“Okay. I love you.”
Brenna smiled. “I love you, too.”
She watched as Brenna walked down the stairs, feeling awful for her. Bad dates were a big deal, especially since her sister was trying to get out there again. But nothing good came from holding your pain inside. No one knew that better than Erin. She hoped this wouldn’t derail Brenna from dating. In fact, she’d make sure to encourage Brenna to keep her toes in the dating pool.
Her heart feeling lighter as she walked into her room, Erin changed into the yellow sundress, then switched her sandals as well. The white ones would go better. And the copper dress Brenna wore made her sister’s hair look like fire. So all in all, it was a good decision on both their parts.
She ran into Jason at the foot of the stairs. His hair was damp.
“Took a shower in the guest bath. I got a little sweaty setting everything up.”
She leaned into him, breathing in his fresh clean smell. “You smell good, but you know, I also like you sweaty.”
He looked around, saw that they were alone, then pulled her close and kissed her. It was a long, lingering kiss, the kind that made a woman weak in the knees, one that was filled with passion and promise.
When he pulled back, she breathed deeply. “That was very nice.”
He waggled his brows. “More where that came from.”
As he walked away, she sighed. She hoped so. It had been a long week without him and her body ached for his touch. She missed sitting and talking with him, discussing their days together. Talking on the phone just wasn’t enough. She needed to see him, to touch him while they were talking, to look into his warm brown eyes so she could read his emotions.
Whoa. That had been deep. Way too deep for her liking. Where had light and fun gone? Where had all these . . . feelings come from?
She didn’t like it. Not one bit. She wasn’t supposed to be feeling anything. This thing she had going on with Jason was supposed to be easy and breezy and lusty and sexy. Not deep and emotional and needy. She was using him to get over Owen. Not falling in . . .
Nope. She shook her head and stalked down the stairs.
She was never going to L-word again. L-word made you stupid and unable to see when the guy right in front of you didn’t L-word you back. That wasn’t going to happen to her. Besides, Jason didn’t even feel the same way. He was in this for the same thing—good times and hot sex.
“Good times and hot sex.”
“What are you muttering about?”
She looked up to find herself standing right in front of her mother.
Shit.
“Uhh . . . that we needed to make sure to have plenty of cooled wine and hot crab dip.”
Her mother frowned, then arched a brow, studying her. “You’re acting strange. And your cheeks are pink.” She lifted the back of her hand to Erin’s forehead. “You’re not coming down with anything, are you?”
Yeah, a case of the mumbling stupids. “No, I’m fine, Mom. I really do need to go check on the food.”
“The food is already being set out, and I just saw Clay’s parents pull up. That’s where I was headed.”
“Okay. I’ll go to the barn and make sure everything’s ready.”
“You do that.” Her mom started to walk away, then stopped. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
She could never slide anything past her mother. “I’m good, Mom, really. But thank you for always looking after me.”
She kissed her mom on the cheek.
“Okay. If you need me for anything, you know I’m always here.”
It must have been written on Erin’s face—the indecision, the emotion—because her mom had always known when something was off with her. But this? This she couldn’t talk about with her mother. Not when she didn’t even really know how she felt.
“I know. Thank you.”
Her mother walked out the front door, and Erin slipped out the side, heading over to the barn. It was simply decorated because Alice insisted that they didn’t go overboard for the engagement party. It was more important to both Alice and Clay that it just be a joyful get-together to celebrate their engagement, not a fussy party.
Erin was all about fussy parties, but she and her sisters also knew to give the clients what they wanted. Not that Clay and Alice were clients. This event was being done out of love for Clay and his family, and for Alice, their new friend.
Erin’s new best friend. She and Alice had shared so much since they met six months ago, and it was like they’d known each other forever. It was funny how that had worked out. She had friends from childhood and from college, but she wasn’t as close to them as she’d grown with Alice.
She dashed into the house to grab the fresh flowers and took them over to the barn, setting two vases down at the main table where Alice and Clay would sit with their families. They looked so pretty. Alice would love that. Then she went back to the main house to wait on the porch for Alice and Clay to show up. Her nerves were on high alert and she didn’t know why. They had everything set up, and it was all going to be fine. But she wanted so much for this day to go well.
She’d done weddings for a couple of her high school girlfriends, and she’d never felt jittery about it. Of course, after high school and moving on to college, those friendships had lost that closeness they’d once had.
Maybe it was because Erin was so close with her sisters, shared so much with Brenna and with Honor that she had never formed intimate bonds with any women beyond her sisters. Until she had met Alice and forged an immediate friendship with her.
Which was why she wanted this engagement party to be everything for Alice. She knew
