“Yes, it was,” Lexi says, looking away from the vegetables she’s chopping. “They overlooked you far too long.” She lifts a zucchini in salute. “Cheers, girl.”
Jessa buzzes around the room refilling wine glasses. I’ve never met anyone with as much bubbly energy as she has. The girl is like Snow White on a caffeine high. “That promotion was definitely well-deserved.”
I catch the rueful expression that crosses my cousin’s face. “Well, it’s about time I move forward on something in my life…” Her words are cryptic and she mutters them beneath her breath.
“What does that mean?” Lexi questions, taking a sip of the water she chose over wine tonight. She never lets any of us be hard on ourselves. She’s the most protective friend.
Penny’s shoulder juts up, then it falls. “It’s just…I’m almost thirty-three. I’m still a bartender. Still not using my degree. No long-term relationship in sight. It’s all just a little frustrating, y’know?”
My cousin is an absolute stunner, the type of woman everyone notices when she walks into a room. She exudes confidence with her red hair, green eyes and throbbing sex appeal. It’s easy to forget she has her own insecurities. Her rare vulnerable moments can be a little disorienting.
Jessa leans against the counter with her wine glass, nibbling on the carrot sticks her sister just finished chopping. “I understand your pain, hun,” she says sympathetically. “When I moved to town, I thought I’d only be working at the coffee shop for a few months before finding myself a teaching job. But it’s going on two years now! And don’t even get me started about my sex life. I swear—even my vibrator is sick of me.” She pouts. “Hell, I thought I’d be married by now.”
I look up from where I’m prepping the chicken breasts. “Oh, marriage is definitely no automatic guarantee of a satisfying sex life.” I lean in and lower my voice just in case Jude is nearby. “Kirk didn’t even touch me for the last two years of our marriage.” That kind of thing has an effect on a woman's psyche. It shattered my self-esteem.
Am I so repulsive that my husband would rather deprive himself of sex than have it with me? Not that Kirk was depriving himself of anything, as I learned during our divorce proceedings.
My cheeks heat as my friends’ horrified gasps fill the room.
I crack a joke in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. “If you’re looking for marriage to fulfill you, you could end up disappointed. You might as well just get a cat, rent out your spare room and call it a day.”
Lexi shakes her head in disagreement. “Guys, it’ll happen,” she says assuredly. “You’ll all find love. When you least expect it. Trust me on that.” My friend aims a hopeful smile at me.
Penny turns back to the stove and sighs. “I’m not stressing myself over love. I’m just gonna look at this promotion as an opportunity to start saving money for my future, for the things I really want down the line.”
“Things like what?” Jessa asks and we all look on interestedly for Penny’s response.
My cousin flushes. “Just…just…” She shrugs a shoulder. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
We press her for a while but it becomes obvious that whatever she’s planning, she’s not ready to talk about it yet. Eventually, we move on from that topic.
Soon, Lexi’s briefing us on the goings-on at her bridal shop. Then, the conversation veers to the latest gossip Jessa picked up at her part-time job at Jittery Joe’s Coffee Shop. We talk and laugh and drink wine as we work together to whip up a chicken teriyaki loaded with veggies from my garden.
As I’m plating up the meal, Jude comes into the kitchen. He throws a cursory look at the wok pan I’m hunched over but pretends not to take notice. He hobbles to the freezer and grabs a TV dinner.
He makes his way to the microwave and lingers awkwardly as his factory-made dinner heats up. Lexi tilts her head at his back and gives me a suggestive eyebrow jerk.
No way.
I am not inviting this guy to have dinner with us. He and I aren’t friends. We have a landlord-tenant relationship and I refuse to blur those lines by sitting down to a meal together.
But the other girls are in agreement with Lexi. Penny throws me a telepathic reprimand as Jessa wordlessly hands me an extra plate.
No, I say with my eyes.
Yes, Lexi responds with another deft jerk of her brows.
No.
The microwave dings and Jude retrieves his sad-looking spaghetti with the dried-out tomato sauce and the cheese all burnt and clinging to the sides of the little box. Something like sympathy fizzles at the back of my mind. That meal of his really doesn’t look too appetizing. But I’m not giving in.
Lexi hate-glares at me again.
“Have a great evening, ladies.” Jude dishes out another one of those grins of his as he grabs a fork.
“Have a great evening,” my friends call out.
He throws one last longing glance at the stir-fry and heads for the stairs.
Lexi slaps down a kitchen towel on the counter and folds her arms over her chest. “Seriously, Iris?!” she hisses with a glance to where her forlorn brother-in-law disappeared.
Jessa pins me with a look. It’s downright judgy.
Ugh!
Already, my resolve is cracking. I hate being the bad guy.
“Fine.” I march off in Jude’s direction. “Hey?” I call out from the bottom step.
Standing at the top of the landing, he turns that broad body to face me.
“Um, we have a lot of extra food,” I say. “I don’t know if you’d like to join us or…”
Before I even finish stating my offer, he’s already wobbling his way down the stairs. “If it’s not too much of an imposition,” he says.
I turn away from him and roll my eyes at his faux modesty. But hell—there’s a little grin on my face.
8
Jude
Penny’s shoulders
