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burned. My red hair accompanied pale white skin. Just another feature I’d inherited from my mom. During the summer months, my freckles came out in full force. They annoyed me. “Apparently it’s time to start slathering on the sunscreen before I spend any length of time outside. Someone remind me why I’m still living in the south?”
    She laughed. “Uh, because the food is better and the guys are hotter.”
    “You’ve got the food part right. Maybe I should move to Seattle or Alaska where the sun barely shines. I could accept my paleness and live with my people.”
    “Your people?”
    “Yeah . . . albinos with see through skin.”
    She giggled. “You’re not albino, you weirdo. You do know that Alaskan people aren’t as pale as you’re making them sound, right? And you better not move. What would I do without you?”
    “First of all, yes, there are pale Alaskans. They live way up north . . . with the polar bears. And you’d be fine without me. You’d spend more time with that gorgeous, moody man of yours.”
    “I think you’ve been reading too many paranormal books. It’s the vampires that are that white. Also, time away could be a good thing. Believe me. He’s insatiable.”
    I turned to face her. “Are you actually complaining about the amount of sex you’re getting to have?”
    “No, I suppose not, but sometimes my little friend down there needs a break.”
    Now I was the one giggling. “We work around vaginas all day and you call it ‘your little friend’?
    She shrugged. “Yep. But all of this brings me back around to a question I’ve wanted to ask you for a while. How come I’ve never seen you go out on a date? In fact I don’t think I’ve ever even heard you talking about a guy.”
    Inevitably, I’m always asked this question. I don’t announce that I’m not into dating, but people do take notice. “It’s just not something I’m interested in at this stage in my life. I’m getting myself settled into a new job, and figuring out my long term goals.”
    Her voice became softer. “Don’t any of those long term goals include someone tall, dark, and handsome?”
    “I just don’t think that’s in the cards for me.”
    “It could be if you opened yourself up to the possibility.”
    I turned to look out the window. We were heading into downtown Athens, and the historic buildings were passing us by. “You make it sound like a fairytale. I like being alone.”
    I saw her reflection in the glass. Keegan glanced over at me with sad, wistful eyes. A hand came over and grasped my own. “I’m here. I’m always going to be here, even if you just want to sit and not talk.” With a light squeeze she put her hand back on the wheel and focused on the road. I turned back toward her and gave her a small smile. We rode the rest of the way to the bridal shop in silence.
    When we arrived, I saw that Rowan, Keegan’s mom, Sarah, her little sister, and Donna were all standing on the sidewalk waiting for us. A little flutter went through my tummy at seeing Donna. Last time I saw her was the day I embarrassed myself during their baseball game. I may or may not have had a brief flash of Turner’s face run through my head. I pushed it away just as another car pulled in. It was Macie. She had been Keegan’s best friend since they were kids, but she has taken a liking to me too. We’ve hung out quite a few times over the past year, and have gotten to know each other. I liked Macie. She was loud, colorful, beautiful, and easy to get along with. But what I liked best about her was she never held back about how she felt. It’s a quality that a lot of people are missing lately.
    As Macie stepped out of the car, she lifted her long brown hair off of her neck and fanned herself in a dramatic fashion. “Y’all know just what kind of madness it is to get married in the middle of Georgia summer, right?”
    “Yes, but there will be plenty of icy drinks to keep the heat away.” Keegan stated positively.