“Do I know him?”
“No. He’s not from around here, which is part of the problem.”
“So, if he’s not from around here, is this like a fling?”
“I…don’t know.” In a way, a fling might be the safest thing for her heart. Or not. “When did I turn into an indecisive child? It’s like I can’t make a single decision for myself. I just feel…paralyzed.”
“You’re scared. I get that. After Nash died I was so afraid of losing anyone close to me, I pushed everyone away.”
Perrin remembered. She had been a part of that alienated list of loved ones. But her sister eventually let Ryan in, and he paved the way for everyone else to return to her life. “How did you know Ryan was safe?”
Maggie laughed. “I didn’t. I was terrified to let him get close to me, and even more terrified of forming any sort of attachment to him, but that didn’t stop my heart.”
“I’m not in love with this guy. I don’t even know him. He’s just…” She shook her head, trying to find the right words. “Different. Sometimes he watches me, and I feel like he’s the most patient person in the world, just content to wait and see who I really am.”
“Wow. And who is this guy?”
Her lips twisted. “He’s trying to buy the land I want.”
Understanding dawned on her sister’s face. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you tell him we were going to buy the land?”
“He knows. It’s business. Which makes hating him all the more complicated because he keeps trying to get personal.”
Curiosity sparked in Maggie’s eyes. “Is he cute?”
She rolled her eyes and gagged. “Gorgeous. Like, God must have robbed ten other people of pretty just to make him. It’s totally inconvenient and distracting.”
“How rude,” Maggie snickered.
“I know. It’s totally gross being around anyone that hot.”
She laughed. “Sort of the way I feel whenever I’m around you.”
“Shut up.” She shoved her sister and blushed.
“I mean it, Perrin. You’ve always been the pretty one. You didn’t even have to try to be prom queen in high school. It was just a given.”
So were a lot of other things. Somehow, being pretty also came with the assumption that she lacked intelligence. Her mom always said things like “You don’t need to know that. You’re pretty enough people will do things for you.” And guys, like her ex, assumed she was vacant enough not to notice the scent of another woman’s perfume on his clothes or lipstick on his collar. And when she found out he was actually cheating and confronted him, he undervalued her enough to try and convince her to stay—with the mistress in the background.
“He’s no different. He straight-up told me he wants to take me to bed. He doesn’t know me, so it’s meaningless.”
“I’m sorry.” Maggie studied her for a minute. “But, maybe meaningless isn’t such a bad thing. You’re clearly attracted to him. Why not…get yours?”
She met her sister’s mischievous glance and laughed. “Are you suggesting I use him to get laid?”
Maggie shrugged. “He’s the one who said he wanted to take you to bed. Is it so bad for you to want the same? It’s really an equal rights matter at this point, if you ask me.”
Perrin chuckled. “I’m not sure I remember how to do it.”
Her sister laughed. “Well, considering Bran was your last, I’d say a clean slate is best. Maybe Mr. Gorgeous will open new worlds for you, and I think you should let him.”
That night, when she had a break from the bar, she sent Gage a text. It had been five days since she last saw him, but she glimpsed his car around town and assumed he was still in Jasper Falls. She told him she thought about his offer and was willing to go on a date, if he was still interested.
His reply was immediate. He told her to keep Saturday open and asked what kind of pizza she liked. She was glad he was planning to keep things low key. She told him her favorite was deep-dish and she’d be available any time after four.
Maggie arranged for Ryan to cover for Perrin at the bar, so she spent the day fussing over what to wear. Since her vow of celibacy, she’d invested in comfort over style. Staring down at her drawer full of granny panties, she decided some shopping was in order. Unfortunately, in a place like Jasper Falls, where the locals bought their clothes at the same place they purchased chicken feed, there wasn’t a great selection of lingerie. The best she could do was settle on a matching black cotton bra and panty set.
She didn’t wear much makeup, so she dabbed some highlighting powder in the corner of her eyes and on the tip of her nose, brushed some mascara on her lashes, and glossed her lips, which gave her a sultry edge. As far as clothes, she only wore denim and leggings, so she paired her tightest jeans with a low-cut black top.