Lila popped the top on her beer can. “You think so? I don’t have a decorating bone in my body. I found a picture on Pinterest and just tried to duplicate it.” She pointed to the sofa table. “Right down to those lamps. Found them on Amazon.”
“I love online shopping,” Capri said. “I only wish the retailers delivered overnight, like elsewhere in America.”
“We’re remote and in the boondocks,” Reva said, grinning. “But a central pickup spot in town is better than nothing.”
“Says the mayor, who only has to walk a half block to the post office to retrieve her deliveries,” Lila teased.
Reva lifted her leg showing off her new Louboutins. “Carrying packages ain’t easy while wearing stilettos, girls.”
“Oh, my goodness, look at those!” Capri leaned for a better vantage spot. “When did you get those shoes?”
“Last week,” Reva replied. She told them how she’d ruffled through dozens of online catalogs before she spotted the perfect pair and immediately ordered them with expedited shipping. “It was how I rewarded myself for helping with that ugly divorce case.” She held up her hand. “No details. Attorney-client privilege. Girls, let me tell you—some people aren’t the sort to give in to anything when they’re angry, no matter how reasonable the request.” She admired her shoes again. “Given that circus, I deserve these.”
Capri pointed her thumb at Charlie Grace. “And then there are those who let their ex-husbands off the hook with barely an argument.” She faked a cough. “No names mentioned.”
“I did not let Gibbs off easy,” Charlie Grace protested. “You can’t get blood out of a turnip. Besides, he’s Jewel’s daddy. I didn’t want World War III with the man who babysits on Friday nights so I can eat pizza and drink beer with my girlfriends. That alone is enough to stay friends, don’t you think?”
Reva slid a slice of pizza onto her paper plate. “Yup, now tell us what you are hiding behind that innocent look on your face. I could see when you walked in the door that you had something on your mind.” She took a bite. “Spill,” she said, chewing.
Charlie Grace felt the heat of their stares. Suddenly, she considered her news too private to say out loud. How could she admit she had feelings for a guy who was nearly a stranger? Especially when she was securely fastened to Jason and had been for a couple of years now. What did that even say about her?
Lila pressed her hand on her arm. “Who can you tell if not your best friends?”
Charlie Grace swallowed. “Well, it’s like this…” She rubbed her fingers across the side of her cheek. “I think I like a guy!”
Her three girlfriends exchanged shocked glances. “What?” they shouted, nearly in unison.
Their questions tumbled over one another as their need for information pummeled her.
“Who?” Reva demanded.
“I know who,” Capri said. “McDreamy. From the bar.”
“Who?” Reva repeated.
“What about Jason?” Lila inserted, taking the sensible route. “You’re already dating someone.”
“I know that!” Charlie Grace moaned. “None of this makes sense.”
Reva tossed the remainder of her pizza slice onto the paper plate in front of her. “But?”
“But, I…”
“Just start from the beginning,” Capri urged. “Okay, we know there was some attraction at the bar. We saw it, didn’t we, girls?” She looked to the others to confirm her statement. When they nodded, she continued. “And we know he’s staying out at Teton Trails.”
“So, what happened?” Reva said, interrupting. “Don’t leave anything out.”
Charlie Grace lifted a beer from the table and popped the top. “None of this goes any further.”
Like when they were girls in high school, each of the women crossed their hearts in a motion that promised secrecy.
“Now spill,” Reva said. “The suspense is killing me.”
Charlie Grace knew it would be difficult to convey everything just as it had happened, especially the way he made her feel. Even saying what she’d been thinking constantly since their night by the campfire seemed surreal. At times, she’d convinced herself she had imagined it all. Yet, all she had to do was close her eyes and there he was…looking at her. Everything came rushing back.
“Okay, I admit I was a little bit attracted to Nick that night at the bar,” she admitted.
“Nick? That’s his name?” Lila asked.
