Kallie shrugged before she took another sip of her wine.
“I don’t expect to take him back,” she said. “But it’s hard to ignore him completely. I still care about him. In some ways, I think I still love him.”
“Kallie...”
“I do. I think his emotions were genuine. And we were planning a life together. A house. Children. Moving my office into an actual building he would help fund so I could meet with clients outside of the home. James was supportive of all that.”
“Yeah. After fighting for five months over it.”
“At least he went with it eventually,” Kallie said.
“And there you go with the excuses again.”
“Look, not everything was terrible with James, that’s all I’m saying. Remember when you fell and broke your leg?”
“Are you really holding the fact that he paid for my surgery over my head?” Eris asked.
“No. I’m saying that James isn’t all bad.”
“Yeah. Just a slimy cheater who fucked your bridesmaid.”
Kallie shot Eris a look and then tipped her wine bottle back for another few chugs.
“Come to your senses, Kallie. Don’t make me shake you. Because I’ll shake you until you spew wine all over this couch.”
But before Kallie could answer, Eris slapped her hand over her mouth. She furrowed her brow and watched as a smile slid across her friend’s face. She knew where this was headed. She always knew where this was headed.
“No,” Kallie said.
“We’re going out,” Eris said.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, we are. Come on. You need some sense knocked back into you. You need to experience what it means to be single again and how wonderful it can be. We’re going out.”
“No, we’re not,” Kallie said.
“You don’t get a choice because clearly you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk after half a bottle of wine.”
“We’re going out!” Eris exclaimed. “You need a night out on the town to forget about the wedding and that bullshit honeymoon-not-honeymoon you came back early from.”
“I don’t want to get dressed up, though.”
“Then wear some jeans and a T-shirt! I don’t give a shit. I’m going out just like this.”
Eris held her arms out and gave Kallie a little twirl.
“A tank top and sweatpants?”
“What better way to shake my ass?” Eris said. “That’s what you need. A good night of ass-shaking. Some drinks. Some food. And absolutely no dick.”
“Unless you leave with someone.”
“Nope. Tonight’s all about you. We’ll ignore the salivating crowd of guys, twerk our asses on the floor, and laugh until we’re hoarse.”
Eris reached for Kallie’s hands and tugged her off the couch.
“But I don’t wanna,” Kallie whined.
“Tough shit. Either go get ready or slip your shoes on. Because we aren’t staying here another second.”
“We have to if you want me to change.”
“Yep. You’re not drunk. But that’s going to change,” Eris said with a grin. “Now come on. Go get some decent clothes on and do something with that mop of hair on your head.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Kallie shuffled to her room and headed straight for her closet. A simple brush through her hair would be all she needed for it. But if she was going to go out with Eris, she was going to do it right. Kallie riffled through her closet and pulled out a few outfits, tossing them onto her bed. The more she looked, the more excited she became. A girls’ night out was exactly what she needed. Some unadulterated time with Eris, some fruity cocktails, and maybe a few guys who flirted with her before she turned them down.
A nice confidence-boosting evening.
After trying on multiple outfits, Kallie settled on a flattering green and yellow dress. Spaghetti straps with support already built in and fabric that poured down to her knees. The high empire waist accented the dips in her body while concealing the thicker curves. Her thighs for instance. Kallie hated her thighs. She slipped her feet into a matching pair of green flats and walked into the bathroom, then ran a brush through her hair. She untangled all the knots and braided it down her back, then pulled a few wispy curls out to frame her face.