Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,42
was not the topic she’d been hoping for. She was the quiet one of the group most of the time, but they’d know something was up if she said nothing at all.
“Yes,” Kit said.
“Please tell me you’re going to use blue or green. Something interesting,” Bree said. “Your house cannot take one more beige wall, Kit. Seriously.”
“I was thinking about a teal color,” Kit said.
“Yes, thank God,” Bree said enthusiastically.
“A soft teal. Light. Nothing too bright,” Kit said.
Bree leaned in. “Let me pick it out.”
“No.”
Bree bounced in her chair a little. “Come on. Trust me. Throw caution to the wind. Tell you what, I’ll do the painting. You let me pick the color and I’ll do the whole room. You can leave the beige wall behind when you go to work, and when you come home, your life will have some color in it.”
Kit shook her head, but she was clearly trying not to smile. “I don’t think so.”
“This way you won’t have to work up a sweat or risk chipping a nail,” Bree said, getting into her pitch.
“I’m hiring painters,” Kit said.
“What?” Bree slumped back in her chair. “No. Come on. I’ll charge you half of whatever they’re making you pay.”
“You would charge me?” Kit asked, obviously amused.
Bree tipped her head. “Cookies. You can have me for cookies.”
Kit laughed softly. “Does Max know that?”
Bree gave a mock scandalized gasp. Then grinned. “Doesn’t everyone know that?”
The waitress arrived to take their order, after which they chatted about silly things—Kit’s new shoes, Bree’s split ends, the fact they all deserved a full-body massage and pedicure followed by a sixteen-hour nap.
Avery felt her nerves building minute by minute. She wanted to talk about Jake. More specifically, she wanted advice about Jake.
Finally, as Bree stole a third fry from Avery’s plate, Avery took the plunge. “So, I don’t want to break any girlfriend rules.”
Bree nodded as she chewed. “Good girl. What’s up?”
“Jake and I had sex in the shed behind the school during the tornado.” Okay, so maybe she could blurt it out.
Bree started coughing, and Kit pushed her water glass closer as she gave Avery a look that was surprised and concerned at the same time.
“You and Jake had sex?” Bree rasped before Kit could say anything.
Avery bit her bottom lip and nodded.
“During the tornado?” Kit asked.
“Actually, right before it,” Avery clarified. “We were . . . done . . . and got under the workbench during the actual tornado.”
“You stayed out in the shed?” Kit asked. “That doesn’t seem safe.”
“That’s what you’re focusing on?” Bree asked her. “Seriously? Clearly they made it out alive. Let’s get to the good stuff.”
Avery felt the tight band around her chest loosen. This was what it felt like to have girlfriends—people who cared about your safety during sex and during a tornado, and especially when the two were combined.
“So you’re not surprised?” Avery asked.
Bree laughed. “No. Are you?”
“Surprised is not the word, no,” Avery said honestly.
“What is the word?” Kit asked.
Avery thought about that. “The first word that comes to mind is stupid.”
“Stupid?” Bree asked. “The sex was stupid?”
“The sex wasn’t stupid,” Avery said with a grin. She was so thankful that these women could make even this topic seem better. “My giving in to the sex was stupid.”
Kit seemed to be considering that. Then she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s a good thing.”
Avery perked up at that. “Really?” She would kind of like to think that sex with Jake was a good thing.
“Yeah, I do. The last time—the only time—you slept with him, it was your first time, and you had this big thing about his family and forever built up. It was huge. I think you’ve been carrying that around, and it’s allowed Jake to get to you and to even hurt you more than it should. And he’s been messing with you for a year. Now you’ve had sex again and you realize it’s no big deal, nothing major is attached to it, it’s just great sex. And now, Jake won’t be able to get to you anymore.”
Avery took it all in. She had to admit that part of her was leaping for joy and saying, Yes!
If only the other part of her that was saying, He still gets to you, and, It’s still big, would shut up.
Kit squeezed Avery’s hand. “Jake Mitchell is just a guy.”
Avery nodded.
“Say it, Avery,” Kit said.
She took a deep breath. “Jake Mitchell is just a guy.”