Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,280

will love it and you, of course.”

She sits on the side of the tub, watching me put my makeup on. Her heavy black eyeliner and mascara applied flawlessly looks great with her pink lipstick.

“I was thinking last night after you went to bed.”

“You thinking? I’m shocked.” I chuckle.

She sticks her tongue out at me through the mirror. “I’m not just a fabulous pair of tits and ass.”

I laugh, deserting the thought of applying my lipstick when she’s in this mood.

“I think you’re being really hard on yourself.”

“No Gwen.” I shake my head, turning back to the mirror, plumping my lips to apply my lipstick. I’ll take any excuse to avoid this conversation with yet another person.

“Since when did you ever think you could boss me around?” She raises her perfectly arched eyebrows, crossing her legs.

Gwen is right. She’s always challenged me and usually made me a better person for it.

“I think that it’s over. What’s wrong with being single. You are.” I shrug.

She laughs. “By choice. You’re hurting yourself and I’m not going to sit back and watch you do it. Todd was an asshole. I told you that from day one. He was spineless. I always said you needed a man who would challenge you, and from what I hear of this Roarke guy, that’s him.”

I set the lipstick on the counter and spin around to face her. “You don’t even know him.”

“You’re forgetting I sat in the courtroom when that divorce was finalized. I’m the one who took you out for drinks in celebration of shedding one hundred and ninety pounds of grade A asshole.”

I giggle. God, have I missed her.

“True.”

“I would’ve slipped him my phone number had you not already staked your claim.”

She comes over and sits on the counter next to me.

“I hated him.”

Her shoulders rise up and down. “You sure about that?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“He was all you could talk about that night.”

“Because I was pissed. He helped Todd take my money.” I pick the lipstick back up and slide it across my lips.

“That’s not what you said as you were passing out and slurring your words.” She’s got her ‘I’ve got a secret expression’ on her face. The same one she had before she told me she lost her virginity.

I stop and lean my hip on the counter. “Are you really going to make me ask?”

Her laughter echoes in the small room. “You said you wanted to fall to your knees, unzip his slacks, and see if he’s the man you think he is. You wanted to blow—”

I hold my hand up. “Got it, Gwen. I’d also drank half a bottle of Patron.”

“You know I always say that the truth comes out when you’re high or drunk.” She hops down from the countertop and lingers in the doorway. “I’m just going to say one more thing and then I’ll leave you alone about it. You are an amazing woman and you’re stronger than you think. I might be the only person who saw how hard it was for you when you found out Todd was cheating. I know you see yourself as some damaged person, but you’re not. You’re a beautiful, independent woman who rose up out of the ashes to do something meaningful with her life. And if Roarke is the man I think he is, he’d rather have you and support you while you work through your stuff, than not have you at all.”

I turn and open my mouth to respond but she’s gone. Always the one to say her thoughts and disappear.

Inspecting myself one last time, I can almost feel Roarke behind me, kissing my shoulder like he always did, telling me how beautiful I am. Reassuring me I’m the only one for him.

I blink and see it’s just me and it’s the first time in over a week that I debate if I really did make the right decision.

Chapter Thirty-Two

I walk into the gala and a real smile creases my lips for the first time since everything went to shit with Roarke.

The simple vases with clusters of white roses and greenery on each table under the pleated white tent give off a casual elegant vibe. A makeshift dance floor is surrounded by tables of eight covered in white tablecloths and the tent is open along the sides so you can see the city skyline.

“You like?” Sonya approaches me wearing a nice pink dress and heels, her name tag in place.

“I love. It’s beautiful.”

“May I walk you around?”

The waitstaff are dressed in