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Why couldn’t he just be a hot asshole looking for a good time? I knew how to deal with those guys.
Noah was a different beast entirely, and those stupid warm fuzzy feelings wouldn’t stop fluttering around in my belly. Worse, Iwantedto know him. He’d rejected me years ago, and I couldn’t stop hoping…
Eva shook my shoulder. “Did I break you or were you just reliving Noah’s big moment?”
I shrugged off her hold. “Neither. I was deciding if I wanted to try on the blue dress in the window.”
Not entirely a lie—I was good at half-truths—the halter dress would hug my curves nicely and the dark blue color would make my eyes pop. I refused to acknowledge the quiet voice wondering if Noah would like it. He didn’t get a say.
Eva sent me a skeptical look and pulled the door open to the little boutique she’d picked as a starting point. Riley was supposed to meet us here, but I didn’t see a giant blonde among the racks.
The inside had an upscale thrift store feel with circular groupings of short dresses in the front by the door and slightly taller rows farther into the room. There didn’t seem to be any organization, but I was up for a good hunt.
Dressing rooms took up the back wall, marked by heavy velvet curtains in a deep purple. Soft pink poufs littered the floor over shaggy mint rugs. Nothing in the shop matched, but somehow it worked together to create a vibrant, feminine space.
No wonder Eva liked it.
On the negative side, no one else seemed to be there, not even a salesperson. The long glass counter holding jewelry and accessories sat empty.
“Is this place open?”
Eva glanced around, unconcerned. “It’s always like this. Honestly, I’m not sure how they stay in business, but they have great dresses at reasonable prices if you don’t mind putting in a little effort.”
She walked directly to the taller racks in the back and started sorting through clothes. I followed slower, trying to get a look at the blue dress from the other side.
“Where’s Riley?” I asked absently, nearly running into a metal pole when I turned back to face her.
Eva pulled out a short magenta number and frowned at it. “She’s not coming. Claimed she already had a dress, but I think she just wanted to take advantage of some alone time with Shaw.”
I wrinkled my nose. “They live together. How much alone time do they need?”
She propped her hands on her hips. “Are you telling me if Shaw wanted you to stay at home in bed with him, you’d say no thanks and traipse off with your gal pals?”
An image of Parker Shaw, starting quarterback and my brother’s protégé, flashed into my mind. Sharp cheekbones, intense blue eyes, and a wicked grin. He was beautiful, I’d give him that, but in the way art or remote mountain lakes were beautiful. Like I only wanted to appreciate him from a distance, I didn’t want to partake.
Noah made me want to dive right in. My jaw clenched at the unwarranted thought. There wouldn’t be any partaking. No matter how much I craved him touching me again.
I grabbed at a hanger blindly, getting it hopelessly tangled with the dress next to it. “I try not to speculate on booty calls, especially when they involve my brother’s friends.” Too bad I utterly failed at any kind of separation with Noah.
She sighed. “But they’re all so pretty.”
“Yeah, and complicated. I prefer simpler relationships where my brother doesn’t call me in the middle of the night demanding an explanation for his buddy’s drunk tirade.”
Her eyes narrowed. “We’re going to circle back to that.”
“There’s nothing to circle back to. I’d rather date a hundred frat boys than one nice guy in the apartment across from ours. They’re up front about what they want, and they don’t whine when I choose myself over them.”
“Hey, I’m all for ladies putting themselves first, but don’t you want a relationship that’s worth more to you than the toys in your bedside drawer?” She didn’t mention Noah, but I didn’t think she was talking about Mac or Parker.
“I thought we were here to shop,” I grumbled. Hair fell in my face as I yanked my random choice free—a romper the color of squashed peas.
“I don’t think that’s the one,” Eva deadpanned.
I blew the loose strands back, cursing my impromptu decision to get layers a few months ago. “Why is this even over here?”
“Some people have questionable taste.” She shrugged and moved to the next row. “Some need a nudge in the right direction. Some are determined to make poor choices based on past experiences.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and shoved the hanger back where I’d found it. “Why does this feel like we’re not talking about dresses?”
