“We’ll see if there’s anything to tell. I have to make a connection first. And it has to be real.”
“Let’s agree on this now because I know that if you tell me you’ll do something, you’ll do it. Always. You don’t break vows.”
Rachel swallowed hard. “Agree on what, exactly?”
“The three qualifications Mr. Right Now has to have to pass the Rachel Stephens test.”
“Three?” Rachel squeaked.
“Three.”
“A guy has to have more than three qualifications for me to consider getting down and dirty.”
“No, he doesn’t. If we were discussing Mr. Right? Sure. But we aren’t. This isMr. Right Now. So three it is.”
Rachel scowled.
“You’re almost six feet yourself, so he has to be tall,” Casey said, starting the list.
“Kind,” Rachel countered.
“Kind is for counselors and protein bars.”
“Casey,” Rachel warned.
“He needs to be seriously hot.”
“Intelligent,” Rachel countered. While a guy being hot was nice, his looks did nothing to help a conversation along if he wasn’t bright.
“Intelligent can be a bonus qualifier. This is a one-night stand, Rach, not someone who’s boyfriend material.”
“Fine. But, Casey?” She stared at herself in the mirror, trying to imagine what strangers might see when they looked at her. “There has to be chemistry.Realchemistry. That’s not negotiable.”
“Then there’s your list.”
“What?” Panic nearly choked her. “That’s not enough!”
“Yes, it is. For a one-night stand, it’s plenty.” That tone—it was one Rachel recognized.
That tone meant Casey had reached the point she was about to let down the facade she sported, the one of the fun-loving, slightly ditzy blonde femme fatale. One could push Casey only so far and then boom! She dropped the facade and the hard-ass took over. Rachel had her own version, she supposed. Or she had once. Regardless, she didn’t want to fight with Casey. She needed her too much right now.
“Now promise me—swear to me—that if you meet a guy with these three qualities, you’ll make a play.”
Rachel swallowed once, then twice, through a throat clenched tight in history’s unyielding fist. She took a deep breath, admiring the way the dress made her full B-cup breasts look just a little larger, the push-up bra making her cleavage just a little more substantial than it really was. “Remind me to send a thank-you note to Victoria’s Secret for their water bra.”
Casey laughed. “Deets, girlfriend. I want the down and dirty tomorrow because I’m telling you now, therewillbe a connection tonight.”
Rachel closed her eyes and smiled. Maybe Casey was right. Maybe tonight was the night she’d back take her life.
No. Nomaybesabout it. Tonightwasthe night. She would own it, and whatever happened? Happened. “I promise,” she whispered. “Casey?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m back.”
The other woman sniffled, the sound small but undeniable, and her voice wavered a bit when she spoke. “I’ve missed you, Rach.”
“Me, too, honey. Me, too.” She stood up straight and took one last look at herself in the mirror. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have men to meet and connections to make.” She paused for a split second, trying to find the right words. Then she said, “Thank you, Casey. Thank you for standing by me and for reminding me who I really am.”