Page 9 of Not Quite Perfect

“No, I’m sure you don’t,” he answered with a knowing smirk. “Nice outfit, by the way.”

I leaned away to look up at him. “Since when do you notice what I’m wearing?”

“Since you go MIA on your brothers, post a cryptic photo on Instagram, and then show up the next morning wearing the exact same dress in said photo.”

I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. No one wanted to be caught returning from a night of crazy good sex, especially when the person who caught you knew you didn’t have a boyfriend. I released a shaky laugh. “It sucks having a cop for a brother.”

He laughed and ruffled my hair. I pretended to be annoyed by it, but it didn’t bother me—too much. I had friends who didn’t have great relationships with their siblings, and I was thankful that Theo, Alex, Drew, and I would always be a strong presence in each other’s lives. Especially on days like today, when the support of your family meant a lot.

“What’s your plan for today?” he asked, releasing me and taking a step back. “Spa day with mom and Drew as usual?”

I looked down at my watch. “I’m meeting them in half an hour, actually. You guys golfing with the groom?”

While we’d been too young when our mom had married her second and third husbands, with numbers four and five, we’d developed a few traditions. Drew and I had begun taking mom to a day spa to get ready for her big day, while Alex and Theo invited the groom-to-be out golfing. If anyone thought it was odd that Drew hung out with mom and me instead of his two older brothers, no one mentioned it.

He nodded and checked his own watch. “Golf with Theo, but no to Richard. Mom extended the invite, but he’s spending the day with his son. Something about them not getting along, or the guy being pissed at him. I don’t know; I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Given that Alex was a cop, I was often surprised how easily he could tune things out.

“You met him yet?”

“The son?”

“No,” I huffed. “The guy mom’s marrying. Theo said he’s all right, but you know I worry. Especially since the handful of times the three of us were supposed to grab dinner, mom canceled at the last minute. Something about Richard being busy.”

I didn’t have any concrete reason not to trust the guy, but so far he hadn’t won me over either. I was slightly mollified that Theo had signed off on him, but he likedeveryone. Alex, on the other hand, was even more cynical than me, and it took a lot to win him over. If he said Richard was an okay guy, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Yeah, I met him.”

“And?”

My brother shrugged. “He seems fine. He adores mom … but so did Pat.” At the mention ofthatslimeball, we both made a face. “Unlikehim, Richard doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet that I could uncover, which is a point in his favor. The only thing I don’t trust is his last wife was a hot, young yoga instructor. Obviously, mom’s not.”

Thatwasa bit fishy. You didn’t typically meet a man who’d willingly trade in his shiny new sports car that had come with all the bells and whistles for something … vintage. Especially a model that would probably need a few visits to the shop in the not-too-distant future. At sixty-three, our mom was still beautiful and in excellent health, but she wasn’t exactly in the prime of her life. Then again, she had wisdom and experience on her side.

Since the guy had checked out with both Theo and Alex though, I would set aside my suspicions. For now. In the meantime, I had nails that needed painting and skin that needed pampering.

I stretched up onto my toes and kissed my brother’s cheek. “I have to get going, but I’ll see you later.”

“Take it easy on the mimosas, yeah?”

I laughed and shook my head. Walking backward, I said, “Drew’s in charge of the booze this time around.”

From thirty feet away, I heard my brother let out a horrified groan. “Don’t let her drink too many! You know what gin does to her.”

I did. Which was why I’d specifically told Drew no gin and tonics. He could drink the stuff with no problem, but mom wasn’t so lucky. She got sloppy real quick, and today wasnotthe day for her switch between outbursts of song and dance and long, drawn-out sobbing jags.

I gave him a thumbs-up and disappeared through the revolving door.

* * *

“What’s the haps big sis?”

I lifted a slice of cucumber from my left eye and peered at my youngest brother. “What’s the haps?”

He winked and took a sip of his gin and tonic. “Isn’t that how all the old folks talk?”

I rolled my eyes and dropped the cucumber back into place. Unfortunately, it slid down my cheek, coming to a stop in the thick, gooey avocado mask coating my face. So far, I’d been buffed to within an inch of my life with a rosemary, lemon peel, and salt scrub before being dunked unceremoniously into a big porcelain tub filled with milk, honey, and lavender. Now, I waited for my mani-pedi with half a bowl of guacamole on my face. Mom was off getting a rose oil massage while Drew, bless his soul, was covered with some sort of black charcoal sludge. He said it was to shrink his pores, while my treatment was supposed to give me back my youthful glow.

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