Evening Stars. Susan Mallery

straight hair. “Maybe you can teach Averil responsibility.”

      When her hair was smooth, she slipped on the dress and pulled up the zipper. She added gold hoop earrings, lip gloss and a ten-year-old cropped leather jacket. Fortunately, it was plain enough that it didn’t look too out of date.

      She’d barely had time to smooth her skirt when the doorbell rang.

      Nina was surprised to feel her stomach lurch. The slightly tingly feeling of anticipation was sadly unfamiliar, she thought as she crossed the worn carpet and opened the front door.

      Kyle, all six feet of blond godlikeness of him, swore under his breath.

      “What’s wrong?” she asked.

      “You’re not supposed to look that good. I thought I’d prepared myself. I wasn’t close.”

      This guy was too much, she thought to herself. She reached for the small clutch she’d left by the door. At this point, she didn’t even care if he was lying. He was exactly what she and her battered ego needed. For one night she was going to forget about all the responsibilities in her life. She was going to go on a date with a hot, younger guy and toy with the idea of letting him sleep with her. If there were consequences—and there always were—she would face them in the morning. She’d been doing the right thing for a very long time, and she deserved a reward. Kyle was just the man to make sure she got one.