Page 136 of Lush

I leaned back slightly, my hands braced against his chest, my lips brushing his ear. “You’re leaving me here, all alone?”

His hands tightened on my hips, his breath catching as he pulled back just enough to look at me. His gaze dropped to my lips, then lower, lingering shamelessly on my breasts.

“You’re not playing fair.”

“So?” I shot back, my nails grazing the edge of his collar. Then, with a growl of frustration, he pressed his forehead to mine.

“You’re going to make me late,” he murmured, his lips brushing against mine, but he pressed a quick kiss on my lips that left no room for protest. “Get some sleep. I’ll be back later.”

I huffed out a breath and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I heard him shuffle around the room before quietly closing the door. The house was quiet, save for the faint rustle of the ocean breeze outside. I spent all day rearranging furniture and de-bachelorizing Reese’s home, in Gigi’s words, to make it ours. The sharp chime of the doorbell interrupted me.

Anxiety washed over me.

Nobody had called me. And we hadn’t ordered anything that would get here this quickly.

I lowered the painting, cautious, and running to the kitchen, I grabbed a knife.

Tightening my grip on the handle, I made my way to the front door. Peeking through the peephole, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease, only to be replaced by confusion.

Jennie.

I hadn’t really spoken to her since the wedding dress fiasco at the spa. Here she was, standing on my porch, holding what looked like a bottle of wine wrapped in a ribbon. Opening the drawer to the entry table, I dumped the knife, before exhaling deeply and opening the door. “Jennie?”

“Hi, Laurene. I hope I’m not bothering you?”

Her blue eyes were watery and nervous. Immediately the sympathetic part of me felt guilty. Jennie might have been a bit insensitive that day, but she wasn’t a bad person. She hesitated, holding up the wine like a shield.

“I, uh, brought this. As a peace offering. For…you know, everything. Housewarming gift?”

“Thanks,” I said finally, taking the bottle from her. “You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“I really am sorry about the spa. About the wedding dress. Reese talked to me about it, and I’m so stupid! I was out of line. And I just… I hate that we haven’t talked since. I don’t want to be that sister-in-law you hate,” Jennie blurted out.

“Really, I forgive you. Let’s just forget it, okay?”

She looked relieved and then she glanced past me, into the house. “Is Reese around?”

“No.” I shook my head. “He’s at work.”

Jennie’s face fell slightly, and she took a step back. “Oh. Well, I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to say?—”

“Wait.” The word escaped me before I could think better of it. Jennie froze, her hopeful eyes meeting mine. I cleared my throat. “Actually, I need to return some sheets in town. Would you mind giving me a ride? With everything I just still haven’t bought a car?—”

“Of course! I’d love to.” Her expression brightened instantly. “My friend owns a dealership over in Monterrey, how about we go there after and see what he has?”

Her energy was infectious. I nodded, slipping back inside to grab my things. With everything going on, I needed to keep all my friends close.

Jennie was waiting for me in front of her sleek silver car. I offered to drive, but she waved me away to the passenger seat. Once inside, Jennie chatted animatedly about her baby shower theme.

“I think I want to go with something calming, like soft greens or blues,” Jennie said. “What do you think?”

“Definitely calming,” I agreed. I glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed a car behind us. At first, it didn’t register as anything out of the ordinary. I shrugged it off and returned to our conversation about baby shower decorations.

After ten minutes, I glanced back again. The car was still there, closer now.

“Do you see that car behind us?”

Jennie looked back. “Maybe they’re heading into town too?”

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