Page 29 of Something Reckless
ALBA
I scoop my chip right into the dish of homemade guacamole, and then I wash it down with a hearty sip of my cocktail. Also homemade and a little too strong if you ask me.
Jules dances her way across the kitchen and bumps her hip into mine. “What do ya say? Do ya like it? Huh? Huh?”
“Good. Really good,” I cough out. “Well, aside from the fact that it just fried off a couple of my nose hairs.”
My bestie chugs down another gulp from her own margarita glass. She coughs through her nostrils. “Ugh! Who needs nose hairs anyway? Nose hairs are overrated.”
STOP BELIEVING PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU YOU SUCK , her T-shirt advises today.
I like that advice , I decide.
At the family dinner the other night, Easton’s mother and mine both agreed that us girls needed to get together—without the guys and without the kids.
When I showed up tonight, looking so damn sad and pathetic as I came over to drop Jagger off for his first night at his dad’s, Monica felt sorry for me.
She told me to round up some girlfriends, and now, here we are, having an impromptu girl’s night in Easton’s guest house, and Mama Raines is playing host..
Jules is here, as well as Laney, my coworker from the hospital. I didn’t think she would be able to get off work on such short notice, but we somehow caught her on her night off.
She’s still relatively new in town, so Jules and I try to invite her out anytime we’re doing something—which to be honest, isn’t often with my own head-spinning schedule.
Tammy from the diner also showed up, and I can tell that my mom is really happy that her friend was able to make it. After having such a rough few years, I’m glad to see my mother forming a little crew of her own.
Jules appointed herself to be in charge of mixing the drinks, and the rest of us each brought a dish or two to our potluck style girl’s night.
Despite all the delicious food spread out on the table in front of us, with Jules’s strong drinks, it’s not long before we’re all a little tipsy. Even the grandmas, too.
But Monica promises that she’ll have one of her sons play designated driver later, so we just carry on drinking and gossiping about work and men and life. It’s nice to feel free for once.
It helps that Jagger is with Easton for the evening. I don’t have to worry about him. I know he’s in good hands. Slowly, Easton is helping me realize that I need to make time every now and then for a little fun in my life.
Tammy props her feet up on the stool in front of her. “Next time, we’re having a girl's night at the bar or something. All I do is go from work to home, and repeat again. I haven't gotten any ‘D’ in months. I’m getting sick of all my condoms turning to dust at the bottom of my panty drawer. ”
“For some of us, it’s been longer than a few months,” Laney laughs, pointing her thumb into her chest.
I throw my head back and giggle drunkenly. “Ha! Some of us have never gotten any ‘D’. Ever. So you ladies better count your blessings and stop complaining.”
“What?!” Tammy’s eyes bulge as she tops off Monica’s glass.No doubt she’s thinking back to when she walked in on Easton and me in the elevator. But she doesn’t bring it up. Thankfully.
Laney gets a faraway look in her eyes and winces. “Yikes. Never? Well, you’re drop dead gorgeous, so if you can’t get laid, then I’m shit out of luck. I’m not even that picky. I’m just starting to think there aren’t enough men in this town.”
“Amen to that,” my mother mumbles into her own drink.
All the girls squeal at Mom’s out-of-character comment.
“Oh, you have to tell us,” Jules begs. “How long has it been, Mama Anderson?”
My mom starts blushing, and I immediately slap my hands over both of my ears. I love my mom, but there’s no way I want to hear this. “La la la la,” I repeat until Tammy smacks me.
“You know…” Monica interjects, pointing at my mom. “I saw this ad for a dating website for women our age, and for once, this one actually seemed… interesting . You should really consider signing up and meeting a few new people.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” my mom waves the idea away. “All the creeps come out on the internet.”
“Sometimes, yes,” Jules interjects. “But I do all my dating online, and I’ve actually met quite a few great guys on my CheekyChat app.
The best part is that you can extend the radius past the county line if you’re looking for a little something extra.
” She winks at my mom, and her face grows even pinker.
The next thing I know, we’re all crowded around Jules’s chair, cocktails in hand, scrolling through her—quite active—dating profile.
“Oh, your profile picture is so hot,” Laney mutters. “No wonder you’re getting all the action.”
“Trust me, the guys on here would go apeshit even if you left the photo blank. They believe anything you tell them when they’re thinking with their dick,” Jules jokes.
She starts scrolling through some of her potential matches, as she tries to convince the rest of us to join her in the online dating world. I can’t lie—some of them are pretty sexy, and I think Tammy’s already convinced. But me? No way.
I wasn’t lying when I told Easton that I don’t date. I can barely make the time to wash my hair once a week. Where on earth would I find the time to shave my legs, get dressed up, do my makeup and go meet a stranger?I’d be dead on my feet before even getting to the restaurant.
After swiping through a few duds, we land on the profile of someone familiar.
Lincoln Raines.
We all scream at the sight of Easton’s oldest brother, here on Jules’s dating app.
“Wow! Those are a lot of abs,” Tammy mutters, fanning her cheeks.
“And oh my gosh—I never expected that he’d have tattoos…” Mom gushes, before slapping a hand over her mouth.
Lincoln’s quite handsome, but I can’t help but wish it was Easton’s shirtless stomach I was looking at.
Jules reads Lincoln’s profile aloud, much to his mother’s dismay. But judging from the way she laughs, I’m sure she’s no stranger to her sons and their shenanigans.
“I'm a 30-year-old sports agent who knows how to close a deal (both in and out of the office). I'm passionate about my career, dedicated to my family, and looking for a woman who can keep up. If you’re responsible, serious about commitment, and comfortable with a man who takes charge, let’s take this to the next level.”
Laney whistles. “Boy. He is totally giving ‘Daddy Dom’ vibes.” Then her eyes meet Monica’s. “Oops, sorry!” she apologizes, while the rest of us just laugh.
“You should try and match with him,” I tell Jules. “What do you do? Click it? Heart it?”
She rolls her eyes at my inexperience. “You swipe right if you’re interested.”
“Then do it! Swipe him!” Tammy encourages.
“Swipe him! Swipe him!” I chant alongside Tammy, feeling absolutely ridiculous.
“That’s not even how you say it,” Jules mutters. “But seriously. No way. Lincoln is way too uptight for me.” Then she cringes and apologizes to his mom. The poor woman.
“I need another drink,” Monica mumbles, getting up to top off her glass while we all continue laughing. The rest of us follow after her, taking a drink break alongside her.
“Uh. Whoopsie,” I hear my mom saying, as she sets down Jules’s phone on the table and slowly backs away like it might bite her.
“Mom! What did you do?” I ask hesitantly.
Jules hurriedly puts down the drink pitcher, rushing over to check the screen of her phone. “She sent Lincoln a match request from my profile,” my best friend gasps, a look of horror on her face.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I just wanted to get a little look at what the app was like,” my mother pleads. “I didn’t mean to!”
I’m bent in half, tears streaming down my face as I can’t stop laughing.
I can’t believe my mom of all people practically just set up Jules with one of the Raines boys.
And probably as just a booty call. I don’t know a lot of dating apps, but I do know that there’s not a lot of marriages coming out of these online hookups. At least not around Fairy Bush.
Before I know what she’s doing, Jules is reaching over and snatching my own phone from my back pocket. “Since you think this is so funny, I’m creating a CheekyChat profile for you!”
I gasp, reaching out to try and get my phone back. But my tipsy reflexes aren’t as good as Jules’s. Plus she’s taller than me and it doesn’t take much for her to hold it out of my reach.
“No way! Give it back!” I whine through my laughter.
Tammy slaps my hands out of the air. “You should totally just let her do it, Alba!” she insists, her words slurring. “A little cherry-popping action would do you some good.”
“Yeah, honey,” Mom agrees, sounding almost as drunk as everybody else. “You should take a chance. Go on some dates before you’re old like me.”
Jules grins devilishly in my direction. “They’re right. No more wasting all your hotness.”
“No more wasting your hotness!” Laney cheers, lifting her glass in the air and looking like she’s getting ready to face-plant soon.
I laugh, shaking my head at their ridiculousness. Sure, I’ll admit that I do sometimes get lonely, and I’ve developed a concerning attachment to my vibrator, and I am a tiny bit curious about what it’d be like to date some of these men Jules has been showing us.
Though that could just be the horniness talking.
Hanging around Easton these days has been doing a number on my hormones. It would actually be nice to be capable of existing in his presence without wanting to jump on him and ride his leg.
“Fine,” I give in, and the girls let out a round of drunken cheering. “Let’s give this dating app thing a go.”