Chuckling, Hannah added, “Geez, Nat, don’t paint her with your brush. Not everyone mauls a guy they’ve known foreverthe first chance they find themselves alone with a bed in the immediate vicinity.”
“Hey!” Natalie protested.
Leveling her with a glare, Hannah challenged, “Tell me I’m wrong.”
She was referring to Natalie and Jaxon’s initial hookup, when Natalie went next door to retrieve a ball Jameson had thrown over the fence. I’d heard variations of the story over the years, but that single encounter was the reason for Charlie’s existence, and the rest was history.
Twisting her lips, Natalie grumbled to herself before changing the subject. “We are here to talk about Lucy.” Turning to me, she gestured a hand in my direction. “Proceed.”
Taking another sip of my margarita, I continued, “I ran before he could expose himself. As a punishment, I didn’t warn him about our month away until the morning we left. I wasn’t exactly his favorite person after dropping that bomb.”
“Were you ever?” Hannah asked.
“Good point.”
“How was Milan?” Amy asked.
“Busy.” I sighed. “I got caught up in my work.” Smirking, I added, “Preston struggled in that arena, at least. It’ll be a miracle if he has a job to come home to.”
Natalie nodded. “Well played.”
“I did have one flash of brilliance, however.”
Hannah clapped her hands together. “Do tell.”
A giggle escaped my lips just thinking about Preston trussed up in the royal blue silk. “I may or may not have used him as a plus-sized mannequin.”
The room went silent as all three women stared at me.
Amy was the first to recover, asking for clarification. “You put him in a dress?”
I shrugged. “Technically, I pinned a dress around him.”
“Please, dear God, tell me there is photographic evidence.” Hannah threw her hands together as if she were praying.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I scrolled until I found it. Passing it over, I stated, “You can thank Sophie for being stealthy enough to capture this without his knowledge.”
Huddled together, they looked at the picture on my phone in shock before all three burst out laughing.
Natalie was gripping her sides; she was laughing so hard but forced out, “And he still got on a plane to come here after that?”
I gave her a sly grin. “He thought we were going home.”
Hannah looked at me in awe. “That’s cold. I fucking love it!”
Draining the rest of my glass, I placed it on the coffee table. “Well, it wasn’t enough. He could be on a commercial flight home right now, but he’s not. And what’s worse is we all know something else is coming—he hasn’t tried anything since we left Belleston. I need something more!”
Standing, I went back into the kitchen to get a refill. When I came back, I was only met with silence; all three women appeared deep in thought. I remained quiet, wanting to give them the time to think of a grand idea that would finally drive Preston away for good.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, I yelled in frustration, “Someone has to have something!” Looking between them, I honed in on Hannah. “It’s your turn. Nat came up with shopping. Amy was the genius behind dragging him kicking and screaming to Milan. You’ve got to have something up your sleeve. I’m desperate.”
Hannah knew the pressure was on and held up a finger, indicating she was almost there. Lowering her hand, she spoke, “You know what scares single men?”
In no mood for a guessing game, I snapped at her, “Just tell me!”
“Babies.” It was only one word, but maybe she was onto something. How many times had Preston used that against me?
“You know, that’s not half bad, Hannah,” I praised as she grinned triumphantly.
