Page 64 of Hairpin Curves

“That snowstorm, right?” Juliet shook her head, little curled tendrils bouncing around her face. “It passed just south of us. Lots of guests couldn’t fly in until the last minute. I am so glad you’re here.”

She introduced Gabriel, who seemed nice enough, and he looked at Juliet like she was the most incredible woman in the world and he was lucky to be married to her. That was how all spouses should look at each other. They caught up briefly, the abbreviated conversations of any newly-married couple trying to visit everyone at the reception, and then she and Megan said goodbye with promises to talk more as they made their way to the rest of the table.

“They look wonderful.” Megan smiled at Juliet and Gabe’s retreating forms once they moved onto another group. “It’s good to see her happy. I’m glad we came.”

Scarlett went back to eating. “It’s kind of weird, though right? We do this whole drive, just for today. For this brief time, to support them, and then they’re off and we don’t see them again.”

“I know. The wedding is the culmination of this trip, but it’s kind of anticlimactic.” Megan gave Scarlett a long, searching look, and then went back to her meal.

By the time they finished dessert, and after two more trips to the open bar, Scarlett was feeling the alcohol more than a bit. The dance floor was starting to fill up as the music got louder. She leaned into Megan. “You want to dance?”

Megan made a face. “I’m not drunk enough for that.”

“So have another drink.” Scarlett smiled.

Megan rolled her eyes. “Okay, sure, I’ll dance.”

They moved out onto the floor together, joining the throng moving along to the music. Megan was a competent enough dancer, letting loose as the song went on, laughing at the way Scarlett deliberately exaggerated her movements. She wanted to make Megan laugh like that forever.

The next song was slow, some melodramatic ballad in French that definitely sounded like a boy band from when they were in elementary school. Scarlett pulled Megan in close with a dramatic flair, singing in her made-up-French. “Oui...madame...le baguette...bonjour...”

Megan started laughing so hard she started to snort, which made her laugh even harder, but she didn’t pull out of Scarlett’s arms. And then they were dancing, actually dancing, laughter dying away as they moved together to whatever ridiculous, saccharine song this was. This was silly, and at the same time, Scarlett didn’t want it to end. When she turned, they were looking right into each other’s eyes.

The song ended, fading right into something else that was far more peppy and upbeat, and Megan stepped back and swallowed. “I’m gonna go...use the bathroom.” She gestured vaguely at the door.

Scarlett nodded and let her go.

Almost immediately, an older woman sidled up to her, smiling broadly and lazily with the look of someone who had had a few too many glasses of wine. She yelled something in French, but Scarlett had to stammer that she didn’t understand. “You and your girlfriend are adorable!” the woman repeated, this time in heavily accented English.

“Thank you.” Scarlett didn’t bother to correct her, her attention still on Megan as she left.

Chapter Sixteen

Megan stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. This was one of those overly elaborate powder room–style bathrooms, with an entire sitting area and a wall of large ornate mirrors, but she was fortunately alone as she made direct eye contact with herself and tried to calm her racing heart. All these feelings were the result of lowered inhibitions brought on by too much proximity and too much alcohol. That’s why Scarlett kept looking at her with those deep, longing looks, and why Megan hadn’t turned her away. Scarlett had been pretty clear in their car rides: she falls in love with everybody. The problem was, she might think she was in love with Megan.

Megan could not be in love with Scarlett.

She left her reflection to rest in one of the sitting room chairs—seriously, who had a bathroom antechamber?—and fiddled with the armrests. She just needed to gather her thoughts. Scarlett was too close to her after they’d slept together (twice, Megan amended) and that’s why they’d decided to keep their distance. Megan didn’t want to be in love with Scarlett! Scarlett was fickle and capricious. She’d thrown Megan’s friendship away over ego, and maybe she’d worked to make amends for it, but who’s to say that wouldn’t happen again? Scarlett had broken her heart, once.

Could Megan ever trust her again?

Megan was going to wear through the fabric of the armrests, so she made herself get up instead and went to fix her lipstick in the mirror. Her hands shook, and she had to lean down and rest her elbows on the counter in order not to screw it up. Scarlett had fixed her lipstick, once. Scarlett had helped her with her hair, too, pinning the strands into place with deft, deliberate fingers.

Those deft, deliberate fingers had been useful in other ways, and Megan’s cheeks grew hot at the memory.

No. She was going back in there, but she was going to keep her emotional distance, and maintain this friendship, and ignore all the hormones and dangerous impulses that she’d spent her entire life trying to avoid.

Head held high, she returned to the wedding.

Scarlett’s face lit up when Megan walked back in. She’d been staring off to one side, but at Megan’s entrance, her gaze tracked onto her like a homing beacon as she smiled. A quiet voice in Megan’s head reminded her that no one else had ever looked at her like that. Her boyfriends, her girlfriends, her one-night sexual partners, nobody looked at her like she was the sun and the moon and the stars.

“I thought you’d be dancing with somebody else by now,” Megan said, sliding into her chair, the heat from Scarlett’s arm somehow tangible across the inches of space between them.

Scarlett shook her head. “I got asked, but I’m not in the mood for that.” She pushed a water glass over to Megan. “I thought you might want an ice water. I got one, too. Don’t want a hangover tomorrow.”

“Are you drunk?” If Scarlett was drunk, it would be easier to excuse these feelings.

But Scarlett shook her head. “Nah. I wouldn’t drive, but I’m fine. Thinking clearly.” She gave another of those beautiful, lazy smiles to Megan. Megan was very grateful for that water, and guzzled some of it down.