
It gave Marin a chance to watch her unobserved for a few seconds. She took in Charlotte’s oversize gray sweatshirt and black jeans, lettingher gaze linger on the way the denim clung to her hips and thighs, and yeah, the wine was definitely going to Marin’s head ... or maybe to certain other body parts. Thank god Charlotte was going to take these pictures and help her get a date, because she obviously needed one.
“What if we open the sliding door here—just for a minute because it’s freezing outside—so I can use those lights strung across your yard as a backdrop?”
Marin followed her gaze. Someone had hung a string of large white lights that ran from tree to tree around the yard, which probably made it feel warm and inviting on summer evenings. “We can try that, but be quick or else I’ll be showing more than my cleavage in this top.” She pressed a hand self-consciously against her breasts.
Charlotte laughed. “Oh, I don’t know, if you get cold enough, we might get you even more dates.”
Marin opened her mouth to protest that those weren’t the kind of dates she wanted before she saw the teasing twinkle in Charlotte’s eyes. Marin laughed.Okay, here goes nothing ...
