“I figured. Because holy shit, that smell sticks to everything.”
He wrinkled his nose, which was cuter than it should’ve been. “It really does. I made the mistake of smoking in my old caronetime.” Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “That was fun to explain when I got pulled over like three months later.”
“I mean…” I half-shrugged. “You could just… not do shit to get yourself pulled over.”
That earned me a middle finger, and we both chuckled as we got into the Jeep. I got us back on the road winding road that would eventually take us to the cabin, and I rested my hand on top of the wheel as I cruised around the gentle curves.
“So your job doesn’t care if people smoke?”
“Nah.” He laughed. “I mean, I’m the IT guy. I’m surprised they didn’t drug test us at the start to makesurewe were using.”
I laughed. “So it’s not just me—most of the people in IT really are stoners.”
“Well, yeah. Let’s seeyouask forty-nine people per hour if they’ve tried rebooting or made sure their device is plugged in, and then tell me you don’t need to cruise through the day on edibles.”
“Eww. Yeah. I’ll pass. Thanks.” I glanced at him before facing the road again. “My company doesn’t really care about weed either.”
“Good. I don’t see why most places care. Like unless you’re operating heavy machinery—and even then, it shouldn’t matter if you smoked a bowl a few days earlier.”
“I know, right?” I scowled. “I have far more problems with people who drink than the ones who use weed.”
“Right?” Jesse tsked. “I’ll never forget sitting in a meeting at another company and listening to a manager bitch about the push to legalize weed. He was sure it was going to be a disaster, and he was adamant that the company maintain a zero-tolerance policy.” He gave a dry laugh. “With all due respect, sir, I’ve been a stoner since high school and I’ve never come to work hungover or still fucked up.”
“Ooh, he was one of those?”
“Mmhmm. Complete with two DUIs and at least three”—he made air quotes—“incidentsat corporate events.”
“But someone who smokes a joint off the clock once in a while is the problem.”
“Exactly. So glad I left that place.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Right?” Jesse studied me. “You know, I just realized I’ve never asked—what exactlydoyou do?”
“Besides smoke weed whenever I come to my ex-father-in-law’s cabin?”
“Yes. Maybe I should ask how youpayfor the weed.”
I snorted. “Well, you obviously don’t spend much time on OnlyFans, then.”
The laughter that poured out of him made my toes curl. God, he was pretty. “Okay, okay. I thought your feet looked familiar.”
“Myfeet?” I scoffed. “I’ll have you know I am the top-earning armpit model on that site.”
More laughter. “Armpit model, eh?” His eyes sparkled with the most adorable mischief. “You know, I’ve heard the armpit-model-to-elbow-model pipeline is a thing.”
I bent my arm and glanced at my elbow, pretending to give it serious consideration. “I mean, anything to get more subscribers, right?”
He sighed theatrically. “Today, it’s armpits and elbows. Tomorrow, you’ll be doing nostril porn.”
It was my turn to burst out laughing. Glancing at him, I asked, “Did you already start on those edibles or something?”
“What? You think I need to be under the influence to see the slippery slope between armpit modeling and nostril porn?” He paused. “Okay, now that you mention it, I can see why you’d think that.”
We both laughed, and though I wasn’t high and I didn’t think he was either, this felt similar to that buzz after a drag off a joint. Still lucid, still able to function (though I would never drive if I’d actually been smoking), but light and loose. Relaxed. All the stress in the world was still there, but it was hidden away for now.
I realized then how long it had been since I’d felt like this. The last several months, I’d been consumed with wedding planning. A lot of my male friends and relatives didn’t really engage with all of that, but I had because I hadn’t thought Selena should have to shoulder it all. She wanted a perfect day, and I’d been determined to help her make it happen. I’d wanted a perfect day, too.
