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“We’re in a bridal salon. I’m not turned on,” I snarl at Lilac.
She shrugs. “I’m merely stating the facts.”
“I can’t be blushing because I’m hot?”
“The temperature in here is a perfect sixty-eight degrees. If you’re warm, we should return to my hot flash hypothesis.”
“How do you know it’s sixty-eight degrees in here?” Ashlyn doesn’t wait for her to answer and hurries off to search for the thermometer. “Holy balls! She’s right. It is sixty-eight degrees in here.”
“Can you figure out the exact temperature with your tongue? Can you teach me?” Juniper asks. “I’m constantly using a thermometer to check the temp of the milk when I feed the baby animals. It’d be super handy if I didn’t need a thermometer all the time.”
“Who cares about your animals?” Ashlyn shoves Juniper. “This is a cool party trick.” She rubs her hands together. “Imagine all the bets we could win.”
Lilac purses her lips. “I can’t determine the temperature in the room with my tongue or by any other means. I noticed the thermometer when we entered.”
“Oh.” Ashlyn’s shoulders hunch before she shrugs it off and grabs another glass of champagne.
“I think you’re supposed to limit yourself to one glass,” Juniper scolds her.
“This is Ellery’s glass.”
Aspen kneels in front of me and studies my face. I rear back. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to figure out if you’ve had sex.”
I wave a hand over my belly. “Obviously.”
“I mean recently.” Her nose wrinkles as she studies me. I clear my throat and glance away. “Aha! She has had sex recently.”
“You’re schlepping Cole?” Ashlyn asks. “I thought you were ‘just friends’.” She makes air quotes but forgets she’s holding a glass and nearly drops the thing. As it is, she spills the bubbly on her sweater, which she then proceeds to lick off. My baby sister is a class act.
“I am not schlepping Cole.”
“Survey says,” Aspen makes a buzzer noise, “Ellery’s a big, fat liar who’s sleeping with her baby daddy.”
“Will you keep it down?” I hush her.
“Why? We’re alone in here. I made an appointment and everything.”
“Exactly. We’re here to help you pick out a wedding dress.” I motion to the sales lady who has impeccable timing and is at this very moment returning to the room towing a rack of dresses with her.
Aspen bounces to her feet and claps. “Wedding dresses! I’m marrying Lyric.” She skips off to peruse the dresses, but before she reaches the rack, she spins around and points at me. “But we’re not done discussing this.”
Oh, yes, we are. I am not discussing having sex with Cole with my sister who is disgustingly in love with the same man she’s been in love with forever. A man who’s from Winter Falls and won’t ever leave. A man who would never cheat on her because he’s besotted with her.
I sound jealous, but I’m not. Not exactly. Until a few months ago, a man wasn’t on my radar at all. Managing the inn keeps me busy. I don’t have time for a man. I caress my belly. I don’t exactly have time for a baby either, but I’ve got no choice. He’s on his way whether I’m prepared or not.
And – thanks to Cole overriding my objections – I’m more prepared now than I was mere days ago. He drafted plans to create a nursery in my apartment, and he bought nearly every piece of furniture I need. He’s jumping into fatherhood with two feet. Too bad I can’t trust him to jump into a relationship with me with both feet.
