“Yes, dear,” I parroted.
He laughed, the sound easy on my ears. I liked knowing I was responsible for it.
I didn’t call Joni back to tell her not to bother coming over because I had a plan. A plan to get Joni and Zip in the same place and see what happened. It was pure evil, but maybe they needed a push in each other’s direction. My new friend wanted him, and I wanted to see his reaction to her.
Thanks to Laura—the club groupie who had brought over bags of used clothes—I had a wealth of new cute outfits to choose from. I settled on a comfortable spaghetti-strap, blue cotton dress that hit just above the knee. It showed off the freckled skin of my shoulders. I was just putting the finishing touches on my lashes when the doorbell rang. I went downstairs to answer it, glad to see it was Joni looking hot and tall in a pair of dark, skinny-leg jeans, a black, flowy tank top, and long, silver, dangle earrings.
“You look amazing!” I stated, waving her inside.
Her high heels clacked on the wood floor as she entered. Smiling, she said, “Thanks. You look pretty, too. You ready to go? Cheese can follow us.”
“Uh, yeah, about that. Colt wanted Zip to drive me.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Then why am I here?”
There was a knock on the door and I shot her a look. “Just go with it, okay?” She nodded, and when I opened the door Zip stood on the porch. Leather cut, wavy blond hair, sharp blue eyes—focused on Joni.
“Hi,” he greeted.
“Hey,” she answered.
“I’m such an idiot,” I chirped. “Joni offered to give me a ride, and I forgot to call her and tell her you were driving me.”
“No sweat,” Zip said.
“Why don’t we carpool?” I suggested.
“Isn’t it easier if Joni takes her car?” Zip asked.
“She wants to drink,” I blurted out. “And I don’t want her to drive.”
Zip’s eyes slid to Joni.
“Uh, yeah. I want to drink,” Joni stated. “A lot.”
“Okay,” Zip sighed in feigned annoyance, though it appeared to be all for show. “You guys ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I said. I grabbed my cell phone off the coffee table and a spare key, realizing that I didn’t have a purse.
“I can hold those for you,” Zip said after I locked up. Cheese was on his bike. Revving the engine, he waved and then pulled away.
“Thanks,” I said, handing Zip my two items of importance. I was excited to get out of Colt’s house. As comfortable as his home was, I was about to scale the walls just to have something to do.
I climbed into the back of Zip’s black SUV before Joni could. I wanted to give her the front seat. It was unbelievable watching them. They repelled like magnets, except for their gazes. They couldn’t stop looking at one another. I wondered if Colt had any idea about the attraction between his VP and his sister.
The drive to the clubhouse was quiet. I stared out of the window, watching the flat land swish past. The entire ride was filled with tension and silence. When we arrived at the clubhouse, I immediately hopped out of the car, wanting to escape Joni and Zip’s weird bubble of avoidance and sexual tension.
I waited for Joni to get out of the car and then followed her inside. We moved through the expansive living room to the open-designed kitchen. Darcy stood at the granite island, cling-wrapping a plate of raw hamburger patties.
“Hey, sugar!” Darcy greeted, leaning over to give me a cheek brush. “How did you feel this morning?”
“Slow to start,” I admitted. “But after my second cup of coffee, I felt okay.”
She nodded. “Girls’ nights can get rowdy. That one was pretty tame. Wait until we go out dancing.”
I paused, surprised that she was already inviting me to another girls’ night out.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have to work at the hospital today,” Joni said with a laugh. “I was fairly useless until about ten this morning.”