Page 7 of Scarred

Olivia is Sophia’s sister-in-law and one of our friends in Blue Haven, just an hour north of here. She’s also a wine distributor and introduced us to a whole new palette that we’ve become obsessed with.

“You are too good to us.” Bella smiles, reaching up to kiss Rusty on the cheek. His face reddens slightly as he rubs his hand through his thick white beard.

“Except for Emma here, I’ve known you all since you were in diapers, sitting in high chairs and eating more fries than I thought was humanly possible,” he chuckles. “What my girls want, my girls get. Besides, your men would have made sure I had some on hand anyway,” he laughs, pouring us each a glass. “Enjoy your night, ladies. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“How about a plate of those fries to share?” I smile at the man who’s always been like a grandfather to me.

“Coming right up, Lunabug,” he winks at me with a grin, using my nickname from my childhood, before walking away.

“God, I love small towns,” Emma sighs, taking a sip of her wine and closing her eyes in bliss.

“It’s the best,” I agree, bringing the wine glass to my lips and savoring the flavors of the red wine.

“So, what’s new in your love life, Lunabug?” Sophia eyes me over the rim of her glass. “My life consists of football, beaded bracelets, and superheroes. I need some juicy gossip to hold on to.”

Sophia’s three kids pop into my head, and I can’t help but smile. All of them have amazing children, and I absolutely adore being Aunt Luna to them all. I have all their girls in my dance classes, and I’ve loved every single minute of being the one to teach them something so important to me.

“You all realize that I’m a twenty-four-year-old adult, right? Don’t you think the ‘bug’ part needs to go? It’s bad enough I have to hear it from my brother and Maverick, and apparently Rusty is still holding onto it,” I roll my eyes at their grins.

“You will forever be our Lunabug, I’m afraid.” Bella smiles cheekily before grabbing a french fry from the platter that was just delivered to our table and popping it in her mouth. “But, I’ll try and drop the ‘bug’ part if it bothers you. Maverick might be harder to convince, though,” she laughs.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who started the whole thing after I was born,” I mutter, stuffing a fry in my mouth. It never bothered me when I was younger, but sometimes I feel like they still see me as the baby of the family and not the woman I’ve become.

“You’re deflecting my question,” Sophia eyes me from across the table. “When was the last time you went on a date?”

“You know I don’t have time for dating.” I wave my wine glass in the air and dismiss the question. “Between teaching dance, private yoga classes, and the local ballet productions, my plate is full.”

“You are way too young and gorgeous to be sitting at home on a Saturday night watching reruns of The Gilmore Girls,” Bella chastises.

“I love The Gilmore Girls,” I mumble.

“Who doesn’t? But that’s not the point.” Sophia says, dismissing the thought with a flick of her hand. “We just don’t want you working so much that you miss out on having some fun along the way.”

“If it makes you feel better, Connor is in town in a couple of weeks and is taking me out to have fun,” I smile, taking another sip of my wine.

“Unless Connor is suddenly into women, he doesn’t count as a date,” Bella says, shaking her head.

I met Connor through one of the dance productions we were in and instantly became friends. Whenever he’s in town, he always drags me out for the night. I have no idea what he has planned for us this time, but I’m sure it will involve drinking and dancing of some kind.

“No, I’m definitely not his type,” I giggle, remembering our last FaceTime call where he went into vivid detail about the date he had recently gone on with his latest hot male conquest.

“Well, at least we know you two will have fun. If there’s one thing Connor is not, it’s boring,” Emma softly laughs before turning her attention to me. “Your mom tells me you got a new private client coming in next week.”

Thankful for the subject change and moving on from my love life, or lack thereof, I relax into a grin at the mention of my private classes.

“Apparently, someone from Bayside recommended Mom’s studio. They are dealing with a recurring issue, and my restorative yoga class seemed like the perfect fit. I also have a new student signed up for my tiny dancer class.” Just the thought of another adorable two-year-old wearing a tutu brings a smile to my face.

“That’s great,” Bella grins. “Bayside is a big city. Word must definitely be getting around.”

“Thanks to your social media skills,” I tap my wineglass to my sister’s. Her videography skills have helped a lot of businesses around here, including mine. Over the years, she’s built a whole media team behind her and now manages several social media accounts.

“Filming you dance has been my greatest pleasure,” she smiles, reaching for my hand. “We are very proud of you, Lunabug…I mean, Luna,” she corrects with a laugh.

“Yes, we are.” Emma raises her wineglass, and we follow suit. “To Luna’s success and happiness.”

“And filling her life with mind-blowing orgasms because she deserves a man just like we have found,” Sophia adds with a grin.

“I’ll toast to that,” Bella laughs, clinking her glass in the center.