Fuck.
Which, in Ansel Time, meant maybe five. Ten, if I was lucky. Fifteen if he’d somehow gotten lost in the Whole Foods parking lot.
A girl can dream.
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself as if the reflection might change if I glared hard enough.
The red swimsuit was on. Technically. It had taken me seven minutes, a minor existential crisis, and one bruised knuckle to wrestle into place.
Over it, I’d thrown a long, gauzy cover-up. Neutral. Classy. It screamed, I amnothere to flirt with Ansel Barlowe.
My hair was pulled back in a casual bun I’d redone three times to make sure it looked ‘natural.’
I had tinted my lipsjustenough to be alluring without looking… like an implication.
And my earrings? Tiny gold hoops. Because somehow, hoops were completely cool and natural and absolutely the dress code for a Hollywood pool party. I looked natural. Like I wasn’t even trying.
I definitely still looked like someone trying.
The sound of tires crunching in the gravel outside made my stomach drop. I froze.
He was early.
Ofcourse,he was early.
I grabbed my phone, opened the camera, flipped it to selfie mode — and immediately wanted to scream. I looked like a woman who couldn’t decide if she was going to a pool party or a funeral or a casual revenge mission against her own dignity.
A knock came at the door.
Too late.
I took one last breath, squared my shoulders, and opened it.
“Hey kid,” he said with an easy smile. But I didn’t miss the way his eyes skirted across my curves and down my legs. I hoisted my bag up onto my shoulder, pushing past him. “‘Hey Ansel, great to see you.’” He replied in a mimicking tone.
I stopped only when I made it to the passenger door of his car. But I didn’t answer — only scowled.
And that seemed to just delight the ass further. “You could have declined, you know.” His grin was still wide as he opened my door for me.
Fucking gentleman.
“No, I couldn’t have.” I huffed as I threw myself into his car. I continued the pout, arms crossed as he slid in next to me.
“You’re cheery today. This is perfect.” The car shifted. “Everyone will be so caught up in your nasty little attitude, maybe they’ll forget how much they dislike me.”
We drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke again. “Are you going to give me the cold shoulder the whole evening?”
“Maybe.”
“Juniper,” A sigh. “What’s going on with you?”
My stomach was in knots. I didn’twantto lose my lunch over his rental EV car. I shook my head once, sharp.
Without his eyes veering from the road, his hand came to rest on my thigh, squeezing gently.
A lick of heat climbed up my back. “You’ll stick close to me, right?” He asked, and I could see the smirk out of the corner of my eye. “These people are so fake and uppity. I need my girl?—”
I snapped my head.
