Written in the Stars(29)
ELLE (7:33 P.M.): yesssss
ELLE (7:34 P.M.): cant wait!
ELLE (7:35 P.M.): and thats perfect timing because mercury wont be retrograde yet
ELLE (7:35 P.M.): and youre not supposed to sign contracts during retrograde
BRENDON (7:36 P.M.): See, even the universe is jizzed about us working together.
BRENDON (7:37 P.M.): FML. Jazzed. Sorry.
ELLE (7:38 P.M.):
*
“Be honest. How do I look?” Elle gave a twirl, the hem of her dress flouncing against her thighs as she spun, ending with a spirited flourish of her fingers.
On the couch, legs tucked beneath her, Margot cocked her head, expression inscrutable. “Honest, you said?”
Elle dropped her arms and sighed. “You don’t like it.”
Margot sucked her lips between her teeth. “It’s not that I don’t like it, I do. You look like a punk rock Rainbow Brite.”
Huh. Margot’s comparison wasn’t off the mark. She’d paired her favorite navy dress from ModCloth, the one with the rainbow unicorn print, with the black rainbow patent Doc Martens she’d snagged on sale at Buffalo Exchange. Shoes that would hopefully be perfect for traipsing around in Seattle’s Underground. But, without a doubt, the most critical part of her outfit wasn’t the shoes, but instead was her comfortable undies. She was ready for whatever the universe hurled her way, including but not limited to chafing calamities.
Thirty minutes after waving good-bye to Margot, who again assured Elle she looked fine, she stepped inside the heated interior of the Underground’s tour office and spotted Darcy’s red hair over by the will call window. Right on time.
“Boo.” Elle poked Darcy in the side before leaning against the ticket counter.
Darcy’s throat jerked, her eyes dipping to take Elle in from head to toe. “Wow.”
Elle’s knees went weak so she decided to work with her body’s reaction rather than against it. Dipping at the knee, she gave a mock-curtsy, tugging at one side of the hem of her dress. “I’m choosing to interpret that as a compliment, Buttercup.”
Darcy wrinkled her nose. “Buttercup?”
“Baby? Sweetheart? My moon and stars?” The amount of pleasure Elle took in Darcy’s deepening look of disgust was second to none. “We forgot to think up pet names.”
“Let’s not.” Darcy thanked the attendant when they slid a stack of tickets beneath the plexiglass divider. “We’re trying to sell it to my brother, not make him think I’ve had a personality transplant.”
“Where is Brendon?” Elle craned her neck, searching the crowd for Brendon’s tall frame and mop of auburn hair.
“Searching for his date.” Darcy gestured to an empty bench against the wall beside the posted sign that said TOURS START HERE. “She thought we were meeting at the bar first.”
Elle followed as Darcy led the way across the room and tried not to stare. Darcy wore dark, high-waisted, figure-hugging jeans tucked into a pair of brown riding boots that made their height difference a little less disparate, and her green sweater brought out the honey-colored flecks in her eyes. Not that Elle cared about Darcy’s eyes or that the color she wore complemented them. It was a passing observation, that was all. The sky was blue. The grass was green. Darcy was beautiful. Universally acknowledged truths.
Darcy’s butt barely touched the bench before she stood back up. “There they are.” She pointed across the room to the doubled-doored entrance before quickly spinning back around to face Elle. The corners of her mouth puckered, her nostrils flaring delicately. “Okay, here’s the plan. If Brendon starts digging for details, let me do the talking.”
“That’s a terrible plan, baby.”
“It’s a great plan, and don’t call me baby.”
“I’m not going mute to make you happy. I’ll look like the one who’s had a personality transplant. Besides, we have a game plan. We discussed it. You don’t get to pick the game and make all the rules, Darcy.”
Elle had agreed to fake a relationship, but she refused to be anyone other than exactly who she was, not for her family, not for the people they set her up with, and definitely not for Darcy. If the idea of being coupled up with her was so objectionable that a few pet names got Darcy huffy, she should’ve thought twice before fibbing to her brother.
Darcy shot a quick glance over her shoulder and frowned. “Fine. Try not to oversell it and don’t offer up information unless Brendon asks.”
Before Elle could respond, Brendon spotted them through the crowd, waving and making his way over with a leggy brunette who was rocking the hell out of a pair of four-inch candy-apple red stilettos. Drool-worthy, but not exactly the right attire for heading underground.
“Hey, glad you could make it.” Brendon wrapped Darcy in a bear hug before giving Elle a quick, enthusiastic squeeze. “Guys, this is Cherry. Cherry, this is my sister, Darcy, and her girlfriend, Elle.”
Girlfriend, huh? Elle glanced at Darcy. She looked like she was about to argue but thought better of it, instead reaching out and resting a slightly stiff hand against the small of Elle’s back. Elle leaned into the touch and aimed a dazzling smile up at Darcy. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
“It’s nice to meet you.” Cherry nodded, slipping her fingers around Brendon’s elbow. “Cute dress.”