Page 1 of Made Over by Meredith

Chapter 1

Aiden

“Are you going to go talk to her?”

I blinked over to Jimmy, my sister’s fiancé. “Hm?”

“The girl you keeping staring at.”

I turned away from the woman who I had indeed been staring at and brought my beer to my lips. “I’m not staring.”

“You might as well take your eyeballs out of your head and throw them at her.”

I sighed and sunk further into the booth. It was the first nice day out in months, the beginning of spring, and Claire had texted me to meet them for drinks. When I’d tried to tell her no, that I was busy, she had actually responded withNo, you’re not. Put your game down and come out with us.

And, man, that stung.

Out of all my siblings, I got along with Claire the best. In the line of seven, she was four, and I was five. We were both on the quieter side, and I never would’ve expectedherto call me out. Prior to getting together with Jimmy, you couldn’t drag Claire out of her apartment, her nose always buried in a book. Now, she played softball, hosted games night, and apparently spilled my secrets.

“Claire told me what happened with Malia,” Jimmy said, and I rolled my eyes.

“Talia,” I corrected, “and I really don’t like how you’re rubbing off on her.”

“Me?” He acted all offended. But that’s what it was, an act. Jimmy was impossible to offend. Forever happy and energetic. “What did I do?”

“My sister was always a steel trap. But now she’s with you and suddenly telling everyone my business.”

“First of all,” he said, pointing his beer at me, “I am not everyone, and she told me because she was concerned about your tender heart.”

“I donothave a tender heart,” I muttered.

“Heart, ego, same same.”

I started to defend myself, that I didn’t have a tender ego either, when Claire reappeared at the table with another woman in tow.

“Look who finally showed up.” My sister waved behind her, and as soon as I raised my attention to the other woman, I immediately and inwardly groaned.

“Hey, Jimbo, whatcha’ drinking?” she asked, and I tried not to notice how long her legs looked from under the hem of her skirt, how tight her shirt stretched across her chest. Meredith Frank looked like every mean cheerleader in a John Hughes film: tall, blonde, golden tanned, with a tiny waist, big rack, and long nails. Minus the cruelty, but double the sassy attitude.

“Dogfish Head IPA.” Jimmy offered her his glass, but she wrinkled her nose as she slid into the booth next to him, leaving Claire to sit next to me. My sister gestured between us. “You guys remember each other, right?”

I nodded, meeting Meredith’s gaze for a split second. Enough time to feel the back of my neck turn bright red. I hoped my face wasn’t too.

“Yeah, of course.” Meredith peered at me from under long lashes, her gray eyes sharp and assessing. “Hey, Aiden.”

“Hi. Nice to see you again.” I dropped my focus to the table, where she absently scratched at a divot in the wood with those long pink nails while she surveyed the drink menu. Meredith and Claire met in college and were now colleagues, the two of them teaching at the same elementary school, along with Jimmy. I was the odd accountant out, as per usual.

While I’d met Meredith a handful of times, it wasn’t until last year that I’d had my face buried between what I knew to be perfect pillowy breasts. There had been an issue at their school, involving some parents who wanted to ban books and have Claire suspended from her position as the librarian, so Meredith put together this huge protest. It wasreallyimpressive.

But it was there, in front of the school, in the midst of shouting and signs, that I literally fell headfirst into Meredith’s chest.

She’d said, “At least buy me dinner first.”

It had been both incredibly embarrassing and unsuspectingly hot—not my face accidentally hitting her boobs part, but after—when she’d wrapped her hand around my biceps and smiled at me, one eyebrow raised.

“Didn’t think you had it in you,” she had rasped.

I didn’t know what had come over me, but I’d replied, “You’d be surprised what I have in me, Meredith.”

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