Page 61 of Dove
“No moping,” she ordered. “We’re scheming here.”
I sighed, bending my arm along the back of the sofa to prop my head up on my hand. “No,you’rescheming.”
“Yes, I am.” She grinned. “And you’re my accomplice. Now, do you two have anything planned?”
I flushed at her suggestive tone.
“No,”I said deliberately. “But Eddie came over and invited Josh out.”
Reverie’s face contorted into something painful before smoothing into indifference. Eddie was Zeke’s older brother. I remembered a little too late that I shouldn’t have mentioned him. Anything remotely related to Zeke was an instant trigger for her. She’d had to move apartments once because her neighbor had a pet dog named Zee, which was what she used to affectionally call him while they’d dated.
“Shit, Rev, I’m sorry?—”
She waved it off as if anything Zeke-related wasn’t still the sore spot it was for her.
The gleam in her eye grew, and I watched as she worked her devious magic, likely coming up with a scheme grand enough to rivalOcean 8’s.
“I’ve got it,” she crowed triumphantly, a cunning smile on her lips. “We’re going to do what all the greats do!”
“What’s that?” I asked skeptically.
“Amakeover.”
I was just about to ask her what that even meant when heavy footsteps fell outside on the porch and the front door handle jiggled. The noise had us turning just in time to see Josh striding in, his skin glistening, shirt plastered to his chest, face flushed from exertion and plain old sunshine.
Reverie hopped up from the couch as her eyes flickered subtly from him to me.
“I should really get going,” Reverie announced, sounding a little too cheerful andcompletelysuspicious. I glared at her, knowing she was purposefully keeping me in the dark.
“Oh.” Josh paused inside the doorway, confused. “You don’t have to leave just ’cause I came in, Rev. I’m only grabbing something to drink and changin’ my shirt.” He plucked at it, pulling it away from where it was plastered to his body. I nearlychoked. Thank God his attention was still on Reverie. “I’ll be gone in a minute.”
“That’s all right.” She crossed the living room to the front door, where Josh stood. “I really should get going.” She patted Josh on the shoulder as she passed and then reached for the door handle, spinning to face me with a twinkle in her eyes. “I’ll see you later, Dove.” With that, she slipped out the door, closing it behind her so fast I didn’t even have time to answer.
I scowled after her, sending telepathic rays of exasperation through the door.
Josh blinked, eying me and then the door, clearly clueless. “She left fast. What was that about?”
My heart leapt into my throat, but I forced my shoulders up into a nonchalant shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine,” I lied.
Josh shook his head with a chuckle and entered the kitchen, his boots thudding against the tile as he headed for the fridge. “Hasn’t changed much, has she? Still the same ole Rev.
“Yeah,” I muttered, trying hard not to stare at the defined muscle beneath his sweat-damp shirt. “Same ole Rev.”
17
DOVE
“Ow,” I hissed through my teeth at the sharp sting, pulling back to glare at Reverie. She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows as she brandished the tweezers she was currently using to assault mine.
“Is this really necessary?” I all but whined.
She barked a humorless laugh. “Most of what us women do to look good is nevernecessary.” Her fingers tilted my head back into the light so she could see better. “But that doesn’t mean it’s pointless.”
As the tweezers inched closer to my face, I involuntarily screwed my eyes shut tight, waiting for the pain to come.
Reverie gave an exasperated sigh, and I flinched back at the small flick she bestowed to the center of my forehead. I cracked one eye open to peer up at her.
“Fine, you big baby.” She huffed, leaning back to cross her arms over her chest. “We can be done with that. You’re lucky you were blessed with a natural arch.”
