Tease

She snatched two sweaters off the bed and displayed them. “Which?”

I assessed and pointed at one. “The black one.”

“You think?” She stared critically at the black cashmere.

“Yes. Looks great on you.” I waved hello at Reece. “Hey, Reece.”

He smiled at me. “Hey, Em.” Unlike Harris, he never made me feel like a second-class citizen. And he never leered. At me or any other girls. Except Pepper, of course. The guy was genuinely nice.

“What’s the plan?” I asked. “I hope it involves food. I’m about to pass out.”

She frowned at me. “Have you been painting all day?” She reached for my cheek and wiped at what I guessed was a smudge of paint. “Did you even stop to eat?”

I shrugged.

“Why don’t I run out and get us a pizza while you two get ready?” Reece rose from the chair. “I know how long it’s gonna take you guys.”

“Good idea.” Pepper nodded and said almost coyly, “Gino’s?”

He reached for the hem of her sweater and tugged her closer. “Would I ever get pizza anywhere else?”

He dipped his head to kiss her.

I looked away, not much into voyeurism. Gah. If I didn’t love them so much I might puke.

“I’ll call it in as I head over. Be back in half an hour.” The door clicked shut after him and Pepper just stood there hugging her sweater to her chest and looking so in love I wanted to both hug and kick her.

“Earth to Pepper.”

She looked back at me still wearing that silly grin. “Sorry.”

“No. You’re not.” Smiling, I shook my head. “Staring at you two, I almost have hope.”

She dropped down on the bed. “That you’ll meet someone? Of course you will. When you meet the right person. When you’re ready.”

And there was the heart of the matter. When I was ready. She didn’t understand that I never would be. How could she understand? I had never explained it to her and I wasn’t about to start now. Talk about dragging down the evening.

I dropped on the bed beside her. “So where are we going?”

“Well, one of Reece’s friends is having an engagement party.”

I groaned. “An engagement party?” Were people our age actually already starting to get married? Every time I turned around I was hearing about engagement parties and weddings. It was the beginning of the end. I couldn’t even contemplate it. Soon I’d be spending my weekends attending bridal showers. And then baby showers. Shoot me. “That sounds . . . fun.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Well, don’t sound too excited.”

This talk of weddings made me think back to my phone call with Mom. I’d already missed the bridal shower for Justin’s fiancée. It was a week ago. I didn’t even know the poor girl Justin was marrying, but Mom made sure I got an invitation. I missed it. Just like I was going to miss the wedding. This party tonight already felt like a bad idea. It was making me think of Mom and Justin way too much.

I grabbed an extra pillow and propped it behind my head. “Isn’t there something more fun to do? You know. Like attend a funeral wake?”

She swatted my arm. “It’ll be fun, Em. There’s supposed to be a band.” I must have still looked unconvinced because Pepper added, “It’s not like an actual wedding or anything. No four-string quartet. It’s at a house. Should be pretty casual.”

“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed.

I pushed up from the bed and waggled my eyebrows. “Guess I better take a shower. Never know. I might meet someone worthy of a hookup.”

Pepper shook her head. “You’re so bad.”

“I know,” I called over my shoulder, suddenly feeling a little more like myself as I stopped in front of my closet, determined to find the perfect outfit for a night out.

THE HOUSE WAS JAM-PACKED by the time we arrived. For an engagement party, it had to be mostly friends of the bride and groom because everyone was relatively young. No parents or grandmothers looked on from a buffet table loaded with casseroles. Furniture had been removed or pushed against the walls. A band was set up in the living room. Guests milled throughout the house and spilled outside onto the back porch. Several heat lamps were scattered across the covered porch, warding off the worst of the cold. These were locals. Friends Reece had grown up with. Salt of the earth types. They weren’t the Dartford college crowd, and I tugged self-consciously on my diamond earrings, wishing I had left them at home. And maybe my designer jeans, too. I stood out where Pepper and Reece blended in.

Reece led us through the party, searching for the happy couple. When he found them, he introduced Pepper and me.

“Reece, she’s adorable!” Beth, the bride to be, a girl he went to high school with, exclaimed. She squeezed Pepper’s hand. “Maybe we’ll be getting an engagement announcement from you next, huh?”

I looked away, acting interested in the crowd. What was it with happily married (or soon to be married) people wanting you to join their ranks? There must be some kind of secret recruiting agreement.

The bride and groom soon moved off to greet other guests and accept well wishes. Reece left us in the living room to get drinks from the makeshift bar in the kitchen.

“Not bad, huh?” Pepper called over the music, looking around. “There are some cute guys here.”

I nodded. “Yeah.” She was right. Several even tried to catch my eye as I looked around. For some reason I wasn’t feeling it tonight. Which was a shame since my hair was actually doing what I wanted it to do.

“Uh-oh, but watch out for this one. He’s trouble.” I followed the direction of Pepper’s gaze. A guy so hot he could be on the cover of GQ was making a beeline for us. He swept in and grabbed Pepper around the waist. She squealed as he swung her around.

“Logan!” She punched him in the chest. “Put me down!”

“I can’t help myself. You’re always with that asshat boyfriend of yours. I see my chance and I gotta take it.”

“Isn’t that asshat your brother?” I asked dryly.

Logan turned his hundred-watt smile on me. “Emmmerson.” He released Pepper and stepped closer to me. “You’re looking . . .” He paused and I waited for the cheesy line. I’m sure he used them, but it didn’t matter. He was so hot he could say whatever he wanted to girls and they threw their panties at him anyway. It didn’t matter that he was eighteen and still had a few months left of high school. The guy had college girls chasing him.