Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing her hand right back. “I really appreciate that.”
“Well, we mean it!” Kelly said. Then she clapped her hands together. “Alright ladies, it’s time to do our fairy godmother bit! Help me pick out the perfect dress…”
A half an hour later, and I was wearing a fit and flare dress in a soft blue, with pink and yellow flowers winding their way through the cotton fabric. A pair of white sneakers from my own collection completed the look. I had resisted wearing heels to a day time event, particularly when I wasn’t working. But the girls all agreed, the sneakers were just as cute if not cuter.
Plus, it had been mentioned that the sneakers were better for tramping through the woods if I felt like ‘going for a walk’. Kelly told me the dress wasn’t new and not to worry about getting grass stains on it. I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I didn’t ask.
My hair was pinned half up and half down, with a light application of makeup that made me feel much prettier than usual, without looking overdone. Thankfully, my nails were always neat and buffed, and they hadn’t said a thing about applying polish to them.
“You look gorgeous!”
“She always looks gorgeous,” Parker added quickly. “But a little extra today.”
“Thank you, “ I said, not remotely offended. I did feel a little extra. It was nice. “This was so nice of you.”
“Think nothing of it,” Kelly said, with a twinkle. I could tell she meant it. Cassandra had been right. Kelly really did ‘live for this’.
“You really do need to have a fashion show with these. You could sell them! We could have it at the hotel.”
She got a thoughtful look on her face.
“You know… I might just take you up on that.”
The door opened and Penny stuck her head in.
“Someone just pulled up out front…” she trailed off, her eyes wide. “Wow, Coll. You look…”
“Nice?” I asked hopefully.
“Better than nice. You look… softer. Maybe, younger?”
“Gee, thanks,” I said with a laugh.
“No I mean, you always look beautiful but usually you are kind of buttoned up. You look more… carefree.”
I gave her a quick hug.
“Thank you sweetheart.”
The doorbell rang and the girls all exchanged glances.
“Oh, I think someone is at the door,” Kelly said mischeviously.
“I’ll get it,” I said, walking over to the door with a complete feeling of confidence, for maybe the first time in my life. Then I glanced over my shoulder at the girls. “Maybe you should all… hide?”
They giggled and dispersed back into my bedroom. I straightened my shoulders and opened the door. Jaken stood there, looking absolutely stunned.
“You look…” he breathed, then trailed off, staring at me. I was gratified to see the look of appreciation on his face. At least I thought it was appreciation.
“I look what?” I teased gently. He seemed to snap out of it.
“Beautiful. I mean, you always look beautiful but you look…”
“Hungry?” I joked, trying to let him off the hook. It worked.
“Oh, should we stop and get something? It’s a twenty minute drive.”
“I think I can last that long,” I said wryly. “Let me grab my purse.”
I ran inside, kissed the kids and headed out to enjoy my day. I wasn’t going to lie. I liked the way Jaken was looking at me.
Once we got in the car, he was having trouble keeping his eyes off my legs and on the road.
“Jaken.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe you should watch the road.”
“Oh, sorry,” he said. After that he did a better job of paying attention to driving. But every time we pulled up to a red light, he went right on back to looking at me.
I have to say, I did not mind at all.
Chapter Eighteen
Claire
“That is adorable,” I whispered to Hunter. “Look at them.”
He grinned at me.
“I’d rather look at you.”
“Oh, stop.”
He pulled me into his side and pressed his hot mouth to my ear.
“Never.” I felt shivers go up and down my body as he breathed against me. My nipples were hard. And I felt the urge to press myself against him. He slid his tongue over the outer edge of my ear before whispering ‘let’s get out of here’.
“Hunter!”
“What, woman?”
“We just got here!”
“So?”
“So, this is important! We all want to see Jaken happy. Right?”
He sighed and nodded.
“And we always get together on the weekends. Right?”
“I don’t see your point. We came. We saw. We got horny.”
I laughed at him.
“You are incorrigible!”
“Yes, I am. What about a quickie in the woods?”
“In the woods? Seriously?”
“You love nature,” he said, looking wounded. It was insane but I seemed to have actually hurt his feelings. Lord knows, the man took our sexy time seriously.
“I don’t love it that much!”
“Come on babe, it will be fun.”
“Spiders! Splinters! Poison ivy!”
“I will protect you from all that,” he vowed, sounding like a knight about to go on a crusade.