Page 67 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

Sighing loudly, she said, “To be fair, I said you were a spoiled brat too, and that if Dad was more of a parent, maybe you wouldn’t be making so many of the mistakes he can’t stand.”

“Like that makes it any better?”

“Look, Ellie, I’m tired and I have a date, so can we—”

“Oh. My. Fucking. God!” Ellie reached out and ripped Val’s beanie off her head. “You cut your hair!”

Val smoothed her hand over it self-consciously. “Do you like?”

“I’d love it, if I wasn’t busy hating your guts,” Ellie gushed, before her eyes bulged. “And wait, did you say date? Like with a guy?”

“Well, considering I don’t swing the other way, then yeah, a guy is a logical deduction,” she said, picking up her bags again to carry them into her room.

“Okay, I’m still mad at you, but I have to know who it is. What the heck happened? And why is Dad on the warpath?” Ellie fired off question after question as she followed her.

“Dad wanted me at that singles weekend so he could set me up with Kyle Jenner.” Val set her bags on the bed and started pulling out her dirty laundry, tossing it into the hamper.

“Oh my God. That is disgusting. That fucker always tries to get me alone when he comes to the house. The last time he cornered me in the kitchen and asked me out, but I told him he wasn’t my type.” Ellie gasped as Val pulled out the black cowboy boots. “Okay, I will forgive you anything and promise to never be mad at you again if I can have those.”

Val laughed as she walked over to her closet. “They aren’t your size, and even if they were, I wouldn’t give them up.”

Ellie started snooping through the bags from the consignment shop and held up a black wrap dress with a plunging neckline, salivating. “Holy . . .” Her eyes traveled from the top of Val’s head to her tennis shoes. “What the hell happened down there?”

Val sat on the bed, pulling out clothes with Ellie, giddy to have someone to share her excitement with. “You told me I needed to get my groove back, so I did.”

“Yeah, I said groove. This is . . . well, this is something I would wear,” Ellie said, holding up a purple halter dress.

Val took it from her and held it up against herself. “Should I wear this tonight?”

“Yes! Now, who are you going with, before I kill you?”

Grinning as she went to hang the dress up, she said, “Justin Silverton.”

“I knew it. I knew he had the hots for you the minute I told him you would be at that matchmaking thing. You can thank me by taking back every mean thing you ever said about me.”

Val’s stomach did a joyful double backflip tuck, and she went over to hug her sister. “I am so sorry for every mean thing I ever said.”

“Wow, you must really like this guy.” Ellie pulled away and looked at her seriously. “Is he the reason Dad is on a Kill Bill revenge trip?”

Val grabbed another item from the bag. “Dad just isn’t used to not getting his way. He’ll come around, or he won’t.”

“So, are we serious about Justin? ’Cause he is definitely yumtastic.”

Val heard her phone beep and reached for it, opening a text from him.

Seven?

Fighting the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, she texted back yes and caught her sister staring at her, “What?”

“I asked if this was something serious.”

Another text. I can’t wait. I’ll pick you up at your place.

It was on the tip of her thumbs to tell him she couldn’t wait either, but she refrained. As much as she liked him, she didn’t want him to think she was imagining a white picket fence and a dog.

She realized her sister was still waiting for an answer. “We’re taking it one day at a time,” Val said, texting him back: Fine.

Val started to unbutton her jacket and said, “The first thing I’m doing is heading off to take a shower.”

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