Page 33 of Ask Me Something

Shaking my head, I reminded her, “You’re attending a wedding shower on a boat filled with women. Who exactly do you want to be sexy for?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Good point. But I want the dress for the wedding to be a little more—you know.”

Yeah, I did know. She was a young woman trying to pull it together and look like a grown up. I’d been there. “How much older is this guy you have a crush on?”

It wasn’t a good sign when she paused. “Eight years, technically, but—”

“Eight years, Kenzie? Please tell me he isn’t one of your teachers or someone you work for?”

“No. Our families have known each other for a long time, and eight years isn’t all that much. Look at Josh and Haylee. She’s only a year older than I am, and their gap is larger.”

She had a point. “True, however that’s not the norm.”

“I know. But you should have seen them at the Christmas Eve party together. You could feel the love between them, you know. And with the exception of my awful sister-in-law, Rebecca, there wasn’t one person there who thought about their age difference.”

I wouldn’t disagree. Haylee and Josh complemented one another fully. “Wait, back up. What did your sister-in-law say?”

She proceeded to try on a lavender dress which suited her coloring very nicely. “She’s a bitch and trash talks her behind her back, saying Haylee is a gold digger and that she trapped Josh.”

“I see. Is she coming to the wedding?”

“Unfortunately she is. Anyhow, she’s jealous because she’s miserable with my oldest brother. What do you think of this one?” She looked at herself in the mirror.

I walked over behind her and held up the back of her hair. We both looked in the mirror at the image. “Perfect for a beach wedding. It’s subtle sexy, which is what you want.”

“Will you give me some advice on what to do to get his attention, pretty please?”

Now I knew why Brian was hard pressed ever to say no to his sister. I might not be able to ever offer relationship advice, but over the years I had inadvertently mastered the technique of getting a man’s attention.

“All right. Come on, then. We have some more shopping to do.”

She hugged me exuberantly, practically squealing in delight.

* * *

An hour later,McKenzie had new underwear, bras, and a couple cute outfits that she could wear both to school or out in the evening. And the most important thing: shoes. I talked her into two pair and told her to practice walking in them that night.

“Thank you for doing this. I know I kind of put you on the spot to take me shopping today,” she said when we got to Sephora in search of makeup.

“I love shopping, and I’m having a good time, Kenzie.” I was enjoying myself. It was like having a younger sister. One who wanted to spend time with me. A pang of regret hit me over the current tension with Addison. I checked my phone, but she’d stopped calling after several unanswered attempts.

“When do I get the actual seduction advice? I mean, all of these clothes are great, but if I flounder like an idiot, none of it is going to matter.”

I swiped my card, opting to pay for her makeup myself as a gift instead of having Brian pick up that, too. Considering he’d already been generous with the clothes and shoes, I didn’t want to push it. “I’ll tell you on the car ride home.”

She nodded, eager to leave with her bags in hand. “Thank you for the makeup. It was very generous. But, um, you’ll teach me how to put this crap on my face, right?” She eyed the cosmetics dubiously.

“Yes, of course. And you’re welcome.” I smiled.

We got into the car, and I turned toward the younger woman. “Okay, you ready for the one thing you need to know about seduction?”

She nodded, enthusiastic to hear whatever I was about to say.

“It’s simple. You need to stop trying.” I’d learned this unintentionally due to my social anxiety. Ironically, my inability to be charming came across as playing hard to get. This made most men more interested than ever.

She frowned. “What?”

“You have to stop trying. Tell me the truth. Does he know he’s your crush?”

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