Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
She turns, facing me, just as her words seem to register.
I smirk. “Don’t worry. I’m great at pinning them deep.”
She smacks the ball at me, and I hit it back, laughing the whole time.
This is going to be fun.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Markie
“Why does it feel like I’ve not seen you in a month?” I ask, sliding into a booth across the table from Nettie with a lychee martini in hand.
Patsy’s, the only place open in Sugar Creek on a Friday night after seven o’clock, is hopping. A group of people hangs out by the television broadcasting a baseball game, and another is huddled around the old jukebox that hasn’t worked in ten years. A few tables and the dance floor are still empty, but that will all change in the next couple of hours.
“Because it has been a week. I can’t think of the last time we went a whole week without seeing each other.”
I frown. “Getting old and having responsibilities suck.”
Nettie takes a drink of her martini, her perfectly manicured nails showcased against the glass.
“What color is that?” I ask. “You never do blue.”
“I know. But I found this one in my stash and took it to the salon with me. It’s an old winter edition from Iyala Polishes. I think it’s called Blue My Budget or something.” She sets the glass down. “They used to have such cute names and packaging, but the brand has really taken a turn for the worse over the last couple of years.”
“I read somewhere that they got rid of their head color designer or something like that.”
She laughs. “How in the world do you know that?”
“Exposé Magazine online. I think.”
Nettie brushes her long, dark hair off her shoulder.
My best friend is downright beautiful. And despite receiving more compliments about her looks than any person I know, she doesn’t have a clue. Her skin looks like it’s never seen the sun, and her blue eyes sparkle, framed by her perfect brows and silky hair.
“Did you get the dress finished for Ginny?” I ask, sipping my drink. I’ve never met a martini that I didn’t like, but the lychee ones are my favorite. I had my first one in Nashville at a swanky bar with Gianna and was obsessed. The only way I could get Patsy to carry the syrup was to buy the first bottle myself. When it sold out in the first week, she realized that I was onto something.
“I did, and it turned out great. She was happy, my bank account was happy, and the only one unhappy was my mother because I used all her thread. But, hey, that’s what moms are for, right?”
I laugh.
She sighs. “So, I have a bit of drama that I’ve been wanting to tell you about.”
“Gimme.”
“Remember the girl Kristy that I work with?” she asks. “Well, she’s been dating this guy named Tyler and their relationship is rocky, to put it mildly. It’s gross. I’ve told her a hundred times to dump his ass, and she finally took my advice.”
I take another sip, certain this isn’t where this ends. “Continue.”
“She was telling me that it’s over, and I told her to block him on everything because he’s trash. And I stand by that.” She lifts a brow. “She pulls him up on Social while I was standing beside her. I wasn’t looking, but I also wasn’t not looking, and Tyler? Yeah. I went out with him last week. He told me that his name was Jeremiah.”
“No way.” My jaw dusts the tabletop. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. And, of course, they’re back together.”
I roll my eyes.
“And now I don’t know what to do,” Nettie says. “Obviously, I called him and told him to fuck all the way off. But do I tell Kristy? Girl code says yes. I know that. But we aren’t really friends to start with, and I’ve been telling her to dump this dude for months. I don’t want her to think I was doing it to, I don’t know, get a chance with him myself.” She sighs, pausing to down half of her martini. “No matter what I say, she’s going to stay with him. Another girl told her basically a version of this story a few weeks ago, and she blamed it on the girl.”
Yikes. “This is messy. I don’t think there’s a clear answer here.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to be the problem. I wasn’t going to see him again, even before I found out he’s a man of many aliases, and he’s definitely not worth the drama.”
“Maybe you can just wait. She doesn’t know you saw his picture, right? So, just wait until he acts up again, and she’s ranting about him. Then ask for a picture.” I shrug. “She’ll be mad at him, anyway, so it’ll feel less like you’re trying to ruin her happiness and more like you’re on her side.” I cringe. “I don’t know. Is that manipulative?”