While the guys seemed to be having some sort of intervention, Claire followed Sophie and Freya into the main bedroom. Humming as she carried the lantern into Sophie’s closet, Freya asked, “Claire? Do you have what you need for the gala?”
“Um. Yes.”
Sophie laughed, winking at Claire. “She’s a terrible closet thief. If you have anything you don’t want stolen, lock it up.”
“I heard that. I always return them, plus some,” Freya hollered from across the house.
“Correction, she returns them. And she usually adds a fun sketch as payment.”
Claire stood back and laughed, enjoying the distraction, and knowing Grady would appreciate a smaller audience for his intervention. “I saw the charcoals in the bathroom. My favorite was the cedar branch, but the one with the jagged mountain peaks was gorgeous too. It sounds absolutely worth it.”
The main bedroom was as airy as the rest of the house, even in the gray morning. Freya popped out of the walk-in closet a moment later. “I’m going to have to go for the green one this time.”
Fingernails in her mouth, Sophie winced. “I have a small addiction. It’s Freya’s fault. I had a few cute dresses that I never wore until she made me start wearing them. Turns out, I like them, so I keep adding to my stock.”
Raising her eyebrows, Freya pulled a slinky, pink silk dress from its hanger. “Asher appreciates them as well.” Turning to Claire, she handed her the dress and winked. “Grady’s fond of silk.”
She didn’t want to think of how Freya knew he liked silk. He’d mentioned he had a thing for Sophie when they’d first met, but otherwise she was unaware of Grady having any romantic involvement with his friends. Not that she was the jealous sort, but it helped to know this sort of thing. “Actually, I’m set on that end. The dress I brought is silk.”
Sophie added, “By the way, Freya just knows things. Not to worry, neither of us has any personal experience involving Grady and silk.”
“I wasn’t worried. I’m really not a jealous girlfriend. But I am possessive.”
Freya tugged off her cozy power-outage yoga pants and sweatshirt in a blink, leaving nothing more than a miniscule pair of lace panties. Blushing, Claire looked away. Sophie laughed. “You’ll get used to Freya.”
Nodding, Claire didn’t argue. “I’d love to be that comfortable with my body.”
Freya slipped a green velvet number over her head. “Claire, you have an amazing body. If you’re not comfortable with it, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“I appreciate your violent response. It’s taken me a while to get here, but I like me. Although that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable enough to undress in front of you guys.”
Sophie nodded, sorting through the pile. “Me neither, so we’re good.” She fussed with the choices, sighed, chewed on her nails a bit more, then put her hands on her hips. “I can’t decide what to wear.”
Claire wandered into the closet. “You do have cute stuff. What about the pink one?”
“I love that one.” Sophie said as she came up behind her and ran her fingertips over the smooth fabric.
Freya groaned, “Sadly, we don’t share a shoe size. Claire? Please say you’re an eight and a half?”
“Nope, sorry.”
Sophie grabbed a pair of suede heeled booties and rose to her feet. “Claire, I have to admit, I was worried when Grady decided to move in with his parents when the house burned down. We tried to get him to stay with us, but he insisted Asher and I needed the privacy.” Sophie sighed before continuing, pacing and looking out the window. “Don’t break his heart. He’s good at everything. Really, it’s ridiculous. Except for relationships.”
Walking closer to Sophie, she stood at her side, the snow twinkling as the sun peeked out from the clouds. “I’ve gathered he doesn’t have a great track record. You’re getting at more than that, aren’t you?”
Freya nodded. “He’s had his heart broken more than his share, and I think it’s taken a toll. Catching Ryder with his girlfriend in law school was probably the worst of it, as they’d been close until then. Then it really didn’t help when he showed interest in Sophie.
Sophie groaned, her lip turned out in a guilty pout. “I’d actually wanted things to work out between Grady and me, so initially I didn’t exactly act not-interested, but I fell for Asher so quickly... Actually, Grady found out about us when he overheard, a, uh, a rather intimate moment in a dressing room.” Sophie blushed.
“Really?” Claire raised her eyebrows, intrigued.
In glorious green velvet, Freya joined them at the window. “Between the two of us, maybe we can get out of her the many interesting places they’ve impulsively done it.”
Full blush, Sophie had those nails in her mouth again. “Hey. You’re one to talk. Laundry room?” She pulled her nails out, clearly a habit she was fighting tooth and nail.
Ha,tooth and nail. Claire swallowed the bad joke, not quite ready to reveal the full Claire-quirkiness just yet.
“Anyway, back to Grady.” Sophie grinned. “It’s been, what, not even twenty-four hours, and you’ve already done it in the car and the shower? I’m impressed.”
