Secretly Yours
by Tessa Bailey
Published by Avon
Book 1 in A Vine Mess Duology
Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery.
Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.
On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.
Genre
Triggers
Grief from loss of family member, and a character dealing with an anxiety disorder
Listen.
Opposites attract.
Grumpy/Sunshine.
Tessa Bailey.
It's her magical cocktail that makes for one sexy book. And despite it being in a third person narrative - my least favorite - I really enjoyed this book.
For a few different reasons.
One being, I don't think I could ever hate one of Tessa's books. It can be one of the most cliche storylines, yet she manages to make it entertaining with her wit. Secretly Yours, while not one of her more popular pieces of work, is fun. Pure Tessa Bailey magic. It made me laugh - and admittedly made me cry, because I'm a big ol' sap.
Second thing I loved - it wasn't cliche. I've been reading romance for almost five years now, and this is the first time I've come across a Secret Admirer trope. While Hallie's best friend teases her about it, I actually find it very sweet.
The sweetness of these two unlikely people falling in love doesn't take awake from the other thing Tessa Bailey is amazing at - the sex. Seriously, she can write some insanely hot dirty talk, and sex.
Besides the romance, another thing I really appreciated with this book is Tessa's approach to Julian's anxiety disorder. While Tessa wrote Julian to have an anxiety disorder (with definitely obsessive compulsive traits), and it made up a large part of who he is, I didn't feel like it was used as a gimmick. As someone who also suffers from an anxiety disorder, and much like this character, has since I was a child, I related to him more so than I have other characters in other books with the same issues. It wasn't pretty. It's not easy. And when a big attack happens, the aftermath is messy. I felt that she gave the subject matter the respect it deserves, which again, I appreciate.
While Secretly Yours isn't one of Tessa's big hits, I actually really enjoyed it. It was funny, sweet, and sexy. Pure, Tessa Bailey magic. You can't go wrong with that.
*by purchasing through my amazon links, the amazon gods will bestow upon me a few pennies, so maybe one day, I can get a coffee or something :P
Hallie: "I knew you would understand,"
Hallie said, reaching a hand toward Lavinia.
Lavinia: "Oy. 'Course I do."
The other woman grimaced.
Lavinia: "But even I can't do any more daily wine tastings at Corked. Yesterday I gave away three dozen donuts and told the postman I love him thanks to a Beaujolais buzz."
Hallie: "Well, my evening is free now. Maybe I'll go knock over a convenience store."
Lavinia: "Do steal me a pack of smokes while you're at it, babe,"
Lavinia requested without missing a beat.
Lavinia: "And some antacids for our Jerome."
Hallie: "Anything for my accomplices."
Hallie: "All right, I'll leave you to it. Thanks for harboring me."
Because she knew herself too well, she crossed her fingers behind her back.
Hallie: "I promise it's the last time."
Lavinia doubled over laughing.
Lavinia: "My God, Hallie. I can see your crossed fingers in the stainless steel fridge."
Lavinia: "Yes, yes, he's a brilliant professor. A scholar with a case of the tall, dark, and broodies."
Lavinia: "Do you know if he's single?"
Hallie: "I think so. He doesn't update his facebook very often. When he does, it's usually with a news article about space exploration or an archaeological discovery -"
Lavinia: "You are literally leaching my vagina of moisture."
Hallie: "I'm much better at speaking to men when I'm busy doing something with my hands."
Her friend raised an eyebrow.
Lavinia: "You heard yourself, right?"
Julian: "I'll carry the flowers. Just tell me where you want them."
Hallie: "I'm not sure yet! Just set them down on the lawn. Where that line of shrubs begins."
Lifting a pallet of flowers, Julian frowned.
Julian: "You're not sure where they're going?"
Hallie smiled over her shoulder.
Hallie: "Not yet."
Julian: "When will you decide where they will go?"
The gardener dropped to her knees, leaned forward, and smoothed her hands over the turned brown soil.
Hallie: "The flowers more or less decide for themselves. I'll move them around in their individual containers until they look just right."
Julian didn't exactly love the sound of that. He stopped a few feet away, trying and failing not to notice the strands of frayed, white denim lying on the backs of her thighs.
Julian: "They will be an equal distance apart, I assume."
Hallie: "Maybe on accident?"
That did it. His mother was definitely punishing him.
Julian: "One of them is right in the middle of the flowers you planted yesterday, which made me think you'd dealt with something in this nature before. Do you have a way of convincing gophers to move on? Or should I call pest control?"
Hallie: "No need for that, I have a mixture I can use to ..."
The seal busted on her laughter.
Hallie: "Convince them."
He made a considering sound.
Julian: "You're taking issue with my word choice?"
Hallie: "Not at all. I'm picturing a formal negotiation. Once the contracts are signed, we'll shake his little paw. He'll pack his little suitcase and promise to write -"
Julian: "You're very entertaining, Hallie."
Briefly, she heard a ticking, as if he'd lifted his watch closer to his face.
Julian: "I'm sorry, I only have five minutes for this phone call. Are you able to make it over or should I just try to flush him out with the hose?"
Hallie: "God no. Don't do that."
She cut a hand across her neck, even though he couldn't see her.
Hallie: "You're only softening the soil and making it easier for him to dig."
Hallie: "Why do you want me there, specifically, for gopher negotiations? It obviously bothers you that I can't give a formal time."
Julian: "That's a very straightforward question for someone so committed to being vague."
Julian: "Sit."
The schnauzer's butt hit the ground, tail wagging in a blur. The boxer and the lab followed their buddy's lead, plopping down at the base of the stairs and waiting.
Hallie: "How did you do that?"
Hallie whispered behind him.
Julian: "Dogs crave leadership, just like humans. It's in their DNA to obey."
Hallie: "No."
She wrinkled her nose at him.
Hallie: "They want to eat snails and howl at fire trucks."
Julian: "They can be trained not to do those things, Hallie."
Hallie: "But you're forcing them to deny their natural urges."
Julian: "No, I'm preventing mud from being tracked into the house."
They looked down simultaneously to find she'd left four footprints just inside the door. With a tinge of pink in her cheeks, she toed off her rubber shoes and nudged them as close as possible to the door, leaving her barefoot on his clean hardwood floor. She had sky-blue polish on her toes, daisies painted onto the biggest nails.
Hallie: "If you tell me to sit, Julian Vos, I will kick you in the shin."
Hallie: "Wild Wine Wednesday ... 'Let us blindfold your party and ply you with wine. Guess the vintage correctly and win a trip to the cheese wall.' I hate how fun that sounds."
Julian: "Beg pardon?"
Hallie: "UNCORKED."
She blinked rapidly, as if to keep moisture from forming in her eyes, and Julian experienced an uncomfortable pinch in his chest.
Hallie: "The newest wine bar sensation in town."
He set his Stanford shirt in front of her, an offering he hoped would prevent whatever was happening to her emotionally.
Julian: "You don't like the new place,"
he guessed.
And then he died a little, because she used the Stanford shirt to dab at her eyes.
When there were perfectly good napkins within reach.
Hallie: "Oh my gosh."
She rocked back on her heels.
Hallie: "You're a Jeopardy! groupie. I always wondered, who are these people? Who feels so passionate about holding this game show accountable? It's you."
He scoffed.
Julian: "There are thousands of us."
Seconds ticked by.
Julian: "Hundreds, at least."
Lavinia: "You're horny and pragmatic now."
Hallie: "Yes. Does that officially make me a grown-up?"
Lavinia: "Afraid so. That's what the wine is for."
Lavinia: "You're in heat over a prank call. Imagine if you actually kissed the son of a bitch."
Hallie sighed.
Hallie: "Believe me, I've thought about it."
Manager: "She stole our flyers out of shop windows and ... yeah, I think she might have broken our disco ball?"
Uh-oh. Hallie's stupor popped like a bubble, and she peeked around Julian in time to see the manager throw up his hands.
Manager: "She's a menace!"
Hallie gasped.
Julian: "You're probably right."
She gasped a second time.
Julian: "But if you say another word about her, I'll break a lot more than your disco ball."
The manager cut him off with a finger snap.
Manager: "No, wait. I know why you're familiar. You were in that alien documentary! What was it called ..."
Julian was already turning on a heel, ushering Hallie out of the store with his free hand.
Julian: "And that's our cue."
Manager: "Wait!"
called the overdressed twentysomething.
Manager: "Can we take a selfie?"
Julian: "No."
Julian said flatly.
Hallie: "What alien documentary is he talking about?"
Hallie whispered up at Julian's set chin.
Julian: "Quiet, cheese thief."
Hallie: "That's fair,"
she muttered, plucking Parmesan out of her apron and taking a bite.
Hallie: "I'm sorry."
Hallie offered him the Parmesan, lowering it back down to her side when he declined with a curt head shake.
Julian: "I'm more of a goat cheese type."
She did a double take.
Hallie: "Okay, Satan."
Julian: "A few years ago, I was asked to be part of an untitled documentary film. A student film. I assumed it was a semester project, something they would be turning in for a grade, so I didn't read the fine print on the release form."
He shook his head over such uncharacteristic negligence on his part.
Julian: "They asked me to speak on camera about the timekeeping methods of the ancient Egyptians. I was not aware that my theories would, in a roundabout way, support their belief that aliens are responsible for influencing certain time-measuring devices. They got a B minus on the film, but somehow it was picked up by Netflix, and now I'm an unwitting participate in an alien documentary. My students find it all very amusing."
Hallie: "And you clearly do not."
Julian: "Correct."
Reluctantly, he added,
Julian: "It's called Time Martians On."
She slapped a hand over her mouth, then let it drop, giving him a sympathetic look.
Hallie: "Sorry, but that's extremely clever."
Julian: "I suppose it is. Unfortunately, I was not. And now I'm on film talking about a very important subject and they've edited it in such a way that I appear to be .... very passionate about the existence of aliens."
Hallie: "Oh Jesus!"
Hallie cried on the phone.
Hallie: "Oh Jesus. You're not going to believe this."
Lavinia: "Quiet down. Someone has stabbed me through the fuckin' eye with a high heel,"
Lavinia screeched back, clearly neck-deep in her own hangover.
Lavinia: "What has you in a state?"
Hallie: "Lavinia, I want to die."
Lavinia: "Me too, currently."
Julian: "I need to shower and get to work."
He glanced at his watch and felt his pulse accelerate.
Julian: "I'm already forty minutes behind schedule."
Natalie stagged back dramatically, gripping the handle of her suitcase.
Natalie: "The keeper of time hath spoken! To be idle is to smite his holy name."
Julian gave her a dead-eyed stare.
As soon as she was alone with her phone, she would google How Horny is Too Horny? Those search results ought to be interesting.
Hallie: "However, I am not sorry that I spent last night watching Time Martians On. So, you really believe the government is hiding an entire extraterrestrial colony in New Mexico?"
Julian: "I do not believe any such thing. he murmured, leaning closer. So close she was beginning to grow dizzy.
Julian: "As I said, they were very liberal with the editing button."
Hallie: "You're definitely on a watch list, nonetheless,"
she breathed.
Hallie: "I doubt there are any professors exactly like you. But I could usually tell on the first day of a semester which classes I would be dropping."
Julian: "Really. How?"
Hallie sat back on her haunches.
Hallie: "Cryptic comments about being prepared. Or understanding the full scope of the course material. That's how I knew their tests would try to trick us. Also that they were most likely sadists in their spare time."
His laughter was so unexpected, Hallie's mouth fell open.
She'd never heard him laugh before - not like that. So rich and resonant and deep. It appeared he'd startled himself, too, because he cleared his throat and quickly returned his attention to the vine.
Julian: "It's safe to say you would have dropped my class."
Julian: "If I regret one thing about not having a direct hand in making wine at this vineyard ..."
He leaned in, letting out a long, heavy breath into her hair.
Julian: "It's that I can't watch you drink a glass of Vos wine and know my efforts are sitting on that tongue."
Hallie: "You need control and punctuality."
His teeth closed around her ear, bit lightly and licked the spot, leaving her moaning, her fingers itching to rub her sensitive nipples through the front of her shirt.
Hallie: "I'm like a leaf blower to those things."
Julian: "Oh, I'm well aware. I wish I could remember that when I look at you."
Hallie: "Abraham Lincoln had anxiety. Panic attacks ran in his family."
His expression didn't change, but he shifted slightly.
Julian: "Where did you learn that?"
Hallie: "Jeopardy!"
Hallie: "You want me to -"
Julian: "Touch yourself. Yes."
His open mouth raked over her ear.
Julian: "It's only fair, since I've been fucking my hand on a regular basis since you started working outside my window."
Julian: "I had to put this on my schedule. Right there on my notepad. Beating off to Hallie."
His tongue traced her bottom lip.
Julian: "I've already done it once today."
Hallie: "You wrote those words down?'
she said, gasping when he nipped at her jaw.
Julian: "No, I just wrote your name. My cock knew what it meant."
Julian: "Have you ... made any bad decisions lately?"
Natalie: "What?"
Natalie did a double take.
Natalie: "Why are you asking me that?"
Apparently communing with one's family was harder than I thought.
Julian: "For one, you slept until four o'clock in the afternoon. Now you're dressed like you're going to deliver a eulogy instead of shaking hands at something called Wine Down Napa."
Natalie: "Maybe I'm eulogizing the grapes. Do you know how many of them had to die so people from Oklahoma can pretend they're getting an oaky aftertaste?"
Corinne: "You might have noticed I have a hard time admitting I need help. Or ever ... company."
Natalie: "Well, you've got it now,"
Natalie crowed, hoisting her flask.
Natalie: "I'm never leaving!"
Corinne: "Let's not get carried away."
Hallie: "There might have been some ... further intimacy. Not the whole enchilada. More like, I don't know, jalapeño poppers."
Lavinia: "You are speaking to a British woman in Mexican food terminology. Does not translate."
Jerome approached his wife from behind, his default suspicious expression in full swing.
Jerome: "What's going on here?"
Lavinia: "I'll tell you later. But in brief: it involves wanking."
Lavinia: "Bet you'd have done anal,"
Lavinia said out of the corner of her mouth.
Thankfully, Jerome and Owen were engaged in a conversation about golf and didn't overhear.
Hallie: "Could you please never bring that up again?"
Lavinia: "He'd be the one bringing it up, if you catch my meaning."
Hallie: "Oh, don't worry. I do. You're as subtle as a chain saw."
Natalie: "I don't get it."
Her sister sounded almost dazed.
Natalie: "You barely leave the house and there are two women on deck."
Owen: "It's nice to meet you."
Julian: "Likewise."
State your intentions toward her, motherfucker.
Julian: "Maybe she doesn't want to be convinced or it would have happened by now."
Owen: "Maybe she needs to know a man is willing to play the long game."
I guess I'm going to kill him.
And then all he could do was stand there and absorb the absolute disarray that lay at his feet. Several children were sprawled out on the grass, coming down from their sugar highs with glazed eyes and twitched limbs. Sprinkles were trapped beneath fingernails and plastered to the corners of mouths. One of them was actually licking the grass, another trying to balance a small Nike sneaker on his head. Two girls fought over an iPad with twin expressions of violence.
Julian: "Well, aren't you all just a mess? Your parents will have to hose you down before putting you in the car tonight."
A dozen pairs of eyes snapped in his direction, some of them startled.
Including Hallie's.
Maybe his greeting had been a little harsh -
One of the children - a girl - giggled. And then they all started to giggle.
Girl: "Our moms aren't going to spray us with a hose,"
she shouted, unnecessarily.
Julian: "Why not? You're all disgusting."
More laughing. One of them even pitched sideways onto the lawn. Was he doing all right at this? He'd spent exactly zero time around kids this young, but his college students definitely never laughed at him. They could barely be bothered to crack a smile. Not that he ever joked during a lecture. Time was a serious matter. Somehow he didn't think these kids would appreciate a talk on the impact of capitalism on the value of time.
Julian: "Why don't we talk about time travel?"
Kid: "I thought you were going to read us a story?"
Julian pointed a finger at the interjector.
Julian: "Disgusting and impatient. I'm getting to the story."
Julian: "Okay, then. Story time has ended."
He shooed the children away,
Julian: "Go get hosed off."
They climbed to their feet in a way that reminded him of newborn giraffes. Most of them went straight to their parents. Julian was startled, however, when a pair of twins ran full speed in his direction and wrapped their skinny arms around his thighs. Hugging him.
Julian: "You're getting me dirty,"
he pointed out, surprised when his throat tugged.
Julian: "Fine."
He patted their backs.
Julian: 'Very good, thank you."
Parent: "Isn't that the guy from that alien documentary?"
one of the parents mused.
Julian sighed.
Hallie: "You were great. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They say kids are drawn to authenticity. You really nailed the genuine vibe, calling them disgusting and all."
Julian: "Yes."
In the distance, he heard the grass-licker relating Back to the Future to his parents, and a weird clunk happened in his chest.
Julian: "People say this all the time, and I never believe them. But did you notice the children were also kind of ... cute?"
She pressed her lips together, clearly suppressing a laugh.
Hallie: "Yes, I noticed. Why do you think I was compelled to ply them with chocolate? I needed them to like me."
Natalie: "I'm telling you, August, it's impossible to hum while you hold your nose,"
Natalie was slurring when Julian reached them.
Natalie: "Try it."
Julian assumed the man would say something to humor or distract her, so he was surprised when the man actually pinched his nose and attempted the feat, flashing a navy tattoo in the process.
August: "Son of a bitch. Can't hum a note."
Natalie laughed long and loud.
Natalie: "You will remember this moment the rest of your life, August Cates."
August: "Yeah."
Lopsided smile from the navy man.
August: "Pretty sure I will."
Natalie: "Forget gas-station guy. That man is the perfect rebound."
August: "Make that decision when you're clearheaded."
Natalie: "I don't make good decisions when I'm clearheaded. That's why I'm in Napa, remember?"
Natalie: "How did things go with Hallie, for whom you would sacrifice your life but will not date?"
Julian: "Not well, if you must know."
Hallie: "I realize this is beginning to sound very Scooby-Doo."
Lavinia: "Ooh, I'm Daphne. She gets to shag Fred."
Hallie: "You can have him. I have a healthy distrust of blond men."
Lavinia: 'I don't want to trust him, I want to bang him. Where am I losing you?"
Lavinia: "He's got you dangling from a fishing hook, all gape-mouthed and wiggly."
Lavinia: "I have a lighter in my pocket. Shall we go burn him at the stake?"
Had he been holding out a small amount of dumb hope that his admirer was Hallie?
Idiot.
Why would she admire someone who was a rainstorm compared to her sunshine?
Hallie: "I'm a disaster. I'm flighty and disorganized and I don't know how to control my impulses. She was always around to help me do that. To know who I am. I was Rebecca's granddaughter."
Lorna: "You still are. Always will be. But you're also Hallie - and Hallie is beautiful for all her flaws. Because the good things about you far outweigh the bad."
Hallie: "You were the one throwing the parties. I had the pleasure of attending one or two."
Natalie: "So you've seen me topless,"
Natalie said conversationally, producing a withering sigh from her brother.
Natalie: "Good to know."
Hallie: "They still hold up,"
Hallie commented, giving her chest an impressed nod.
Hallie: "You're overqualified, Cornell."
His sister shook a fist at the sky.
Natalie: "Dammit. Foiled once again by my sharp intellect."
Natalie: "You want to get tangled up in semantics, fine, but the point is, you blew it. She's a rare spot of sunshine, and you're committed to huddling in the shade."
She paused.
Natalie: "Maybe I should write a book, instead of you. That was a sick metaphor."
Julian: "She leaves things to chance, she's flighty, she doesn't think her course of action through from beginning to end, and chaos is the result. She comes with dirty footprints, and corralling dogs and sticky children, and tolerating lateness. I'm too rigid for that. For her."
A low, distance ringing started in his ears.
Julian: "I'd dim her glow. I'd change her, and I would hate myself for it."
Hallie: "I'm thinking about the wine I'm going to drink."
Julian: "Liar."
He tossed a glance toward the barn.
Julian: "And don't get your hopes up. It's terrible. If my sister wasn't in there, I'd suggest we make a run for it."
Hallie: 'Terrible wine?"
She grimaced.
Hallie: "How badly does anyone need a sister?"
Hallie: "You're dangerous like this."
That thumb dug into her hip bone, ever so slightly.
Julian: "Like what?"
Tingles ran all the way down to her toes, hair follicles prickling on the crown of her head.
Hallie: "Are you going to pretend like you're not trying to seduce me?"
His focus fell to her mouth.
Julian: "Oh, I am one hundred percent trying to seduce you."
Hallie: "The last time we went for a walk in a vineyard, I only came back disappointed."
The corner of his mouth jumped with humor, but his eyes were serious.
Julian: "Not this time, Hallie."
Julian: "Tell me we're fucking tonight, Hallie,"
he gritted out, teeth pressed to her ear.
Hallie: "Was your mouth always this dirty?"
Julian: "No."
He urged her down onto the ground, and she went, landing flat on her back on top of his spread-out jacket, her curls bouncing out in ninety directions, a sight that made his hands shake, it was so her.
Julian: "And you can blame my colorful vocabulary on the fact that that you've been bent over on your knees outside my office window for weeks."
He let his weight settle on top of her incredible curves, slowly, his breathing escaping like air from a tire puncture, his balls throbbing like a son of a bitch.
Julian: "Weeks."
Hallie: "That is standard flower-planting position."
He reached down, gathered the hem of her dress in his hand, and worked it up to her hips, immediately rocking in the space between her thighs, deprived at never having been there before. being like this, with her, was where he belonged. And God, the way she moaned and arched her back, covered in moonlight and a flush, was the closest he'd ever come to magic.
Julian: "Flowers are the last thing on my mind when you're on all fours,"
he gritted out, rocking again, gratification thick in his stomach when she pressed her knees open, grabbed the sides of his waistband, and pulled, urged, lifted.
Julian: "I'm thinking of your bare ass slapping against my stomach."
Natalie: "I was only making a suggestion,"
Natalie said, very succinctly, up at the hulking military man.
Natalie: "I grew up on a vineyard - fermentation is in my blood."
August: "Only problem with that, baby, is that I didn't ask."
Natalie: "Well, you should have asked someone. Because your wine tastes like demon piss."
August: "Didn't stop you from drinking a gallon of it,"
he pointed out calmly.
Natalie: "Maybe I needed to be drunk to consider sleeping with you!"
The man grinned. Or barred his teeth. Hard to tell from this distance.
August: "Offer is still open, Natalie. As long as you promise to stop talking."
With that, Natalie threw wine in August's face.
Julian shot forward, no idea how the SEAL was going to react. But he worried for nothing, because the man didn't even flinch. Instead, he licked the wine off his own chin and winked at her.
August: "Tastes fine to me."
Natalie: "I hate you."
August: "The feeling is mutual."
Angling her face toward the rafters, she shrieked through her teeth.
Natalie: "I can't believe the things I was going to let you do to me."
That gave August pause. He gave Natalie a very distinct once-over that Julian immediately wished he could erase from his brain.
August: "Just out of curiosity, those things were ... ?"
Julian: "All right."
Julian cleared his throat.
Julian: "I'll stop you both there."
Hallie: "You should go take care of your sister. Anyway, I've never left the dogs overnight. I'm not sure if it would be a popular move."
Julian: "Jesus."
Hallie: "What?"
Julian: "When you spend nights at my house, you'll have to bring them, won't you?"
She peered up at him.
Hallie: "Worth it?"
Julian: "Bring a whole circus. Hallie."
Lavinia: "Your man ran past the window shirtless at eleven fifteen. I remember the exact time, because that was the moment I forgot my wedding vows."
Natalie: "They are going to demand a sacrifice as payment. Anyone know any virgins?"
At that, Hallie promptly choked on her Sauvignon Blanc.
Doing his best to remain expressionless, Julian squeezed her leg under the table.
Julian: "Not a single one - you?"
Natalie: "Not since our mother made me go to band camp in tenth grade. And I'm pretty sure the virgins were no longer innocent once it ended."
His siter fell back in her seat a little.
Natalie: "Band camp: an orgy with flutes."
Corinne: "Lower your voice, Natalie."
Corinne hissed, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there prior to the luncheon.
Corinne: "And that was a very reputable band program. You must be exaggerating."
Natalie: "We secretly called it bang camp."
Natalie: "If you go on a date with that dorky redhead, even as friends, I'm going to slash your tires."
Hallie: "You really would, wouldn't you?"
Natalie: "I carry a switchblade in my purse."
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