“I’m good, really good actually. It’s great to see you; it’s been, what, five years?”
I needed to answer him, but I was distracted by his—um... well, everything about him.
With his lightly slicked back blond hair and his sharp cheekbones, he’d somehow matured into an even sexier guy since the last time I saw him, which I didn’t think was possible.
A smattering of freckles across his nose made him appear cute and boyish, but the body that filled out his casual sweatshirt and jeans was manly all right.
“Yes, Cameron, five years.”
I recalled the last time we hung out — Cameron, Hugh, and I — and the amazing night we very nearly had. Up until then we’d been best buddies. They’d been like brothers to me. Everything changed.
I was snapped out of my reverie by the sound of Jasmine talking very slowly and loudly, plus the pain of her kicking me under the table.
“Yeah, a long time,” I said pointlessly, and I remembered what a state I must look after getting caught in the rain. I started trying to pat my hair down until I noticed Cameron struggling to contain his laughter.
“You don’t need to do that,” he said as I began to blush. “I like the ‘Monica Geller in Barbados’ look. It suits you.”
I tried to come up with a biting retort, but all that came to mind was, And the sexy, boy-next-door look suits you. So I opted for a sarcastic, “Ha, ha.”
“Well, I’ll have to leave you ladies; Hugh and I have a round of virtual golf lined up this afternoon. We’ll catch up properly at the dinner tonight, though, right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Poppy said, and I gave a weak wave as he walked away.
His ass looked great in his jeans, and my thoughts briefly drifted again until Jas’s fingers clicked in front of my face.
“Right,” she said, folding her arms like she meant business. “What happened with you two? You’ve never told us anything, and we’re your best friends.”
“And you know everything about us,” Poppy joined in, leaving me feeling cornered.
I sucked down the last of my cocktail and shrugged. “Nothing happened. We were friends, but we haven’t seen each other for a while, that’s all.”
“Bullshit,” Poppy said. “You basically melted into a puddle at the sight of him, and he is clearly besotted with you. You must have at least dated.”
“I’m not so sure,” Jas said, stroking her chin like a TV detective. “Cameron’s so happy; he’s like a Labrador puppy. I don’t think our Muriel could put up with that for long—that’s why she always had Hugh hanging around too; he was all moody and serious.”
I managed to maintain a poker face, but I was actually impressed with Jasmine’s deduction skills. As handsome and lovely as Cameron was, his infectious optimism was sometimes too much—and so Hugh was the perfect counterbalance. It didn’t hurt that they were best friends, great guys, and as cute as a couple of catalog models.
Hugh was a kind and generous guy, but he had a world-weariness that perfectly balanced Cameron’s sunshine-and-rainbows attitude, even back in high school. And I was the fiery character who would keep them both in check. It would have been a great dynamic for a lifelong friendship if only things were different.
“That’s a great theory, but it’s simply not true,” I said. “And on a completely unrelated matter, how many dresses have you brought with you, Jas?”
She shrugged. “I dunno really, maybe six?” Jasmine could win Olympic gold at over packing.
“Cool, I wondered whether maybe I could borrow one for tonight?” I tried to sound super casual, but I failed.
“Oh, I know what this is about. You’ve brought some frumpy high-fashion thing to wear for dinner, and now you want something from your slutty friend’s wardrobe because you’ve seen Cameron looks better than ever. And now you want to tempt him to lick you like you were ice cream on a hot sunny day and dripping down his cone.”
“How DARE you suggest such a thing,” I protested with the sort of grin that told her she was totally correct. “But... can I?”
“Tell you what, get us another round of cocktails, pick up the tab, and I’ll let you have first pick.”
Chapter Two
Muriel Tennyson
Sandy, the receptionist, wasn’t lying. Bruno worked miracles, and he tamed my hair so it fell in perfect loose waves around my shoulders.
I promised him a shoutout on my Instagram, but he wasn’t particularly interested—apparently, he was already the worst kept secret for miles, with his calendar fully booked for the next six months. I’d been lucky to catch a last-minute cancellation, apparently a client didn’t want her hair done because of the weather forecast..
I sat in my bungalow with three dresses in front of me and Jasmine by my side. She had designed all three dresses herself; they were gorgeous. I was overthinking my outfit, but seeing Cameron had thrown me for a loop, and fashion always acted as my crutch when things became tricky.