"Let’s go tell her right now," she chirps, picking up the pace in her strides.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
eleven
Cassandra
"Ugh, he’s so hot,"Lizzie says, fanning her face with her hands.
The three of us are sweaty and hungry from the gym, but I need to prepare for my meeting with Harley. My sisters are holding me accountable, making sure I eat (and eat well), and stay active, adamant to get me back to my old self.
"Please tell me you’re going to hit that. I mean, comeon.Olive, look at this photo." She shoves her phone in her twin sister’s face.
She’s clearly done a search of him online, finding God knows what.
"I wonder what happened to him here?" Olive asks, her voice woven with concern and curiosity.
"What photo?" My curiosity piques, and I peer over their shoulders, revealing a shirtless, very ripped Harley. Aside from his defined abs, tone arms, and golden skin, I notice the sling around his right shoulder and a slight black eye.
"The caption says 'Feeling positive about my recovery so far. Thanks for all the love and support - H.W.'He’s so…edible," my sister gushes.
"He mentioned his shoulder was the reason he retired." I shrug it off, ignoring the way my body betrays me, tingling in places I wish she wouldn’t.
He didn’t really talk about his injury, and I can’t imagine it’s his favorite topic of conversation.
"Can you guys please stop swooning over my potential boss?" I say, pulling the conversation from the phone back to me. Ignoring the jealously floating through my entire nervous system at my sisters eyeing off the first guy I ever felt anything for.
I have no right to feel that way.
I have to see him soon for our meeting today about ajob.I don’t need the image of him shirtless on my mind. Otherwise, it’s all I’ll see, and I don’t need to sit uncomfortably in front of him, imagining him half naked.
"It’s abusinessmeeting," I remind them while reminding myself.
Austin hadn’t given me butterflies or made my lady bits tingle since we were in college, so feeling those things for Harley caught me completely off guard.
Besides, I haven’t even been single for that long. Why is my body craving what my mind isn’t ready for?
"I wish I could have a business meeting with Mr. Wingrove," Lizzie purrs while putting the back of her hand on her forehead, pretending to faint onto my bed. Why she never took up theatre, I’ll never understand.
"I don’t think the vineyard is on the lookout for kindergarten teachers, but I’ll ask for you," I joke, squinting at her over my shoulder, filtering through my freshly hung wardrobe, in search of the perfect outfit for our meeting today.
I’ve been back home for less than twenty-four hours, bumped into two old friends, and have a potential new job at the hottest wedding spot in town.
This move might be good for me after all.
Giddy with excitement, I pull out a white silk blouse and what once was a tight black skirt, somehow making it work.
Putting on the outfit, I stand in front of the mirror, flattening my skirt with the palms of my hands and satisfied with how far I’ve come in such a short amount of time.
"What do we think?" I ask my sisters as I turn to face them.
"Needs more cleavage," Lizzie says while Olive, surprisingly, nods in agreement.
I chuckle and jokingly roll my eyes before turning back to the mirror for one last outfit check.
"You’re meant to be on my side, Ol. Can you both be serious for once, please? This is important to me," I say, reaching for the final details of my look: crimson red lipstick and a black, strapless heel.
