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I run a hand up the back of my head. Face burning. “Yes ma’am, I believe it is.”
“Well done, Louise!”
“Thank you. But we should get inside before you say anything even weirder.” Lu loops her arm through Lady’s and offers me a smile. “Thanks for the cart.”
“And the orgasms!” Lady adds.
I laugh. Lu cringes.
“Lady, I think we need to get you laid,” she says.
Lady pops her eyebrows. “Like I said, I’m ready to drop trou anytime, anywhere.”
Making a mental note to reach out to Joe—I’ve seen him chatting up Lady recently—I lean in and give Lu one last peck on the cheek. Chaste as I can make it. “I’ll see what I can do. Night, y’all.”
“Night, Riley.” Lu gives me a little wave goodbye.
It’s fucking cute.
But it’s the last time I ever wanna see it.
This time tomorrow night, she’ll be falling asleep in my bed. I know Lu’s gotta go back to Charlotte in a couple days, which unfortunately means we’ll be doing this good-night shit again. But I’m ready to stop saying goodbye to her.
Instead, I wanna be the first to say good morning to her when she wakes up next to me.
I wanna be the first name on her lips when I make her come.
Morning sex is my favorite for a reason.
What a mind fuck to think I get to do it again with Lu.
sixteen
Lu
Hard Left
“I promise, I won’t tell a soul.” Lady carefully rinses my hair using the kitchen sink’s sprayer. The warm water feels delicious on my scalp. “But wow, Riley loves you. Like, really loves you.”
“What on God’s green earth are y’all doing?”
My heart stutters at the sound of Mom’s voice. Lady’s hand goes still on my head.
It wasn’t hard telling Lady about Riley and me. In fact, it was fun. She and I stayed up way too late last night as I filled her in on all the details, both of us struggling to muffle our squeals of delight and swoony sighs so we didn’t wake up my mother.
But telling Mom? For whatever reason, that feels like a much more daunting task. Maybe because I know part of her is hoping I ultimately end up with a guy like Patrick? Because choosing Patrick mirrored her choices, but choosing Riley means I’m taking a hard left where Mom went right?
Or maybe because I know how hurt she’ll be that I kept such a big secret from her. Mom and I are different in many ways, but we’ve always been close.
“Don’t tell me”—Mom’s slippers scuff to a stop on the hardwoods—“oh, no, Louise, you didn’t!”
My stomach twists. I have exactly zero regrets about hopping in my brand-new golf cart—I’ve affectionately dubbed her Julia—first thing this morning to grab hair dye from the Maritime Market. But I’ll always hate disappointing my mom.
Aunt Lady turns off the tap and helps me wrap my dark hair in a towel. I feel a distinct pinch between my legs when I straighten, blinking at the onslaught of morning light.
Riley was there. Heat blooms in my cheeks.
“It was time for a change.” I put my hand on my face. “I like being a brunette better.”
Mom is staring at me, incredulous. “Since when?”
“Since forever.”
“But you looked so pretty as a blonde!”
Aunt Lady cuts my mom a look. “Katherine, leave her alone. Lu is gorgeous with any color hair.”
“Lu?” Mom grabs onto the countertop. “Not that again.”
I went back to Louise after Riley dumped me. Again, it felt like sticking it to him. Didn’t hurt that Mom always preferred to call me Louise. The good girl in me liked making her happy.
I think Riley killed that good girl last night when he demanded I get on my hands and knees and I obeyed, ending up with the best orgasm of my life in the process.
Yeah, I’m done being good.
I like being real—messy—better.
“I need to get ready.” I pick up my coffee mug from the counter beside the sink and brush past Mom. “I told Goldie I’d help her bring the gifts she got everyone to Riley’s boat for the bachelorette party.”
Lady grins. “The pussy magnet. How fun.”
“What in the world is going on with y’all today?” Mom’s jaw is practically on the floor at this point. “Louise, we need to talk about this!”
“Let her go,” Lady says. “She’s got people to do.”
“What?”
“Oh, I meant to say things. She has things to do.”
“Does this have anything to do with Riley Dixon and that golf cart he dropped off yesterday? What happened with that, by the way?”
“Julia’s staying!” I yell as I turn a corner and make a dash for my room.
“Julia?” Mom asks.
Even though my hair’s probably going to be a disaster two seconds after I get outside thanks to the humidity, I still blow it out and use some product. Then I use my curling iron, finally brushing out my waves so they’re tousled and beachy looking.
