Page 161 of Set Me On Fire

“Gel is a kind of nail polish,” I said, giving her a nudge. “Acrylics are like fake nails in a way…” I shook my head. “You don’t care. Why are we doing this? Don’t you want to go to a second-hand car dealership and fight with the salesmen again or something?”

“I want to because you love getting your nails done,” she told me. “So put some shoes on and grab your bag.”

“But not your card.” Knox handed over a credit card to Jamie. “I’m covering this.”

“Ooh, thanks, Daddy.” I cooed in a completely ridiculous voice. He didn’t take it that way. Instead, he drew me closer.

“You can keep that energy for later.”

Balancing a romantic relationship with three guys and a young child was hard, but we made it work. I gave him a good ole smooch, as Noah brought Chloe over.

“Kisses for Mummy!”

Her lips collided with my cheek, smelling of banana yoghurt and milk, before I ruffled her hair and promised I’d be back soon.

“So, where are we going to get our nails done?” I asked as we got into her car, secretly terrified she’d booked us into some crappy mall salon.

“Does The Gel Girl work for you?”

She shot me a sly smile as my mouth fell open.

“How…? When…?”

The salon was always booked out months in advance.

“I have my ways.” She turned the key in the ignition, the engine of the muscle car rumbling to life. “Buckle up, Buttercup, it's time to get your nails did.”

OK, I had forgotten how amazing this was. I loved my daughter with my whole heart, but being in a place where all I was expected to do was sit back and chill was just what I needed. Nobody was crying. No one needed anything from me but tosit very still. The nail artist worked fast, applying a thick acrylic base, then colour, then layers of polish over the top of that in a subtle but cute design.

“Got a busy day planned?” the nail tech asked.

“No, not at all.”

I sank into the chair, losing myself in the process and felt something unwind by increments until both Jamie and I were done.

“So how do you… do things with these?” my best friend asked. She was such a derp, flexing her fingers in an awkward way. “Like how do you pick your nose?”

She hadn’t even got very long ones, just added a modest couple of centimetres to her gnawed, short nails.

“You don’t because ew,” I replied.

“Or put a tampon in,” she continued, clacking the nails on one hand together. “Or wipe your bum.”

“I am not, and allow me to emphasise that, showing you how to wipe your arse. The fact I have to do that with one person in this world is more than enough.”

We walked past boutiques as we aimed for her car, but one in particular caught my eye. Jewel-coloured formal dresses graced one window, but it was the other I stopped in front of. A floor-length white dress with a sweetheart neckline, subtle fishtail skirt, and simple gorgeous detail had me sighing.

Turns out there was a drawback to having three boyfriends. The only way I would ever have a husband would be if I only married one of them, and while I might dream of beautiful dresses and becoming princess for a day, I could never. Instead, I smiled slightly at the dress in the window, hoping one day I got to go dress shopping with Chloe.

But Jamie figured right now would be a good idea.

“This is the boutique my mum dragged me to when Nadia got married,” she said.

“Oh god, then let's go.”

She resisted my attempt to tug her arm, instead linking our arms together, and then using it to drag me inside.

“Jamie, what are we…?”

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