You could hear a pin drop in the kitchen before Lane says, “She can’t help herself.” She side-eyes Kendall. “She means well. I don’t have a love story or anything, but Blake did renovate my kitchen last fall. If Kai is anything like him, then you’re probably in good hands.”
My posture lifts. “Oh, you worked with Blake?”
“Yes, he was the one who renovated the space for Kendall’s spa, and it was her raving recommendation that convinced me to hire him,” Lane finishes and smiles.
“I tried like hell to get those two together. Still not sure how my matchmaking skills didn’t work with them.” Shaking her head and putting an arm around Lane, she sighs.
“Some things just aren’t meant to be…” Lane drops her head. “Maybe in another lifetime.”
Addison stands up and moves over to Lane. “It just wasn’t the right time.”
“I know,” Lane whispers.
Kendall jumps in to change the subject as she rubs Lane’s shoulder. “He did top-notch quality work at the spa. You should stop by and check it out.”
I’m a little uncomfortable with how that conversation took a turn. I say, “It sounds like I need to make my rounds to see Blake’s projects. He renovated Kai’s kitchen, and it’s impressive.”
Addison says, “Oh…so you’ve been in his house, huh?” She raises a brow, grabbing a cracker and cheese.
Lane waves her hands. “Why don’t we give the girl a minute to settle into our craziness before we scare her away? Let’s head outside withour snacks, and then we can hop in the pool. This conversation can be continued then.”
“Good idea.” My sister picks up her glass and a plate of food and walks outside.
The minute I step out, my eyes jump between the well-decorated seating area and the pool. It’s humid tonight, so a dip in the pool will be refreshing and cleansing. After listening to Faith’s story, it has me re-evaluating everything—staying in Saxville and pursuing Kai. The story filled me with a sense of awareness that I have to admit, he’s someone special.
We all gather around, and Kendall lights the citronella candles and the special mosquito things around the space.
She sits down next to me. “I hope you don’t feel overwhelmed. We do have a lot of fun. I saw how Kai looked at you and held you on the deck on Saturday. Well, I also observed you relishing in his attention and your eyes weren’t lying…you’re hooked, huh?”
The one-on-one with her doesn’t feel as intimidating. “I think I am. My heart grew fonder of him when I was away and seeing him on Saturday for the first time in a couple of months…I melted.”
She rubs my back and gives me a hug. These women love their hugs, but I don’t mind. It’s really nice that they comfort each other, and I’m now part of their friend group. I grin to myself, feeling accepted.
“When you share, sometimes things become clearer. It seems like you might be struggling a bit with all of this…Kai.”
“Yeah…so wait. You’re not a therapist, are you? I thought Faith was the therapist,” I say with a confused look on my face, glancing from her to Faith.
She shakes her head no. “You’re right, Faith is our resident therapist. I’m the owner of the Saxy Salon and Spa and play a therapist on a daily basis. If you didn’t get the memo.” She winks at me.
“Well, yes, I need to check out the spa, and I need to make an appointment. I need a good deep tissue massage.” I rub my shoulder.
By the time everyone is outside, Kendall whispers, “We’ll come back to this.”
The chatter among them puts a smile on my face. I wait for them to all sit around before saying, “When do we jump in the pool?”
“We can hop in now if you want. Anyone else ready?” Lane asks as she fans herself. “The humidity is killing me tonight.”
“Me too.” My sister agrees as she starts taking off her clothes, sporting her maternity bathing suit, with a bump that seems too big for her frame.
We all follow suit, and I strut over to the pile of floats, grabbing the unicorn one. “This suits me,” I say, posing with the unicorn.
My sister shakes her head, but everyone else laughs at my silliness.
Wading through the water with my unicorn in tow, I hop up and balance myself, finally settling in. They all follow suit. It’s a cluster in the pool. Kendall shows me how to tie up to each other. We are all connected.
They talked about everything, I mean everything, more than I ever wanted to know about their love lives, or lack thereof…sex toy recommendations. My thoughts play of Kai and how his touch makes me wither.Will I even be able to handle him when he touches my most sensitive spots?
Kendall splashes some water on me. “You okay?”
