Allison needed to talk to Carrie, desperately. If ever there was a time for her best friend to lend a shoulder to cry on, it was now. She rang the doorbell to Carrie's house and bit her lip to keep the tears from spilling over. She wanted to be in the sanctuary of her friend's room before she let her emotions go.
Carrie's brother, Jesse, opened the door.
"Is Carrie here?" Allison asked in a shaky voice.
"Nope, she went out of town with mom and dad for the weekend—to see some musical."
Crap. She'd forgotten about that.
Jesse looked her up and down.
She knew she looked like a mess. She felt like a mess. She'd walked over a mile to get here, and it was all for nothing. She could feel the sweat rolling down her back. She'd probably soaked through her thin tank top.
"You want to come in anyway?" Jesse stepped back so she could come inside. The air conditioning wafting out the door felt like heaven.
"Yeah, if you don't mind." She walked into the foyer and stood awkwardly in front of him. She didn't know him well, had only met him a few times. She and Carrie graduated high school two weeks ago, but Jesse was three years older than Carrie. He'd already been away at college when Allison had moved here.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm fine. I just... I had some personal stuff happen today and I was hoping to talk to Carrie about it." She pulled her damp tank top away from her skin and studied Carrie's brother.
His green gaze was focused on her breasts. She glanced down. Her nipples had hardened in the cold air and they thrust out in sharp peaks through her bra and tank top. She resisted the urge to fold her arms over her chest.
Her boyfriend of two years, Rodney, had broken up with her this morning. That was why she needed Carrie. Rodney had told her that they weren't compatible. Compatibility had never been a problem until she'd finally relented to let Rodney have sex with her on graduation night. Then all of a sudden, they weren't compatible. All of a sudden, he didn't think she was attractive enough, he didn't think they had enough sexual chemistry for a long term relationship.
"Do you think I'm attractive?" Allison asked.
Jesse's eyes widened and his gaze was suddenly on her face. "Uh, well, yeah..." He sounded leery, like he thought she was setting a trap for him.
She found him attractive. He was only wearing a pair of green swim trunks. He was wiry, muscled, with defined abs and biceps. His right bicep was circled with a loopy tribal tattoo. Sexy.
She smiled. "I'm not trying to put you on the spot. It's just that I just went though a breakup and I'm feeling a little insecure all of a sudden. That's what I wanted to talk to your sister about."
He nodded and smiled back. Straight white teeth, a square jaw, beard stubble. He must not have shaved this morning. "So you needed Carrie to tell you you're attractive?" His tone was teasing.
Her cheeks heated and she rolled her eyes. "I just needed her to give me the speech. You know, the 'Rodney's a jerk, there are other fish in the sea, you're beautiful and will find someone else way better' speech."
"Ahhh... Well, I don't have a prepared speech. And I don't know Rodney. But if he told you you weren't beautiful, then he's a liar and a jerk."
Her heart melted a little and she looked at him through lowered lashes. "You don't have to go overboard." She pressed a hand to her dark, sweat-dampened hair. It was pulled into a sloppy ponytail. "I'm not exactly looking my best today."
"You look cute." He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Hot and cold clashed in her body and goose bumps spread down the side of her neck, down her arms.
"I was about to jump in the pool out back when you rang the bell. Want to join me? You can tell me all the reasons why Rodney's an ass."
She laughed. "That would probably make me feel better. I don't have a suit though."
"Carrie washed one of her suits last night and left it hanging in the laundry room. You can wear that."
Allison and Carrie had never been able to share clothes. Carrie was tall and willowy, with subtle curves and small breasts. Allison was four inches shorter with an hourglass figure—plump hips and heavy breasts. "I wouldn't fit in one of Carrie's suits."
"It's a two piece and it's stretchy. Try it and see."
She wouldn't be able to get in it. She would look fat, feel fat. Her self esteem couldn't take another blow today.
Jesse was already walking towards the back of the house, so she followed him. But she was frantically trying to think of an excuse so she could leave.
He opened the door to the laundry room, then tossed her a skimpy blue bikini. It was the string kind that tied in the back and behind her neck. The bottom piece tied on each hip.
"Will it work?" he asked.
"Maybe," she said hesitantly. She stepped into the laundry room and closed the door behind her. She shucked her clothes and tied the bikini bottom on. It was skimpy, but it covered what had to be covered. The top was another matter. Her breasts were much too big for the tiny blue triangles.
"Hey," Jesse called through the door. "If the suit doesn't work, you could just swim in your underwear."