She grins saucily.
“Mm-hmm. Maybe return a text the day of, rather than a week later?”
I hang my head and eat a bite of donut. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Eew, no, don’t ever call me that,” she sounds serious. “I’m nothing like your mom.”
“Just teasing. Geez.”
“I am nothing like that frigid old cow.”
I squint at her.
“You do remember you’re talking about Catherine, right?”
My friend looks innocent.
“Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”
I have to admit, “Maybe not. Except the cow part because you know she’s scrawny. She’s more like a frigid old icicle.”
She grins, “Fine. I am nothing like that frigid old icicle. And is Gray feeding you? Because you look like you’ve lost some weight.”
I laugh.
“I haven’t lost weight, I’ve gained weight because he’s definitely feeding me. If he’s not fucking me, then he’s feeding me. He likes to cook a lot, actually.”
Jane nods with approval.
“I was hoping he wasn’t trying to make you lose weight or something. What is it, like ten or fifteen pounds? More?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “I’ve definitely put on some heft though.”
She’s shocked.
“How do you not know? Harlow, you obsessively weigh yourself a couple times a day. Remember, your dad sent you to a therapist for it?”
I laugh.
“Honestly, I haven’t had the urge to weigh myself in months. Gray likes all my curves and it’s kind of rubbed off on me. God, I haven’t even thought about the scale in so long.”
“Damn,” Jane marvels to herself. “Gotta get me an older guy.”
We laugh and I realize how much I’ve missed my best friend.
“How are you doing, by the way? What’s life like at the country club? Your text said you’re a clerk at the golf shop and a cocktail waitress at the lounge, which doesn’t make any sense.”
Jane sighs.
“I’m doing double duty. The shop is Monday through Thursday, and the lounge is Friday and Saturday, at least until class starts.”
“That is a lot of hours, girl. Why so many?”
She throws me a look.
“Not all of us have trust funds, Harlow, and my dad lost his job. So now my summer of fun has been a summer of work. A lot of work.”
Immediately, I feel terrible.
“Sorry, honey. I feel like I haven’t been here for you. I’m so sorry,” I pat her hand and get powdered sugar on her. “God, sorry for that, too.” I wipe her with a napkin and think of when Gray wiped my shirt the first night. I get lost in the memory and find myself slowly wiping her hand. Jane looks down, and then looks up again.
“Bitch, you good?”
I snap out of it and laugh at myself. “Yeah, just distracted. How is your dad, by the way?”
She sighs.
“He’ll be fine, but I’m not going to add to his financial stress. That’s why I’m working so hard.”
I nod.
“And your mom?”
“Still at the hospital. Her job is solid because nurses are almost never fired or laid off. I’m not worried about her.”
“Good, I’m glad,” I sit back on my haunches and fix her with a look. “So, with all of that going on, are you seeing anyone?”
She laughs. “Not really. It’s been a dry summer.”
I know that tone; Jane is hiding something. I shoot her a sly look.
“But you are into someone, aren’t you?”
Jane smirks and obviously has a secret all her own. She sighs. “Harlow, the world is a strange and wonderful place, and I don’t think you’d get it.”
I wait. And wait. Until finally, I blurt, “Out with it! Who is it? I’ve told you my secret already!”
But Jane merely blushes and hangs her head.
“Maybe one day. Like I said, Harlow, you really wouldn’t get it. And he hasn’t been around much this summer anyways. It’s more of a crush-from-afar type thing.”
She’s never kept anything from me that I know of, so I look at her askance.
“It must be serious if you won’t tell me.”
She sighs again.
“Not yet. But it could be. Maybe.”
My mind tries to make a thousand connections to who it might be, but I come up with nothing. The boys at Colorado State leave a lot to be desired, and I know that Grady Monroe, her old crush, is now dating Leticia Pierce. So who could it be? I smile.
“Jane, I hope whoever it is is makes you happy.”
She sighs, “You have no idea, Harlow.”
But I’m insistent. I tell her, “I mean it, sweetie. Whoever it is, I hope he treats you right and makes you feel like a princess.”
She throws me a long look.
“I hope you’re not just saying that.”
“I’m not.” Then, I notice a text on my phone. “I hate to cut this short, but I have to go.”
“Are you going to see your boyfriend?” she asks, one eyebrow arched. I stick my tongue out at her.
“We do not have labels.”
She rolls her eyes and asks, “You’re going to go see your man you’re in love with?”
There, that sounds better, and I smile, my heart in my throat.
“Yes.”
The text said to go to the Four Seasons’s front desk. Cheeks blushing, I pick up a key and then follow the concierge’s instructions to a private elevator. My keycard sends it to the right floor and the elevator opens into the room itself.
It’s glorious. The top floor suite has a magnificent view of the mountains and the city. The fireplace is roaring, there’s a grand piano in the corner, and the décor is lush yet modern.
“Gray? Are you here?” I call, my voice echoing in the large space.
He grabs me from behind and I smile instantly. He spins me, so my back is against the window and then devours my lips as I moan into his mouth. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he lifts