Lori

On Friday, I arrived with Milo at four o'clock at Val's house. My sisters were in the kitchen, and I was surprised to find that Jace had arrived earlier too. He was leaning against the counter. Milo shot right toward him. 

"Uncle Jace, can you show me that dribble you did in your last game?"

"That was the result of two months' work, buddy. If you tried it now, you'd break a leg and your momma would hang me from my... feet."

I chuckled, knowing he'd been about to say balls. I'd instated an ironclad no-swearing rule since Milo started repeating everything he heard. Five years later, my brothers still had trouble adhering to it. Sometimes, so did I. When shit hit the fan, eff just didn't give me the satisfaction saying fuck did.

At Milo's disappointed expression, Jace added, "But we can work up to it. I'll show you the basics today."

That put the smile right back on my boy's face. I kissed both my sisters' cheeks, and then Jace's.

"You've got some new plants on the porch. They're beautiful."

Val nodded. "All Maddie's work."

Maddie was a very talented landscaper. A few months back, she'd redone Val's entire yard. I couldn't wait for the jacaranda trees to be in full bloom. 

"You're here early," I remarked.

"Practice ended earlier. Thought I'd show Milo some tricks before dinner." 

I gave my brother a second kiss on his cheek, just because. Milo skidded to the backyard without waiting to be told.

"You should go after him," Hailey told Jace. 

"Are you shooing me out?" he inquired.

"It's for your own good," Hailey insisted.

"Or you might unwillingly partake in girl talk," Val explained.

"I'm outta here."

As soon as he was out the door, Val asked, "Should we take the party upstairs? I don't want my kitchen smelling like nail polish."

"Sure. I'd love to raid your closet for a scarf."

Even when she didn't have the budget for a fancy selection, my sister's closet had been a treat. But over the years, her wardrobe expanded. It was a treasure island.

I already had a dress for the wedding tomorrow, and I was wearing my usual attire for the rehearsal dinner: a navy dress with a sweetheart neckline and a wide silver belt around the center. But I wanted to accessorize it with one of Val's scarves. Since it got chilly in the evening, I was also wearing a black velvet jacket.

"So... trying to make an impression, huh?" Val asked when we entered her room. Hailey didn't quite manage to disguise her smug smile, which meant they'd talked about me before I arrived. It was my own fault for giving them gossip fodder and telling them about the kiss yesterday.

"Is she blushing? Oh my God, she is!" Hailey exclaimed. "And she hasn't even had red wine."

Red wine did not agree with me. I always looked like I was developing an allergy after one glass.

"It's just a scarf," I said.

"I have a few that go with your dress," Val said, as Hailey and I sat cross-legged on her bed, uncapping the bottles of nail polish. Val took out a gorgeous red silk scarf, and another one, ivory with beautiful lace details in the center.

"If you want to knock someone off his ass, I'd go with this one." Val pointed to the red one.

"Got my vote too," Hailey piped up. I was drooling at the sight of it, but I knew I couldn't wear it. It stood out too much to qualify as work attire. The ivory one, on the other hand, was perfect.

"I'll take the ivory one. The red one stands out too much. And who said anything about knocking anyone on his ass?"

Hailey was hiding her face as she applied a coat of red polish on the nails of my right hand.

"Graham seems like a great guy," Val said, now plugging in the curling iron.

"How would you know?" I inquired.

Hailey was the one who answered. "We scooped every detail out of Jace, of course."

I groaned. "Girls...."

"What?" Val asked innocently. "You almost melted into a puddle when you told us about the kiss. Thought that warranted some detective work, to make sure he's not a total shit."

She didn't say it out loud, but I knew she'd meant to add “like Jeff.”

I'd told them about his e-mail, and they had both suggested a more aggressive approach—such as replying with all the expletives in the world. They argued it was a better way to get things off my chest. I had the tendency of playing out ugly conversations in my mind until I got myself in a funk. But I still thought ignoring him was better than engaging.

When Val went to the bathroom to get the hairspray, I whispered to Hailey, "I dreamed about sexy fun with Graham. Repeatedly."

Talking to Val about these things had always felt a little weird. Maybe because, for so many years, she hadn't just been our older sister, but more of a mother, and I still saw her like that. Hailey was my confidant for all things sexy. Well, had been, back in the days I'd actually had anything to confide other than X-rated dreams.

"Completely normal, considering how hot he is," Hailey reassured me.

"But that doesn't mean anything."

"Would it be so bad to have some fun?" Val asked, returning with the hairspray. Clearly, she'd overheard me.

"Yeah, it would. For the next few years, I'm sticking to daydreaming."

Even as I said it, I felt a pang of emptiness. After that kiss, I'd wanted to jump him right there, then pop open every button of his shirt and roam my hands over his bare torso. His muscles had felt exquisite even through the fabric, but I'd been greedy to touch and lick his skin. I tried to push that hot memory away.

"Why don't you shake things up a bit? Be wild for a little while," Val suggested.

"When is the last time you've been wild, sis?" I challenged. I often thought my oldest siblings never got the chance to live a little and be wild, let loose. Val had jumped from juggling the pub and our family to building her business. Sometimes I wondered if Val would even know how to let loose and be wild.

"Ufff... I think navel piercings were in style. But we're not talking about me, are we?" Val asked.

"Girls, I'm a single mom, remember? I don't just have myself to think about."

"Single parents do date, you know," Val said.

Deep down, I knew that, but I wasn't sure how to go about changing things without shaking the precarious balance Milo and I had reached.

"Sometimes I wonder if you’re single to protect Milo, or yourself," Hailey said.

"What do you mean?"

"You're still afraid to put yourself out there. You're afraid to let a man in your life," Val explained.

"Of course I am." Was I not supposed to be?

"Dating doesn't always lead to something permanent, obviously," Val said, pointing to both her and Hailey, "but you've been alone for a long time. You deserve some fun."

"You girls are filling my head with crazy ideas."

"Mission accomplished. Val, pass me the Quick-Dry," Hailey said triumphantly.  

While Val used the curling iron on my hair, I did Hailey's nails. We'd perfected the art of getting each other ready at the same time during our teenage years.

An hour later, all three of us had our nails painted. Mine were bright red. My hair was styled in a high ponytail with curls cascading down on my back. I'd done my own makeup, trying on a subtle smoky eyes look. I was rocking it. Val handed me a small, unlabeled bottle of perfume.

"What's this?" I asked.

"An exclusive sample."

I sprayed the air and immediately fell in love with it. I detected notes of lilac, vanilla, and something spicy.

"It smells amazing."

She winked. "I know."

Hailey inspected me from head to toe then gave me a thumbs-up. "You’re gorgeous."

I felt gorgeous as I put on my shoes. I'd brought my trusted nude pumps, because they looked sophisticated but were comfortable. I found Milo and Jace downstairs, gulping water and breathing heavily. 

"Wanna kiss me goodbye?" I asked my son.

"Mommy, you’re so pretty," Milo said, kissing my cheek.

"You're working?" Jace asked slowly. I nodded. 

His brother-senses were picking up on the trying-too-hard vibes I had going on. In those years when Will had been part-time bad boy, Jace had watched over me and Hailey like a hawk. At thirteen, he'd seemed more like sixteen. Not only had he been tall, but his strong build had intimidated anyone who wanted to pick a bone with us. He'd gotten excellent at sniffing out “bad intentions.” Luckily for me, those instincts had dulled over the years. Jace didn't ask any more questions. Will would have. His instincts had only gotten sharper; I blamed it on him being a cop.

He wouldn't have anything to sniff out, though. Yes, I was a little too put together for a working event, but a girl could indulge once in a while, couldn't she? For her own pleasure?