I laughed, and Greer joined in.
After what felt like a round of laughing, I conceded. “Fine. Just don’t make the eyeliner stick out like a sore thumb.”
Brighton clasped at her heart. “Why must you wound me so deeply, Arabella Adams? This isn’t my first rodeo.”
After what felt like a lifetime passed, Bree pulled me out of the chair I’d been sitting in. We walked to the mirror, and I gaped. “Is that really me?” I moved my hand lightly down my face and trailed a fingertip across my pink-tinted lips, slightly chuckling.
Slapping my hand away, Bree said, “Don’t ruin your makeup!”
Greer walked back in and gasped. I turned to see her dressed in jeans and a sweater with her hair up in a sloppy bun on top of her head. She looked beautiful, and the glow on her face revealed how happy she was.
“Bree. Her hair! You’re officially doing my hair for my wedding,” Greer stated as she rushed over to look at me in the mirror. “Bella, have you seen the back?”
I shook my head. “I can’t get past my face.”
Greer rolled her eyes. “Please, your face has always been beautiful. Let’s talk about the hair.” She looked around for a mirror and found one sitting off to the side. “Look!”
When I turned around and glanced in the handheld mirror, I stared in wonder. “How did you make it look like you intertwined my hair like that?”
Bree beamed. “It’s so easy. You just place pieces underneath one another and keep doing it until you get a bun. I pulled some strands loose to give it a bit of a messy look. My hairdresser taught me how to do it for a Christmas party at my old law firm last year. Now, let’s get you dressed. Greer, wait until you see what she’s going to wear!”
I thanked the stars above I was wearing a button-up, oversized shirt and vest and wouldn’t have to worry about pulling anything over my head. Once I was dressed, I walked out of the bathroom to find the bedroom empty. I could hear voices coming from downstairs, so I slipped on my black boots and the bowtie and left it hanging undone like Annie had.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard Bree say, “You can both get away with wearing jeans and sweaters. You have men in your life. I, on the other hand, need to dress the part of a woman desperate for a one-night stand.”
“Why?” Abby asked.
“You know, speaking of that Christmas party,” Greer started, “you never did tell us what happened with that blind date.”
“What blind date?” Abby asked as I stopped in the doorway. The three of them were so focused on the current conversation that they didn’t notice I had walked in.
“Nothing,” Bree stated. “We’re not talking about him.”
“Oh. My. Gawd. Something happened. Greer, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Who’s us? And who are we not talking about?” Abby inquired in a confused voice.
Greer rapid-fire responded, “Lacy—Willa’s sister—and me. The partner at Bree’s old law firm made her agree to attend the firm’s Christmas party with his son! What was his name? Was he cute? Did you kiss him? Did you sleep with him? Did you guys go out on a date?”
Bree sighed.
Greer wasn’t letting up. “Was he ugly? Divorced, like you said?”
When Bree saw me, she rushed over. “You look hot as hell!”
“Oh, Arabella, you look beautiful,” Abby said as she walked up and gave me a quick hug. “I’m so glad to see you going out, and especially with Hunter.”
I felt my cheeks heat.
Greer waved her hand in front of her face. “Wow, I think only you could make a white button-up shirt look sexy, Arabella.”
“Thank you, guys, but it was all Brighton. She put the whole outfit together.”
Bree shook her head. “I simply picked out the outfit. It’s your hot body it’s on.”
“And did my makeup and hair,” I added with a smile.
With a wide grin, Bree looked me up and down. “Hunter just may come in his pants at the first sight of you.”
“Oh Lord, Bree,” Greer said with a laugh.
“Whoa, holy shit! Arabella Adams. Girl, you are looking hot!” Candace said as she walked into the kitchen. Candace was the one who looked hot in a form-fitting dress that hugged her curvy body in all the right ways.
Bree whistled. “I thought you had a boyfriend now, Candace?”
She nodded and reached for a piece of cheddar on the cheese board Greer had made. She popped it into her mouth, then moaned in delight before she answered Bree. “I do. That doesn’t mean I can’t dress up when I’m going out. I say if you have a body that makes a man’s cock hard simply from one look, then you flaunt it. It’s your prerogative.”
Bree lifted her hands. “Amen to that.”
I cleared my throat and looked at Brighton. “So, what happened with the blind date?”
“Blind date? What blind date?” Candace asked, tapping her fingertips together in front of her and wiggling her brows. “You had a blind date, Bree?”
Bree shot Greer a dirty look. “That was over a year ago. It’s not important.”
“Who was the guy?” Candace asked.
Abby got Candace caught up while Greer kept pushing Bree to give us more answers.
“Fine!” Bree yelled out. “He was fine as hell, we slept together that night, his name is—” She stopped for a moment, then went on. “His name is Luke. Yes, we dated, things didn’t work out, and that’s the end of the story.”
All of us gaped at her.
“Wait, you dated him, Bree? Why didn’t you say anything?” Greer asked.
For the first time since I’d become friends with Brighton, I saw uncertainty in her eyes. Or maybe it was heartbreak. I walked up to her and took her hand in mine. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Bree.”
She blinked quickly, and the mood in the kitchen suddenly became serious.
“What happened?” Greer asked softly.
Bree let out a humorless laugh. “Let’s see…I fell in love with someone I can’t be with.”
Gasps echoed throughout the kitchen.
“You fell in love with him?” Abby asked. “How long did you guys date?”
Bree looked away for a moment before her gaze focused back on the four of us staring at her. “Since the Christmas party the year before last, up until a couple of months ago.”
“What?!” Greer shouted. “And you never told us?”
“It’s complicated, and I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Does this have anything to do with the wedding dress you gave Willa?”
Candace nearly choked. “Whoa, whoa, hold the fucking phone. Wedding dress?”
Bree let out a growl from the back of her throat. “You’re on a roll tonight, Greer, and no, I met him after the wedding, remember?”
Greer frowned. “Oh shoot. That’s right.”
“I’m so confused right now,” Abby mumbled, and I nodded my head in agreement.
At that moment, the doorbell rang and Hudson called out, “Hunter’s here!”
Candace slowly shook her head and popped another piece of cheese into her month. “This convo is not over. I’m planning another girls’ night as soon as possible.”