“Oh crap. Here we go. And I was doing so well.” Kim waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Non-smear-proof mascara, okay? Don’t go there. No crying. All smiles. Speaking of smiling, check out that honker.” She seized Sara’s hand to ogle her round sapphire and diamond sparkler. “Kid brother did good.”
“He did.” Sara gave another misty sniff. “I tried to tell him I wanted something small but he didn’t listen.”
“He’s not supposed to when it comes to rings. Remember, bigger is always better in regards to rings, dicks and plates of barbeque. Anything else is negotiable.”
Sara laughed and glanced at Kim’s silver maid-of-honor dress. “Sorry I didn’t fulfill your ugly gown request. That looks incredible on you.”
“It’s the corset. Makes everything seem tight and perky. Gotta love the illusion.”
“No, it’s you. You’ve got that good sex glow going on.” Sara tilted her head. “So are you planning on moving Michael in or just playing sleepover buddies for a while?”
Kim skirted around her to pick up the blue handkerchief she’d pulled out of her grandmother’s old trunk for Sara. Grandma Cora had carried it in her own wedding. But instead of handing it over, she fingered the lacy fabric and stalled. “It’s only been a few weeks. I barely know the guy.”
“Then why is he practically living in your bedroom? Every morning I come downstairs and find him making breakfast and singing to Telmeister. I think my bird’s got a new love.”
Kim’s lips twitched. “He is pretty lovable.”
“Uh-huh. Evidence number sixty-nine that you have the serious hots for your shop stud. And let me add my encouragement to that. Mechanics give good lube.”
Kim snorted. “Moving past the serious ick factor of you referring to my baby brother that way, I should point out he’s not in my league.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he was a virgin when we met.”
“A virgin. Wow. You didn’t see fit to tell me this before?”
Kim shrugged and fussed with her hair. She couldn’t decide if her bun made her look matronly instead of formal. Being with a younger guy was exhausting. At least this younger guy since she had the specter of his former significant other to compete with—or not compete with, since she wanted there to be no comparisons at all between them. She intended to be the fun, lively girlfriend. Which she was naturally, until she overthought.
Fuck a duck.
“It never came up,” Kim said to the mirror, not meeting Sara’s gaze.
“But according to your dining room announcement, he’s not a virgin now, right?”
“Uh no.”
“Which, correct me if I’m wrong, kind of means you can…mold him in your own image. Train him right.” Sara grinned and patted Kim’s shoulder. “Sounds like the bonus round to m
e.”
All at once the conversation she’d had with Michael that day next to Telly’s cage came screaming back into focus. “Manipulation is one of those words people throw around to try to explain choices that defy convention. I was over eighteen. I knew what I was doing.”
Nausea swam in her belly and climbed up her throat. She wasn’t like Rochelle. He didn’t need to be manipulated or molded. The guy was perfect as is, with all of his endearing quirks. That’s what she’d meant by him not being in her league. He had no issue with keeping up with her sexually—whoa nelly, that was so not a problem—but his virginity spoke of an innocence that went beyond the physical. In spite of whatever good game he talked, he still believed in love. Still wanted it in his life. He was the kind of man who planned on forever. Steadfast. Honorable.
Basically, the anti-Kim.
She might be a good bet for today but for tomorrow? Next week? It was hard to say. Judging from her past track record, the odds weren’t good. She’d start picking fights and looking for flaws right before she made tracks for the door.
He’d already gotten a raw deal by her standards from the whole Rochelle situation, money aside. Yeah, that part was pretty great but he saved his money for his family and rarely spent any on himself. His truck was ten years old, for pity’s sake. Goodness like his shouldn’t be tainted by her crazy. The longer she led him on, the harder it would be when she inevitably let him go. He deserved a woman who still dreamed on stars and saw the world as her oyster rather than an overcooked scallop.
“How do you do it?” Kim whispered, staring at her reflection. Sure, she didn’t have a ton of wrinkles yet. But any day now… “How do you get past thinking he’s settling by being with you?”
“Now there’s exactly what any woman wants to hear on her wedding day,” Sara said wryly, shaking her head. “Considering you look like you’re about to start sobbing, I’ll give you a pass.”
“It’s just wedding tears. You know.”
“Sure it is.” Sara sighed. “I do it by listening to him when he tells me he loves me. I see it in his eyes when we touch. I do my best to be a good partner to him as he does for me. It’s not about cellulite or gray hair or bags under the eyes. Which I do not have, thank you very much. You’re lucky I love you or else I’d have to shiv you on my wedding day.”