“How many cardigans does one woman need to own, Mia?” Leah asked, poking her head out of my tiny closet.
It was such a mess. I was surprised she hadn’t been swallowed up by it yet.
“I get cold easily, and they’re always on sale,” I answered defensively.
I heard her muffled laugh somewhere in the depth of my closet.
“Well, in this”—she emerged out of the mess, holding up a black mini skirt and glittery tank top—“you will be so hot that we will all have to put out fires behind you.”
My eyes went wide at the sight of those two pieces. I’d bought them on a whim off of a sale rack when I was feeling daring, but I had never actually worn either. Leah and Liv were both looking at me with big Cheshire Cat grins that said I would be wearing that outfit tonight.
Well, here goes nothing.
After a bit more rummaging, we found a red dress for Liv that accented her dark hair and alabaster skin and a pair of matching heels.
Leah, of course, insisted on redoing my makeup. Liv got off easy, applying her own. But I was, in Leah’s opinion, too sweet-looking and needed to get a bit dirty.
After thirty minutes, I looked in the mirror and gasped in surprise. My eyes were smoky and sultry, and my cheekbones were sculpted yet subtle. My lips looked luscious and understated in a peachy gloss that brought out the reddish highlights in my hair.
I put on my micro mini skirt and tank, and I slipped into my patent leather heels. I checked myself out in the full-length mirror on the back of my door.
I look hot.
If only my mom could see me now, she’d have a heart attack. No, she’d have to have a heart for that, and she definitely did own anything that beat or expressed emotion.
All three of us piled into Leah’s car, and I tried not to giggle as I sat down next to the infant seat in my sexy ensemble. It seemed sort of ridiculous.
“So, you have a babysitter, and you aren’t spending the evening with your husband?” I asked Leah as she merged onto the interstate, headed for downtown.
I’d seen pictures of her husband. Hell, I was a fan of her husband, and if I were her, I didn’t think I’d be able to leave the house. He was sex-on-a-stick hot, and from the way Leah had spoken, she mounted that stick as frequently as possible.
Lucky bitch.
“Oh, he’ll be there,” she said with a sly grin.
“What exactly does that mean? This isn’t a girls’ night out?” I asked.
“Oh, it is…sort of. The guys are out on their own, and we are out as well. I found out where they are going though, so we’ll just happen to be at the same place.”
I was so confused. “Why are we doing this?”
“Do you see the way I’m dressed?” she asked.
“Uh…yeah, it’s kind of hard to miss.”
Liv was already laughing. Apparently, she got it, but I was still lost. Was I that naive?
“She’s showing up to drive her husband nuts. That’s awesome…and kind of evil.”
Leah shrugged. “Hey, when you’re married, you’ve got to do things to keep your husband on his toes. Showing up unexpectedly, looking hotter than sin, will drive him insane.”
“And Clare?” I asked, wondering if she was in on the plan.
“Oh, I was at her house before I came and got you. She’s all sexed-up, too. Logan will lose his shit. Our good friend, Ella, is coming with her as well to surprise her husband, Colin.”
Awesome. So, the entire gang will be there. I suddenly felt awkward and out of place. Hanging out with a bunch of married couples didn’t sound like a fun night at all.
“So, why are we going with you? We don’t have any husbands to drive nuts,” I said.
“No, you don’t. But you have the rest of the bar,” she said with a mischievous grin.
~Garrett~
My brother-in-law was the last person I’d expected to see at a karaoke bar in the middle of downtown on a Saturday night. As I entered the packed hot spot with several of my coworkers, I saw him sitting in the corner with his two best buddies as they were laughing, drinking cold beers, and trying to ignore a drunk sorority girl singing a horrible rendition of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.”
I hadn’t really wanted to come in the first place. Nothing sounded better than a beer, but I’d rather enjoy it at home by myself—without the noise.
God, I was f**king lame.
I turned to Kara, who was leading the pack of us. “Hey, I see my brother-in-law. I’m going to go over and say hi for a second.”
She glanced over at the table I was pointing at, and she immediately zeroed in on Declan, one of Logan’s best friends. Her eyes widened in what could only be described as wonderment.
Oh, great. She’s a fan. I gave a sigh. “Do you want to come with me?”
She nodded enthusiastically and took my hand. That shocked me a little, but I figured she didn’t want to get lost in the crowd. So, I wove us through until we finally made it to the small group. Logan, Declan, and their friend, Colin, instantly rose to greet us.
“Hey, man! I didn’t know you were coming down! Take a seat!” Logan said with a hard pat on my back.
“Just coming by to say hi,” I said, so he wouldn’t feel obligated to find us seats. “I didn’t know you were such a fan of karaoke,” I followed up with a grin.
He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not—at all. Colin chose the place, and he didn’t realize it was karaoke night. When we got here, we talked about going somewhere else, but he thought it would be funny to watch. So, here we are.”
“So, I shouldn’t expect you to hop up there and bleed out your heart to all these women?”
“The only woman I sing for is your sister,” he said sincerely.
Logan and my sister had been married for a few years now, and I honestly couldn’t imagine a better man for her. After her first husband, Ethan, had passed away, she had been left alone to raise their infant daughter, and I’d thought she’d given up on ever finding anyone again. Logan had come into their lives and taken care of both of them. When he had been diagnosed with cancer a few years back, Clare had then taken care of him. I’d never seen a stronger couple.
I gave a quick nod to everyone else at the table, and then I noticed Logan glancing down at my hand still joined with Kara’s. I quickly let go, not wanting to give the wrong impression to either of them.
“Logan, this is Kara, my coworker. A bunch of us came down here to unwind after a long day. She, uh…saw Declan and wanted to meet him.”