She stands, wine glass in hand, and heads toward the kitchen.
“I’ll get started on dinner,” she says, grabbing a pan from the cupboard. Then she glances over at me. “Laney, you should let Ivy curl your hair. It would look incredible.”
“Yes! Let me do your hair,” Ivy says, springing up from the sofa. “I’ll grab Ash’s curling wand.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind…” I call after her, but she’s already disappearing down the hallway toward Ash’s room.
“Ivy seems awesome,” I say to Ash. “And, uh, sorry if I made things awkward when I brought up Wyatt.”
Ash smiles as she fills the pan with water. “Not at all. I always suspected most of my friends thought my brothers were hot. They were just more upfront about it than Ivy. It’s seriously no big deal.”
Relief washes over me, and I nod.
“Need a hand with anything?” I offer.
She shakes her head. “I’m good.”
“Thanks for all this, Ash,” I say.
“Of course. We’re having as much fun with this as you are.”
Just then, Ivy marches back in, holding the curling wand like a prize.
“Time to work some magic on this hair!” she declares with a grin.
An hour later,dinner is finished, my hair is styled in loose, glossy waves, and my makeup is flawless. I’m wearing the red dress. Both Ivy and Ash insisted it was the one, and as I study my reflection in Ash’s full-length mirror, I hardly recognize myself.
“I can’t believe this is me,” I murmur, smoothing my hands down the soft fabric of the dress.
“Believe it,” Ivy says. “You look beautiful.”
“Absolutely stunning,” Ash adds with a warm smile.
I catch their reflections behind me in the mirror and return their smiles, completely at a loss for words to express how grateful I am.
“We should head out,” Ash says, grabbing her bag. “Showing up late to a date is a bad look.”
Ivy bursts out laughing, and I glance at her, confused.
“Says the woman who’s late to everything,” Ivy teases, rolling her eyes.
“Rude,” Ash shoots back, though there’s nothing but amusement in her voice.
“Notice she didn’t deny it?” Ivy says to me with a playful grin. “Ask your dad if she’s ever on time for work.”
Ash sticks her tongue out at Ivy, making us both laugh.
“Come on! Let’s go!” Ash says, ushering us toward the door.
Still giggling, Ivy and I follow her out of the apartment.
I’ve already had such a fun time with them, and the night is just getting started. A part of me kind of wishes there wasn’t a date at all, that we could just hang out together and have a girls’ night at Eden instead. It’s probably just the nerves kicking in. I haven’t been on many dates, and the few I have didn’t really lead to anything. Maybe tonight will be different. I mean, thanks to Ash and Ivy, I look better than I ever have.
I could get used to having friends like them. I think I’ve been the one holding myself back. Just because Ash is with my dad doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. I just need my head and my heart to get on the same page. My head understands that Mom and Dad are never going to be together again... it’s just taking my heart a little longer to accept it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ashlyn
