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“Done.” Drew did a quick search on his phone, then raised it to his ear. “Yeah, hi, I need a reservation for three tonight.” He listened. “None? You’re sure?” He turned to me. “What’s the owner’s name, babe?”
“Wayde Kingman.”
“Is Wayde Kingman available? Tell him I’m calling for Zelda Gordon. I’ll wait.” He didn’t let the host get a word in edgewise.
Aithan chuckled. “The look on your face is priceless, Zel.”
“I just can’t believe the balls on Mr. Katterman.”
Drew flashed a toothy grin then said, “Hi, Mr. Kingman, my name’s Drew Katterman.” He listened and nodded. “Yes. She’s standing right beside me. Yeah, doing great and hoping to get into Seats tonight.” He paused. “Table for three?” Listened. “Seven thirty is perfect. Thank you. I look forward to meeting you too, sir.” He hung up, pocketed his phone, and turned to us, arms wide, grin wider. “Done. Go get gorgeous. We’re hitting the town tonight.”
I laughed. “You realize Bellingham pretty much shuts down by ten o’clock, right?”
Aithan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. “That’s okay. Gives us more time to make our own fun.”
Drew’s expression turned feral. “I hope you packed something sexy, babe. I wanna show you off and make all the Bellingham chodes jealous.”
I side-eyed him. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Yeah?” they said in unison.
“Yeah.” I giggled.
Aithan walked me toward the stairs. “Stop teasing and get dressed.”
While I showered and pulled my hair up into a loose, messy bun, the guys got spiffy then returned to the main house to help my mom with something. She’d tasked them with lots of odd jobs, which was a good sign. It meant she liked them. Funny enough, she’d never done that with Tristan.
“Another missed sign of troubles, Zel,” I muttered while I put on smoky eyeshadow and pale lipstick.
One of the riskier pieces I’d bought with Lorelei’s encouragement — okay, it was more like serious prodding — was the wine-red mini dress Aithan had discovered after my shopping spree. It had a boat neck collar and an asymmetrical hemline that fell just above my knee on the left side and cut upward to hit mid-thigh on the right. I paired it with black suede thigh-high boots, a wide, gold cuff bracelet on my right wrist, and my gold hoops.
Lorelei said I had the legs to pull it off. That it was the kinda dress few women could wear with confidence. I stared at my reflection, turning to see every angle. “Well, I gotta admit it’s sexy as fuck,” I muttered, but I still wasn’t sure I could be one of those confident women.
Still ….
Greer would never wear this.
That brought a smile to my lips. “Drew and Aithan want to show you off,” I told my reflection. “Make the chodes jealous.” I laughed at Drew’s words then swallowed and nodded. “Okay, Zel. Be the vixen they think you are and Greer thinks you aren’t.”
Grabbing my clutch and a black swing coat, I headed downstairs and across the driveway.
When I strode into the foyer, my dad was sitting in his office sorting the day’s mail. He looked up, blinked, and said, “Wowie-wow, Punky, you’re a knockout.”
I blushed, looked down, and habitually tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Thanks, Dad.”
“No wonder you’ve got two successful guys following you around like love-struck puppies.”
I gaped. “Dad!”
“Holy shit, woman,” Drew said from the front room.
Beside him, Aithan grinned at me. “Hob is not wrong.”
Drew gave me puppy dog eyes, pouted, and made a whining sound.
Mom emerged from the kitchen. “What on earth?” She spied me and stopped dead. “My goodness, Zelda, you look beautiful!”
Greer had followed her. A host of emotions crossed her face before she remarked, “A bit short, don’t you think?”
