Page 26 of Corey
Until now.
“Thanks for the offer, Jay, but Sera is staying with me,” Corey said in a firm voice. “Now how about we call Mitch?”
Because he was done discussing Sera’s housing situation. She’d remain with him.
End of story.
???
The small apartment Brandon and Julia shared above the bar wasn’t huge, but the place had a lived-in, cozy, welcomingvibe. Sera paused before a large canvas painting on the wall and tilted her head, studying it. It was quite sensual and almost looked like a tangle of naked limbs.
“Julia’s a very talented artist,” Ellie said.
Impressed, Sera turned to look over at Julia, who was getting drinks out of the fridge. “You painted this?”
“With a little help from Brand,” she murmured with a wicked smirk.
Oh, my.Sera swiveled back around to study the swirl of red and gold paint again. Once she saw it, she couldn’t unsee it. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she cleared her throat and accepted the bottle of water. “Thanks.”
Julia chuckled. “What can I say? That man inspires me in every way.”
“That must be nice,” Sera said softly, glancing at the diamond engagement ring sparkling on Julia’s finger.
“Are you married?” Julia asked.
“Me?” Sera shook her head and forced a laugh. “No.”
“Why is that funny?” Lottie asked. “You’re ridiculously pretty.”
“Oh, um, thank you. That’s nice of you to say, but I don’t really feel pretty anymore.”
“That’s just silly,” Lottie exclaimed. “I wish I had your honey blonde waves instead of these out-of-control curls.”
“You look like Marilyn Monroe,” Sera said, loving Lottie’s bouncy platinum curls.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Sera,” Ellie said. “Don’t ever let anyone make you think differently.”
“You’re all too kind. It’s just…” Her voice faltered. “Getting older isn’t easy.”
Julia snorted in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth, sister. Before I met Brand, I thought I was going to die alone and squirrels would eat my face off.”
“Oh, my God, stop!” Ellie chuckled.
“But that man made my menopause pause.” Julia’s mouth tilted up in a mischievous grin, then her brow furrowed and she lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh. Do you hear that?”
Sera tilted her head, listening closely. The faint strains of a song floated up from downstairs.
Lottie’s face screwed up in a comedic expression. “Are they…singing?”
“If that’s what you want to call it,” Ellie commented, and they all burst into laughter.
The three women all got along so well, and Sera couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be a permanent part of their little group. With Mel so far away, she’d love to have close female friends who could also be sisters.
“C’mon,” Julia said, shaking her head and motioning for them to follow her into the bedroom. “Let’s find you some clothes to borrow.”
The bedroom was small and cozy like the rest of the apartment. Sera sat on the edge of the bed with Ellie and Lottie, while Julia started pulling items out of dresser drawers and the closet.
And they were both staring at her with questions in their eyes.
