“I don’t care about the matching outfits—haven’t for years. Look closer.”
Julie scooted to the edge of the cushion she was occupying. The beauty of the dusky blue sky that melted into a golden sunset that accentuated the dark outline of palm trees, she felt as though she were there herself. She could practically smell the saltwater and feel the sand underfoot.
Rashad stood tall, wearing khaki shorts and a red collared shirt with white flowers. Darlene’s dress was made up of the same material, and a large hibiscus was tucked behind her ear. Each of them had a fruity, umbrella-topped drink in hand, and the words “Seasons Greetings from the Frosts” glittered above them in big gold letters.
“Back right corner,” Gavin said, and Julie moved her gaze from the happy vacationing couple to…
“Oh. That chick is naked. Well, topless anyway.” Between the setting sun and the woman’s bronzed skin, she sort of blended in with the sandy background. “Do you think she knew she was in the photo?” Julie spun toward Gavin. “Do you think your parents realized they’d been photobombed by this woman before sending it out?”
The small shake of his head confirmed what she’d already suspected. Of course they hadn’t noticed. Darlene had been raised as a socialite in a ritzy ski town up north, and while she’d given up that life to make one of her own with the man she’d fallen in love with, she didn’t leave the house without her nails and makeup done and every hair in place. She was also a smidge old school when it came to proper table etiquette, clothing and tattoos and drinking “hard liquor” as she called anything more potent than wine.
A laugh slipped out, one that Julie attempted to turn into a cough. But it was no use. “And they sent it to your entire team?”
Gavin groaned. “A few of the guys told me to thank them very much for the holiday escort card with the sexy lady, and I thought they were screwing with me. I wasn’t sure if it was a mom joke they were taking too far, or what. But turns out…” He gestured to the screen.
“That your parents are now the team’s favorite?” Julie asked before snickering again. “I mean, the woman is absolutely gorgeous, and her body is amazing.” Honestly, she admired the confidence. She couldn’t imagine just strolling onto the beach in nothing but a thong—anyway, she was fairly sure the woman had a scrap of fabric between her legs. With her partially turned and all the skin on display, it’d take a magnifying glass to tell for sure.
As subtly as possible, Julie gave Gavin a sidelong glance. Was the woman his type? Did he want some alone time with the right corner of the card?
Instead of ogling the beautiful photobomber, though, his gaze was on her. His face had a pink tint, from his shower or embarrassment or both, she couldn’t tell. The air thickened, and had she leaned closer to him, or was he moving closer to her?
“No, no, no.” Niki’s voice accompanied the pounding of footsteps on the stairs, and then she was charging into the room. “Did you see Mom and Dad’s card—?” She plunked herself smack dab in the middle of her brother and Julie and yanked the laptop closer. Then she waved at the screen and glanced back and forth between them. “They sent this out to the entire town. Between that and you two getting hot and heavy in front of a bunch of kids at the festival, we’re about to be the talk of the season.”
“We weren’t getting hot and heavy,” Julie insisted. “I just…well, I was doing what this lady in the background of the photo was doing. Minding my own business, not knowing how many people might bear witness to my ass.”
Niki’s eyebrows shot up, her earlier panic melting away to reveal a smug expression. “My, my.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. I accidentally tucked my skirt into my tights because I win at life, and Gavin was trying to shield the children from getting an eyeful.” At the reminder, her skin flushed, and why hadn’t she let that memory die and give way to the new scandal?
“And what an eyeful it was,” Gavin said, ever so helpfully, “all striped and—”
Julie leaned across Niki’s lap and slapped a hand over his mouth, doing her best to ignore the way he’d cupped his hands, as if he were sizing up her gluteus maximus—thanks to all the Christmas treats, it was looking more maximus by the day, too.
“Very funny.” She craned her neck to address the face behind her elbow. “Gavin’s elf shirt was so tight it ripped open, buttons flying everywhere, like he was doing a solo performance for the Merry Christmas version of Magic Mike. If I’d had any dollar bills, I would’ve shoved them into his tights.”
Finally, Gavin chuckled along with her and Niki, who put her hands over her ears and groaned at the imagery. Happiness that he’d found humor in the situation pinged through her. Or perhaps his laughter was directed at her snafu. How delusional was she? Moments ago, she’d been experiencing attraction vibes that led her to believe Gavin might lean in and kiss her.
Commendable or not, women with supermodel bodies like the one in the photo onscreen hit on Gavin all the time. Women who were bold enough to sunbathe topless and send him messages inviting him to participate in some mutual completion—with video, nonetheless. Even Kristin, who’d followed fashion trends and was crowned prom queen, couldn’t survive in his world, and she was a hundred times more exciting than Julie would ever be.
Good thing Julie didn’t want him in that way, anyway.
Right?
“Let’s focus on the card again,” Julie said so her brain wouldn’t overheat with all the overthinking. She returned her highly discussed butt back to its original cushion. “It’s seriously the gift that keeps on giving.”
Trepidation seized her internal organs as she thought of how horrified Darlene was going to be when she discovered the snafu. “Wait. If your parents didn’t notice the woman when they uploaded the photo, who’s gonna tell them?”
“Not it,” Niki said, whipping her finger to the tip of her nose, and Gavin quickly did the same.
Julie shook her head. “No way. I’m not gonna be the bearer of naked news.”
“Rules are rules, Jules.” Gavin reached across Nikita to give Julie’s thigh a condescending pat. “It’s not our fault that you’re still too slow to beat us.”
An offended gasp came out. “I’m not slow. If anything, I’m just rusty. I also thought we were now grownups who didn’t resort to childish games to solve things like we did when we were kids.”
“You know what they say…” Niki glanced at the image on-screen again. Then she slammed the lid on the laptop and scrubbed a couple of fingers over her forehead, as if that would erase the image burned into their head for good. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”