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“Calm down, Melissa. Your eyes are like saucers. They make you look like a cartoon bat on caffeine.” I swing open Melissa’s refrigerator and grab a tomato and hand it to her. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
She slices into the tomato. “Famous last words.”
“Don’t act like you haven’t done impulsive things. Remember your junior prom dress?”
“We promised never to speak of such a thing.”
“Your mother made you wear the most hideous dress. You looked like a Golden Girl.”
“It was your genius idea to go allPretty in Pinkand start tearing off the sleeves and high neck in the restroom of the catering hall.”
“I had no idea the entire dress would fall apart. I’m not a seamstress.”
“Clearly! I had to tie the ends together behind my neck like a makeshift halter top.” Her blonde ponytail sways as she gets animated.
I lean against the counter. “I mean … it was better without the hideous crinoline and shoulder pads.”
She points a paring knife at me, accusing, “Enough of the detour, Tara. Tell me about your day at Rob’s house.”
“Who’s Rob?” Jillian asks as she walks in with a bouquet of flowers and hands them to Melissa. “These are for you.”
Melissa takes them, and her pale blue eyes well up with moisture. “They’re beautiful.”
I grab a tissue from the box and hand it to Jillian, who hands it to Melissa.
“Pregnancy hormones on a rampage today, huh?” Jillian remarks as Melissa dabs her eyes.
“I don’t know what I was thinking, getting married while this pregnant. Did I look like a whale at the wedding?”
“Absolutely not!” I’m quick to respond as Jillian adds, “You looked gorgeous.”
Melissa waves the air in front of her and smiles. “Let’s shift the focus away from me. You guys know I tend to ramble when the spotlight’s on me. Tara, spill about your day at Rob’s.”
Jillian has a perplexed look on her face, so I explain, “Will’s brother needed help with the kids.”
“Wait. Rob’s the gruff older brother who barely says a word, right? The one who grunts at you and walks away?”
“Yes!” I exclaim. “He finally explained that at the wedding. A misunderstanding. He thought I was interested in him. Didn’t want to give me the wrong impression, so he acted like an ogre and ran away.”
“That’s presumptuous.” Jillian twists her face and crosses her arms. “Jerk.”
Melissa takes the flowers out of the cellophane wrapping and sways her head. “Is it though? He is really good-looking. The entire Bronson clan is attractive, but Rob has that hunky, brawny, rugged, wide-shouldered thing going on. He’s the kind of man you can swoon over as he throws you over his shoulder and carries you to bed.”
Jillian gives me the side-eye and then looks back at Melissa. “Pregnancy’s also making you a bit amorous, huh?”
“Oh my God, you wouldn’t believe it,” she states, to which we all laugh.
I open the cabinet above her refrigerator and grab a vase. “Rob is most definitely attractive. We all know that. And he’s so gruff that he’d probably be really good at … well, you know. However, that’s not in any way a possibility. I’m too hopeful for him. He’s too moody for me. We just ran into each other, and I heard he needed help, so I offered—end of story. I went there. I hung out with his kid for the day. I baked.”
“You baked?” Jillian lowers her gaze. “You only bake when you’re sexually frustrated—”
“Or dealing with emotional shit,” Melissa adds, placing the flowers in a vase, now full of water. She gives me her full attention. “Which is it?”
I try to sound nonchalant, but the two inquisitive hens in the kitchen are staring at me like they’re about to peck me to death if I don’t spill the beans.
“I saw Patrick.”
Jillian purses her lips with narrowed eyes as Melissa asks, as if the notion couldn’t be possible, “Your ex-fiancé?”
