“Good. Now that that’s done, we can move on to our next task.” When Jessica gave her a blank look, Nikki grinned and spoke over the rim of her martini glass. “We have some shopping to do.”

—

The store was called Lace, and as Jessica wandered inside, it was self-explanatory. Never had she seen so much of the delicate fabric in so many colors under one roof. There were bras of every type, panties, garter belts, and thongs. There were négligées, nightgowns, teddies, and camisoles. The undergarments ranged from practical everyday cotton to sexy black and red corsets and something called cheekinis.

Nikki plunged fearlessly into the naughty stuff, holding up a pair of crotchless panties for the communications girls to admire, while Jessica and Cara glanced at each other as if lost in an adult Disneyland. Yet as Jessica fingered a stunningly beautiful ivory satin demi-bra with a lace overlay and a matching skimpy panty, an unknown part of her responded playfully.

She’d seldom thought of herself as the kind of woman who would like dainty lingerie. But now she couldn’t help thinking of how much fun it would be to wear something beautiful like this, even under her sportswear. No one would ever need to know; it would be her personal secret.

“I see you’re looking at our new collection,” the salesclerk said, approaching her with a measuring tape draped around her neck. “Would you like me to check your size? Most women are wearing the wrong one.”

“No, I’m actually just shopping for a friend who is getting married. We all are. Looking, that is.” Jessica hurriedly dropped the delicate lace.

“That’s okay,” Nikki said from across the rack. “There’s no reason we can’t do double duty. Go ahead and let her measure you—try on a few things. Let’s have some fun.”

In the past, the idea of trying on clothing was something that Jessica dreaded. But when the saleswoman picked out a couple of the really beautiful pieces, she was curious. And when she found herself behind the velvet curtain of the dressing room clad in black lace, an astonished woman stared back at her in the mirror.

She looked…sexy. She was used to wearing practical cotton and sports bras, but this made her appear entirely different. The running had paid off, as well as all of the squats and lunges. Her backside, encased in the lace, was firm and taut, and when she turned around, she saw that the underwire lifted her breasts, erotically displaying the nipples through the sheer lace.

Very Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.

“You look incredible,” the young salesclerk said in admiration. “Not a lot of women can wear that. Let me get you the matching robe.”

It felt exciting to wear something so outrageously female. The robe consisted of a sheer chiffon jacket, which enhanced the seductive quality of the undergarments. It provided no warmth, no coverage. Which was exactly what it was meant to do.

“Try the satin. That will look gorgeous with your hair and skin,” the clerk said, handing her the lingerie. Jessica slipped out of black lace and into the gorgeous ivory bra.

The garments were just beautiful. As the woman had predicted, the color looked warm and glowing against her skin. Delicate lace enhanced the top of the demi-bra, which plunged recklessly almost to the band. And the panties, barely a scrap of rich satin, were the perfect size.

She almost hated to put back on her cotton briefs. When she exited the dressing room, she got into line at the register and turned to Nikki with a scowl. “Look what you got me into. This is a habit that can become an addiction. I think I might regret this.”

“Oh, no, you won’t!” Nikki said knowingly, and Cara laughed.

“So have we decided on anything for the bride?” Jessica asked in exasperation as she plunked down her credit card and cringed at the amount.

“Yes. We are getting the store special, if it’s okay with you. It contains a robe and gown. And the rest is all the naughty stuff, the kind of things the aunts and cousins won’t buy for her.” She indicated a scrap of red lace panty.

“I love it,” Jessica said as Nikki piled her own purchases onto the counter. Even Cara, to her surprise, had selected several of the exquisite undergarments.

She shrugged when Jessica looked at her inquisitively. “Hey, even though I work in construction, I’m still a girl and entitled, right? We have enough of the disadvantages. About time I indulged in one of the perks.”

Jessica nodded. She couldn’t agree more.

—

When she got home, the first thing Jessica did was put the expensive lingerie in her top drawer. She grinned as she saw her sports bras and cotton panties beside it, all neatly folded and very practical and athletic. The black and ivory lace looked exotic and beautiful in contrast, almost like fine jewelry sitting next to the costume stuff.

It had been a lot more fun than she would have thought, trying on beautiful things. As she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she remembered how surprised she’d been at the transformation created by the lingerie.

She removed the band that held her hair back and let it fall well past her shoulders. It had been ages since she’d gotten a haircut, and she didn’t own any decent cosmetics. Maybe it was time to get out of her rut. While she would never be a glamour girl like Kristin, it wouldn’t hurt to wear a little lip gloss once in a while, maybe even earrings.

She refused to think Gavin had anything to do with this. Her decision felt right. So right, she ventured next door and pounded on Terrell’s door.

Girlfriend had promised to help her, to assist her with picking some new clothes and developing a personal style that worked with her life, yet was feminine and pretty.

She was going to take him up on it.

—

The plane ride home was quiet. The Sonics had been shut out by Boston.

Pete stood in the aisle, his hand resting on Jake’s seat back, holding onto Cody’s with the other as he eyed the team. “We all need to do a whole lot better than what we’ve been doing. Now I know it’s early in the season. And we’re all counting on Gavin here to help our offense. But we can’t lay it all on him. We need to work with what we’ve got right now.”

Jake looked at Gavin, and they exchanged a grin. No one knew that he had continued taking batting practice with the shortstop, or that his hitting had improved dramatically since the beginning of the season. It was too soon to tell Pete, but in a few more weeks…

“When we get home, I know you boys are all excited about Chase’s bachelor party, and there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun. But we need to kick it up a notch. Brian and Shaun, I want you to take extra batting practice starting this weekend. Antonio, I want you and Jimmy to work with the pitching coach, focus on accuracy. We need to see some improvement there. Jake and Cody, keep up what you’re doing. We play the Mets next week. We need a couple of wins.”

Normally they would have argued, but today no one said a word. Pete was right, Gavin mused. While he was confident he would be back in the game soon, they couldn’t count on one player to lift the team out of the doldrums. To be successful, everyone had to give 100 percent.

That is, if the Sonics wanted to make it into October.

But he was glad to be heading back to New Jersey. And he was looking forward to seeing Jessica.

As he sank back into his seat, he was glad to leave Boston for another reason: while Rory had been agreeable, it was clear he was concerned about Gavin’s involvement with his sister given the circumstances. He got that, and if anything, he liked the guy more for looking after her. But he felt as if he were a germ under a microscope all week, and was relieved to see the plane touch down at the Trenton–Mercer Airport.

He was home.