22. Leslie

Chapter 22

Leslie

"Why do I have a feeling Colt had something to do with you going out for dinner with Pecker?" I fold my arms over my chest and watch my cousin carefully.

"Because you aren't stupid." She grins at me through her reflection in the mirror.

"I can't believe him. Why is he trying to get rid of you?"

"He's not trying to get rid of me, he just wants to have some alone time with you. I can't blame him for that. You guys just started dating. Have you even kissed yet?"

"Yes," I say softly, remembering what it was like to have his strong arms wrapped around me and his soft lips pressed against mine.

"Have you done anything more than kiss?" She over enunciates the word with a grin.

"No. We've only kissed once too. He's letting me control everything after he found out about Jimmy. "

"Wow, that's actually super sweet." She blinks in surprise. "He's a good guy, Zoey. Give him a real chance and let the man woo you. Get dressed up and pretend you're the girl you were before you even met Jimmy. Stop letting that man have control over your life and live again."

"You're right. I should."

"Eek! Can I please dress you up and do your hair and makeup?" She jumps out of her chair and bounces on her toes with her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"Fine," I groan. "But don't make me regret this." I point a finger right in her face.

"Oh my gosh! We need to facetime Charlie! We've been wanting to do this forever!"

"Wait… what?" I ask, almost afraid of what her answer is going to be.

Charlie and Sophia are beautiful. Not just pretty, but drop dead gorgeous. They're the girls you see on social media and you think why can't I look like them? They're makeup isn't caked on and they don't wear skimpy clothing to get attention, they're just naturally stunning.

"Zoey… No, I didn't mean it like that. You're so pretty, but when you started dating Jimmy, you just kinda gave up. You became a shell of your former self and it killed us to see you like that. We love you. We just want to see you get back to the real you. The woman Jimmy has no control over."

I sit quietly and let her words sink in. I understand where she's coming from. After I moved in with Jimmy, I stopped doing my hair and makeup. Jimmy would freak out if another man was checking me out, so I made sure I wasn't noticed by anyone. I began wearing sweatpants and one of his t-shirts, doing my best to remain invisible to the world around me.

I didn't want people to notice the bruises or cuts. I didn't want them to ask questions or stare. I just wanted to get through the day and stay off of everyone's radar, especially Jimmy's.

"Charlie, I just upset Zoey," Sophia sighs dramatically and drops back onto the bed.

"What came out of your big mouth this time?" A man's voice fills the silence, making me laugh.

"Shut up, Wyatt. No one asked you," she singsongs.

"What happened? Where's Zoey?"

Sophia frantically waves for me to come closer, so I collapse onto the end of the bed next to her. She holds the phone high above us so Charlie and her husband, Wyatt, can see both of us.

"Hey." I smile at them.

"Dang, when did you become a brunette?" Wyatt frowns. "Don't you have blonde hair?" He scratches his head like he isn't really sure and it makes me laugh again.

"Anything to stay off my ex's radar sounded great to me." I lift my shoulder in a shrug.

"So, what did Sophia say?" Charlie cuts straight to the point.

Sophia opens her mouth to respond, but I shake my head. "She was real with me and pointed out some hard truths I needed to face. She didn't upset me, I just wasn't expecting it, nor is it something I necessarily want to face."

"So… You're not mad?" Wyatt guesses.

"No, I'm not." I smile. He's the sweetest guy in the world and I'm so excited they're finally married. I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen. "But I need your help getting ready for a date with my new boyfriend."

"That I can do!"

"Yeah… I'm going to call the guys and see if they want to hang out. This is too much girly stuff for me." Wyatt presses a gentle kiss to Charlie's head before moving out of the camera's view.

We spend the next two hours trying on clothes and arguing over what sort of style I should wear my hair in. Sophia and Charlie fight over whether or not I should wear bottom eyeliner with my cat wing liner on top. It's crazy and over the top, but I'm loving every second of it.

"What do you guys think?" I spin in a circle as Sophia holds up the camera for Charlie to see.

I have on a black dress that hugs my curves and makes me feel beautiful. It's showing off some cleavage, without showing too much. Sophia helped me twist my hair into some fancy French twist, then she did my makeup, giving me the perfect eye makeup and pouty lips.

"If we could bleach your hair, you'd look like the Zoey I grew up with," Charlie whispers.

"Thank you, I don't know what I'd do without the two of you."

"Ok, no getting emotional! Go kiss your man and have an amazing night." Charlie blows me a kiss before saying goodbye and ending the call.

"She totally just wants to go make out with her husband." Sophia rolls her eyes.

"Is someone jealous?" I singsong.

"I mean who doesn't want to meet the man of their dreams and get to spend the rest of their life in his insanely muscular arms?" Sophia sighs. "I'm not jealous, I just wish I could find a guy worth my attention. If he's a professional sports player, that would be a perk." She smirks before holding a dress up in front of her body and posing in the mirror.

"A professional sports player? Really?"

"What? My brother-in-law plays baseball and both of my brothers play hockey. I'm surrounded by professional athletes and I'm a little obsessed with their bodies." She lifts her shoulder in a shrug, not at all embarrassed by her bluntness.

"Pecker could be worthy of your attention," I tease her. "He's not a professional athlete, but he does fill out his police uniform quite nicely." I wiggle my brows.

When I don't have Sophia around, it's easy to forget all about the woman I used to be. I really do become a shell of myself, but Colt brings out the real Zoey and Sophia's making her appear even more quickly.

"I guess we'll see tonight."

She strips her shirt over her head and shimmies into a dress. She quickly twists her hair into some sort of bun and does her makeup faster than I've ever seen someone do it. Within five minutes, she looks like she's ready for a runway.