Some Sort of Crazy(23)
I coughed. “Miles Haas?” I said, like it was the most absurd thing she’d ever said.
“Yeah.” She put the towel in the hamper and took her lipstick from her purse. “I ran into him today at the grocery store. He said he’d seen you last night.”
“We had a beer and some food at the Jolly Pumpkin, that’s all.” I hated how defensive I sounded. “Why should that cause tension?”
My sister rolled her eyes. “Because he’s always had a thing for you and Dan knows it.”
“What?” I screeched, throwing my towel in the hamper. “That’s ridiculous. Miles and I have never had a thing.”
I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.
“I didn’t say you guys had a thing, I said he’s always had a thing for you.” She capped the lipstick and rubbed her lips together. “At least, I always thought he did. I was surprised you two never hooked up.”
“I’ve always been with Dan,” I said, unhappy with the way my heart was skipping beats at the thought of hooking up with Miles. It was too late for this.
I think no one will ever be good enough for you, and all I want to do right now is kiss you.
“I’d never cheat on Dan,” I went on, as much for my benefit as for hers. “And besides, you’re crazy. Miles doesn’t have a thing for me. He’s just a flirt.”
Well, that’s not all I want to do. But it’s a start.
Skylar raised her eyebrows. “If you say so. But I saw the look on his face when he was talking about you today.”
“What look? What did he say about me?” For someone who just denied any kind of thing with Miles, I knew I sounded way too eager, but I couldn’t help it.
“He was going on about how awesome the shop is, how proud you should be, how good you are at everything you do, from baking to managing to taking pictures.” Looking at herself in the mirror, she played with her hair and fussed with an earring. “And he said you two met up last night and had a really nice time.”
“We did.” I took my lip gloss from my purse and applied it with shaky fingers, staring at my mouth in the mirror instead of my pink cheeks and guilty eyes. A very nice time. Too nice. I wish I was hanging out with him again tonight, and I feel horrible about it. “But we’re just old friends who don’t get to see each other often enough. That’s all.”
“So what’s with Dan, then? I know there’s something.”
I put the lip gloss back in my purse and faced her. “Honestly, something is wrong there, but I can’t figure out what it is. And I’m scared.” My eyes filled unexpectedly, and I fanned at them.
She pulled me over to a small chaise in the powder room adjacent to the bathroom. “Come here. Sit. Talk.”
“We have to go back to the table,” I said, fighting off the tears. “And it’s probably nothing. I’m just so tired.”
“Talk. We’re not going back until you do.” She folded her arms. “I’m the big sister, and I say so.”
Sniffing, I laughed a little. “It’s dumb, really. After hanging out with Miles yesterday—you know how he is—I started to feel like Dan and I needed a little boost in the sex department.”
“The sex department?” She wrinkled her nose. “What’s that about?”
I played with the hem on my dress. “It’s been a couple months, that’s all.”
“A couple months?” Skylar was dumbfounded. “Why?”
“We’ve just been busy and tired a lot, I guess. I don’t know. And we’ve been together so long, we don’t feel the urge as much as you guys do.”
“No one does,” she said seriously. “We are animals.”
I sighed again, louder. Why couldn’t I be animals with someone? “So I went over there with the idea of surprising him.” I told her what happened and watched her expression change. “What’s that face you’re making?” I asked, scared to hear the answer.
“Why would he need to shower again? Did he have to wash someone’s sex stink off?” Skylar still hadn’t forgiven Dan for last summer’s transgressions.
I winced. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying not to think about that.”
She harrumphed. “And what about after he came to bed? Did you do it?”
“No. He said he was too tired.”
“You tried? And he turned you down?”
I nodded, feeling pathetic and helpless. “I didn’t try very hard. But yeah. He went right to sleep. And you know what, I wasn’t even that disappointed—I was more confused than anything else.”