Page 57 of XOXO, Valentina

“Check.”

“Panties wet?”

“I wasn’t wearing any.”

“God, I miss having a boyfriend. Maybe I should call Dustin back.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said. Dustin was Kennedy’s ex who’d cheated on her and then tried to make it seem like it was her fault.

“I might have to take my mom up on her bridge partner’s nephew, but he’s only five foot ten. It would never work.”

“Five ten isn’t short,” I said. Kennedy was just under six feet tall, and some of the men she’d dated had a problem being shorter than her. “Maybe he has enough confidence not to be intimidated.”

“He’ll need it if he wants to go out with me.”

Kennedy frequently wore outlandish outfits and dyed colorful streaks in her hair. Any man who dated her needed more than height. He needed a sense of humor and a hunger for adventure.

“What’s next for you and Joey? Are you going to tell Shane you’re seeing someone?”

“We aren’t even seeing each other.”

“That’s not what the security cam footage showed.” She laughed. “Heis hot.”

“I know.” I was getting all hot and bothered just thinking about the way Joey kissed me, as if he had a secret map to my erogenous zones. “I’m going to Costa Rica with him,” I said.

“What? When?”

“For spring break. He’s going home for a week, and he asked me to come.”

“When do you leave?”

“Wednesday.” Tension coiled in my belly. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

“Of course you’re going. Why wouldn’t you go?”

“The garden needs planting, the shutters need painting, the light fixture in the hall needs to be raised, and my to-be-read stack is a mile long.” I scowled at the stack of books on my nightstand. I hadn’t been in the mood to read lately. Every hero between the pages made me think of Joey. “And what about our spa day? I shouldn’t cancel on you guys.”

Kennedy made a choking sound. “You can’t be serious.”

“And then there’s Shane…”

“The excuses are stacking up, Gabi.”

My temper flared. “Shane isn’t an excuse. He’s my son. What if he…”

Kennedy cut me off. “You’ve got about three more years to use your son as an excuse to avoid your intimacy issues.”

“I’m not—”

“Do you want to borrow my leopard-print swimsuit?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m bringing it over tomorrow, and I’m helping you pack. This is a thong-only trip. No mom panties allowed.”

I cringed. “You heard about that, huh?”

“Everyone knows about your mom panties,” she said.

---