Page 73 of Just the Tipsy
“Hey! Come in!” Rose steps aside to let me in. “Let me get you a drink.”
We walk through the house, which has the same layout as Waylon’s, but in reverse. Their kitchen is much more decked out than Waylon’s, with different appliances dotting the counter and a full bar cart. A whole array of snacks are spread acrossthe middle island. Jada’s there, along with two girls I vaguely recognize but have never officially met.
“Bianca, I don’t think you’ve officially met Sabrina. She’s a bartender at the bar.” Rose gestures to the Latina girl, who has cute dimples and some of the shiniest dark hair I’ve ever seen. “This is my cousin, Natasha and my best friend Jo.”
Natasha nods a hello. She’s petite like Rose, and her hair is also wrapped in a scarf, but more for fashion than function. Jo is around my height, her skin a shade or two lighter than mine and her hair back in a chic bun.
Shyness takes over me for a second, but I manage to say hello. Since I’ve been paraded around Jepsen, I’ve gotten over most of my initial social anxiety. Weird how that didn’t happen in LA when I was meeting people just as often, if not more.
“What do you want to drink, Bianca?” Rose asks, looking over their full bar car. “I can make a cocktail, but we have champagne too.”
“A cocktail would be great. Anything is fine as long as it’s not whiskey.” I’ve seen the drink calledJust Trust Meon the menu at the Copper Moon, which only Wes and Rose make on the fly based on whatever the customer likes. I’ve never had it, but if it’s popular enough to go on the menu, I’m guessing it’s okay.
“Is that all makeup?” Sabrina asks with a pleased gasp when I shift my bag around and everything clicks together.
“Yeah. I got a lot of PR gifts that I can’t use.” I hold up the bag a little higher. “I didn’t get the chance to donate it before I left. It’s a lot of weird stuff, to be honest, like crazy colors and glitter. Stuff I wouldn’t use every day.”
“So, perfect for us dressing up an absurd amount to go to the local bar we go to all the time.” Jada grins. “I’m going to go so extra.”
“I don’t think you could do anything less,” Rose says, shaking a cocktail shaker and pouring my drink. “Here you go, Bianca. Let me know if you want something different.”
I thank her and take a sip. It’s perfect, light and lemony with a bit of lavender.
“This is amazing. How did you know I’d like it? This is something I’d totally order,” I say.
“I just read someone’s vibe. You seem like a tasty cocktail on a patio in the summer kind of person.” Rose shrugs.
I am, and the fact that she picked up on it after we’ve only known each other for about two months makes me feel warm inside. Or it’s the drink. Maybe both.
Wes comes down the stairs in jeans and a t-shirt, Murphy and their big orange cat Dennis trailing behind him. Murphy wanders up to us, tail wagging, but Dennis peels off into the living room, ignoring us completely.
“You’re still not getting dressed?” Wes asks, putting his arm around Rose’s waist.
“No, but we’re about to.” Rose looks up at him, her body pressed to his side. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the bar already?”
“Nope, but I’m about to leave. I’m mostly waiting for my brothers to get settled before I go,” he says. “I’m sure Ash and JD have gotten the first part of their bickering done with.”
“Mm, I hope so.” Rose tilts her head back and Wes kisses her forehead. “We’ll see you there.”
“Okay.” Wes leans down and says something in Rose’s ear that makes her laugh and smack him lightly with the back of her hand.
“You creep. Get out of here and let us have fun,” Rose says.
She and Wes kiss one more time before Wes leaves.
“Ugh, y’all are lucky you’re cute,” Natasha says once Wes is gone, grabbing a pretzel and dunking it into some chocolate dip.
“Seriously. I’d be exhausted of you otherwise,” Jo adds as she pets Murphy. She has the accent of someone who grew up living in a lot of places in and out of the US.
“Same. My love life is dead and my sex life is even more dead. If my vagina stays abandoned any longer they’re going to throw a Spirit Halloween in there.” Jada laughs and throws back the rest of her drink.
I snort so hard that I nearly choke on my pretzel.
“It’s true. They’re just waiting for the right season,” Jada says, still smiling from her own joke while whacking me on the back. “Trying to date here is the worst. I’ve either known them since kindergarten or they’re creeps. Whatever, I don’t want to be a bummer on a night like this. Let’s go get overdressed.”
We take some snacks and head upstairs to the master bedroom. It’s cozy and lived-in with a desk that looks like it’s been cleared just for tonight. Rose has extra mirrors set up, along with some extra seats. I put down my gigantic makeup bag on the desk next to the other smaller makeup bags.
“Natasha is amazing at doing hair, if you want your hair done,” Rose says, tapping around on her phone until music comes out of a little Bluetooth speaker in the corner.
