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Pippa
Pippa finished washing the sand off her body before carefully getting out of the shower. Lady stood on guard next to her, her ever-faithful sidekick. Lady was one of the reasons Pippa could live on her own. It was possible without her, but she set not only Pippa’s mind at ease, but her family’s.
Pippa wrapped a towel around herself and inspected her dark hair. She ran a hand through the thick, wavy locks. Maybe she’d do some braids with blue this time.
A water droplet dripped down her neck, disappearing into the towel. She pulled it open, turning sideways and then to her front again, inspecting her naked self. Her skin jiggled with her movements. She pressed a hand to her soft stomach. She’d come to accept her figure and all her curves after spending so much time hating every inch, wishing she’d just wake up thin one morning. At some point, she’d embraced her cellulite and stretch marks. This was her body. There were plenty of plus-size women who were gorgeous, so why not her? Almost all her past boyfriends had loved her shape. So why was she feeling so self-conscious these days? Hadn’t she dealt with this?
Mason’s grimace flashed in her mind. Right. It figured the first man she’d found attractive in a long time would look at her as if it hurt him physically.
I thought there had been a moment. She’d been sure he was going to kiss her. But then he’d reared back so fast, she’d thought a shark had grabbed him.
Pippa shivered and went into her bedroom. She grabbed a comfy floral yellow sundress that cinched under her breasts and flowed out. She slipped it over her head as her phone buzzed.
Sophia’s name flashed on the cell. Pippa clicked on the FaceTime button and waited for it to connect. Her sister’s warm brown eyes lit up on the screen, followed by her sweet smile.
“Hey, Pip. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. I actually got in the ocean today.”
Her sister’s grin faded. Her brows drew together in concern. “Alone?”
Pippa shook her head. Guilt crashed over her. She’d been so excited to share her good news that she forgot for one second how worried her sister would be. I hate this. “No, no. You know I’m careful. A . . . friend was with me. I had a life vest on, and Lady was with me too. He took me paddleboarding.”
“He?” Sophia’s smile was back.
Pippa giggled. “Yes, he.”
“Nena, spill it! I don’t have all day.”
“He’s the dad of one of my customers. I happened upon them at the beach and one thing led to another. He took me out, and it was so cool.”
“Is he married?” Sophia asked.
Pippa shook her head. “I don’t believe she’s in the picture.”
Sophia smirked. “So, he’s single?”
Single and in no way interested, if the disgust that had flashed in his eyes was any indication. A pang of hurt streaked through her chest. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Awww, why not?” her sister whined.
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s not into me.”
“But there’s still a chance? How do you know?”
Pippa adjusted the phone on her vanity as she grabbed her brush. She needed to get the tangles out before her hair dried. As she worked, she changed the subject. “How are you and Vivian doing?”
Sophia pointed her finger at the camera. “I see what you’re doing. We’re coming back to this.”
Pippa chuckled and set her brush down before grabbing one of the spray bottles of product by the mirror. “Well, how is everything?”
Sophia sighed dreamily. “That’s actually why I was calling.” She cleared her throat, rubbing her nose with her hand as something glinted off her finger.
Pippa sucked in a breath and set down her product. “You got engaged!”
Sophia beamed. “It was so perfect, Pip. She surprised me with a scavenger hunt featuring all the special places we’d visited. Then, she popped the question where we had our first date.”
Pippa’s heart soared for her sister. “Show me that rock again.”
