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Chapter 19
Skylargroanedasshecollapsed back on the couch, rubbing her tummy. “I can’t believe I ate all that. Mandy is going to make me work out tomorrow.”
Jami patted her leg from where she sat on the floor, scraping the last of the chocolate sauce from her ice cream bowl. “You always look good.”
“Don’t I know it.” Skylar winked, still rubbing her stomach. “You look better than you did at the funeral.”
“Yeah.” Jami remembered all the times Malcolm had plied her with food, especially at the tavern. He’d paid close attention to what she liked, as everything he had set before her lately had tempted her.
“So what about Muscles?” Skylar asked. “Please tell me you’ve been fucking him.”
Jami let her spoon clatter into the bowl. “His name is Malcolm. And no. Not recently, anyway.” She couldn’t believe she’d said that.
Skylar sat up. “Wait, so you’ve had sex with him?” She laughed. “Shit, I was worried for a sec you’d only been with that asshole. I seriously doubt Drew knew his way around a clit.”
Jami really didn’t want to talk about her times with Andrew. “I lost my virginity with Malcolm.”
“Fuck yeah.” Skylar grinned. “I bet you not being a virgin burned that man’s ass.”
Jami still wondered if Andrew had believed Malcolm. He hadn’t been able to tell the difference. Maybe because she’d been unable to hide how much it hurt. She took a breath, pushing the bowl away. “Malcolm and I did it back when we were teenagers. The night of the accident, actually.”
“Oh,” Skylar said, frowning. “So, wait, was that the only time? Weren’t you living with him recently?”
“It’s complicated.” Jami couldn’t help but remember how Malcolm had made her feel, even with her clothes on. She’d actually had an orgasm. She stared through the coffee table when she realized that had only been that morning. It didn’t seem possible so little time had passed.
“Sounds like fate to me, finding him again like that.” Skylar smiled at her. “Like one of those romance novels you used to love. You still reading those?”
Instead of being an escape, reading those types of books had begun to feel foolish. Life wasn’t like that. “Not as often,” Jami said.
“Oh shit, that reminds me.” Skylar scrambled off the couch, jogging into the bedroom. She came back with a large, wrapped present.
Jami stared at it. “What’s that?”
“It’s a gift, dummy.” Skylar shoved it into her hands. “I sent Mandy out to get it when she said you were coming.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Jami picked at the tape as she looked at her sister.
Skylar rolled her eyes. “You never let me give you money or anything. Just open it.”
Jami did as she was told. On the top was a leather journal in a deep blue. It had a fairy etched into its surface. Beneath the journal was a heavy box with a picture of a laptop. She blinked at it.
“I figured you still didn’t know what the hell to do with yourself.” Skylar shrugged before she sat on the couch again, pulling her knees up to wrap her arms around them. “When we were kids, you always scribbled stories in notebooks.” Her frown returned. “All that shit must be gone now, huh?”
“There was nothing left after the fire,” Jami said. Her hands ran over the notebook. It was really beautiful. “This is too much, Skylar.”
“Fuck that. Just say thank you.” Her sister shook her head. “Before the accident, you had all that college shit figured out. Hell, you were probably supposed to be valedictorian.”
“I was third in the class,” Jami murmured. The counselor and teachers had allowed her to finish the last few weeks remotely because of the accident, so she’d graduated from high school. With her father’s needs, plus the fact that Skylar wasn’t an adult, college hadn’t been possible even with the full scholarship she’d received. Time had been more of a factor than money.
“You should think about going to college now. I’ll pay,” Skylar offered.
“You don’t have to—”
“Iwantto.” Skylar glared at her. “Shit, Jami, think about yourself for once. What do you want to do?”
Jami ran her hands over the box the laptop was in. “I don’t know.”
A laugh escaped her sister. “Well, that’s honest, anyway. Do whatever feels good. The Jami I remember was spontaneous as shit.” Skylar winked at her. “Like losing her virginity at some school dance. Fuck, that’s a shock.” She tilted her head. “So things aren’t serious with Muscles?”
