Page 7 of Color of Love

Chapter 3

Justine went to the bar after work to meet Taylor and Christy for dinner. When she entered, Taylor was just finishing up her shift and handing over to Kayleigh, her newish barmaid, so Justine went and settled herself in a booth.

She glanced around the bar to see who else was here and spotted her date from the previous night with another woman. Well, that was quick, her pride prickled. Not that she could be mad, she’d given him no sign that she was interested in another date. Justine’s mom had messaged her last night to say the neighbor’s son was recently divorced and looking to get back out there. Valentina had kindly passed along Justine’s contact details which under most circumstances would be fine, but he was twenty years older than Justine, and gay.

Taylor appeared beside her, distracting her by flopping into the booth, lacking any kind of grace.

“Sorry, babe,” she said, tossing her red mane over her shoulder, the light reflecting off the golden highlights scattered throughout the long tresses.

“Don’t worry, I’ve only just got here,” Justine assured her.

“We’ve been hella busy today,” Taylor sighed deeply, but beneath the tired exterior Justine could feel Taylor’s energy buzzing away, and knew she loved it.

“That’s great. The bar is doing so well, all because of you!” Justine gushed, so proud of her friend. Taylor had bought a fifty percent share of the bar when the owner, Bob Ingles, was looking to sell up. She could only afford fifty percent at the time, with help from her ex-stepbrother, Dean, but promised Bob that she would turn the place around and within a few years she hoped to make enough money to buy the other half.

“Well now I’m all yours, and Christy’s too. Where is she?” Taylor asked, looking around.

Justine shrugged. “Maybe she got held up writing, you know what she’s like now, so full of thoughts and ideas.”

“She’s probably just sucking face with my brother. Gross,” Taylor muttered, sticking her finger down her throat but again, Justine knew she loved it.

“Can you believe how happy they are?” Justine asked, smiling.

“Sickening, isn’t it?” Taylor replied, and they both laughed. Justine, Taylor, and Christy had been friends since kindergarten but when they were eighteen and about to graduate from high school, Christy ran away. After her mother died when she was fifteen, Christy had had an abusive relationship with her father, and finally she couldn’t take it anymore. A few months ago, her father passed away and she was forced back to town for the first time since she left.

She had arranged the funeral and sold the house with every intention of heading straight back to New York when it was all finalized. What she hadn’t counted on was bumping into Dean, once a long-time crush of hers, now the town’s most eligible bachelor. They’d gotten off to a rocky start but with spending so much time together, soon they could no longer deny their feelings.

Their chemistry had been electric, palpable, a living, breathing force to be reckoned with. After weeks they finally surrendered to their feelings and Christy had moved home permanently. Now they were living together, engaged and Justine and Taylor had never been more thrilled that their friends had finally found true happiness.

“You love it, they’ve both never been happier, and every time you see them it chips a little bit of ice off that block where your heart should be,” Justine joked.

“Dang it, it really does. Anyway, on that theme, I have an idea of my own that I wanna run past you both, whenever she turns up,” Taylor said. She looked around again and then waved. Christy appeared and plonked herself down into the booth next to Justine, her blond curls bouncing as she did.

“Sorry I’m late, I had car trouble,” she said, not meeting their eyes. Justine looked to Taylor who was smirking.

“Car trouble with your brand-new car?” Taylor asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at her. A brand-new car Dean had made her buy since he was worried sick whenever she took her old one out.

“Uh huh,” Christy nodded, her cheeks flushing.

“And I bet you just had to take it to your closest mechanic?” Justine teased.

“Maybe…” Christy hedged.

“Christy, your shirt’s on inside out,” Taylor said, and Justine snorted with laughter.

“Okay fine, so we fooled around at the garage, that’s why I’m late. Damn, that man gets me revved up,” she sighed. Justine nudged Christy as she slipped into a daydream. Christy shook herself then headed towards the restrooms to fix her shirt. When she came back, shirt on the right way, she turned to Justine.

“So, how’s your dating life going?” she asked.

“Miserably. There are no decent guys left in this town,” Justine pouted.

“There’s Beau?” Christy suggested, but Justine shook her head.

“Nah, I couldn’t do that to Tayl-him,” she replied, checking herself last minute to stop from saying something stupid.

“I’ve seen someone we could set you up with...” Taylor said cryptically. Justine rolled her eyes.

“Let me stop you there-”

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