That makes me cackle. “No. She tried to kill me.”
“Again?”
“It’s just a flesh wound.”
“Ah, Monty Python! On second thought, let’s watchTheHoly Grailtomorrow.”
“Perfect.”
“And I want to hear all about your crazy sister.”
“I think she might be coming for me. I slept with her boyfriend.”
“What?” she screams so loud I have to pull the phone away from my ear.
“It was an accident. I didn’t know he was her boyfriend. It was all fake anyway. For some promotion. She wanted to look like she was in a stable relationship.”
“Ha! Stable. That’s one thing she’s not.”
Julie’s right. I could tell her about the destruction of my clothes, but I’ll save it for tomorrow. “I’ve got a great story for you. It’ll cheer you up to hear how fucked up my Christmas was.”
“Ah, you do know how to make a girl’s day. Be here early so we can get our drink on. We can order pizza and talk. Then, movies.”
“Gotcha. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
“Missed you, Joey.”
“Missed you too, Jules.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Wow, JoJo. You look amazing.”
I know I’m blushing, but it can’t be helped. Billy just got home, and when he stepped into the living room, he was holding a huge bouquet of roses in every color possible. “Are those for me?” I point to the flowers.
“Of course. A man can’t take his girl out for their first date without flowers.” He harrumphs. “I was raised right.”
That reminds me, I want to hear about his family tonight. I want to learn more about him other than the fact that he’s perfect.
Before you say it, Iknowhe’s not perfect. Nobody is. But he’s damn close.
“Is this dress okay?” I look down at myself. I’m wearing a deep green wrap dress that used to belong to my college roommate. When she saw me in it, she said it was made for me. I’ve worn it a dozen times but never for anything as important as tonight.
“Your hair down with all your wild red curls next to that deep green dress is stunning.” Setting the flowers down on the kitchen island, he walks to me slowly. When he stops in front of me, he touches my cheek, the one with scratches that I attempted to cover with makeup. Then he gently touches a few of my curls, tugging on one or two until they bounce right back. “Absolutely gorgeous.”
I watch him lean down for a kiss, and I meet him halfway. It’s another soft, chaste kiss. That’s all he’s done the last couple of days, and I’m okay with that, for now.
“You ready?”
“Let me grab my wrap.”
“No coat?”
“Only an old one. The wrap will suffice.”
“We’ll get you a coat this weekend too. Something in that same green color, perhaps.”
“Please don’t buy me stuff. I’ll never be able to pay you back.”
