Claire rolled her eyes and followed the girls out to the SUV.
“I need to stop by the house and change first,” she said as she buckled in.
Macie groaned. “Seriously? We’re all ready!”
Claire smirked. “Sorry I didn’t get to finish my shower this morning.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Taylor gasped. “That’s it. We’re getting every single detail now.”
Claire shrugged innocently. “Since when do y’all care?”
Sara leaned over from the passenger seat. “Since it became Jaxon you were doing. Lucky bitch.”
The SUV erupted in laughter as they pulled into the driveway. Claire jumped out, cheeks burning, and jogged into the house.
Twenty minutes later, she reappeared looking fresh and smug, sliding back into the SUV with a little swing in her step.
Within minutes, they had her talking.
“Okay, so... how good was it really?” Taylor asked, practically bouncing in her seat.
Claire smiled, slow and unbothered. “Let’s just say there was some wall involvement.”
Sara gaped. “Girl. If Jaxon Hayes ever picked me up and slammed me into a wall, I’d start praying in tongues.”
Claire laughed. “Don’t tempt him. I might just ask him to do it again tonight—for science.”
The car was a rolling riot of screams and laughter the whole ride to Wilmington. Forty-five minutes passed in a blink of jokes, dramatic reenactments, and coffee-fueled chaos.
After a few shops and more money spent than they were ready to admit, the girls collapsed into chairs in the market plaza, drinks in hand, shopping bags crowding their feet.
“I like this version of you,” Sara said, nudging Claire with her shoulder.
Claire sipped her latte. “What version?”
“The laughing, flirty, sex-joke-making version.”
“I’m still me.”
“Sure. But you’re lighter. Happier. You haven’t been like this in a while, and I love it.”
Claire looked down at her cup, smiled softly. “I’d argue, but... you’re not wrong.”
“This place has been good for you.”
“It has,” Claire nodded. “And yeah... Jaxon definitely has a lot to do with that. Around him, I don’t feel like I have to carry everything. I can just breathe.”
Sara grinned. “You made a joke about not finishing your shower in front of three people and a dog. You’re definitely breathing.”
Claire laughed, then sobered. “The next few days are going to feel different, though.”
“I know.” Sara paused. “But you’ve still got five days. Five more mornings, five more nights. You can do a lot with five days.”
Claire nodded, her voice soft. “Yeah... but the more I fall for him, the harder it’ll be to leave.”
Before Sara could answer, Macie and Taylor returned with drinks.
