An hour later, Raymond and Clare emerged from their room, looking as if they had just woken up from a nap. Daniel and Rachel joined us in the living room not long after that, both looking less annoyed, though Rachel continued to bristle every time Daniel opened his mouth.
“Didn’t Lisa say there was a grocery store five minutes from here?” Raymond asked.
“Yeah, if you go back down the driveway and head right, it’s less than a mile on your left. It’s just a little mom-and-pop place, but you can get the essentials,” Clay told him.
“Cool. You want to come, Danny?”
Daniel jumped at the chance to get away from a still-fuming Rachel.
“Clay?” Raymond asked.
Clay looked at me and I nodded. “Go, have some guy time.” Clay grinned and I could see how happy he was to be included.
“Ugh! I seriously need to decompress. Didn’t Clay say there was a Jacuzzi around here somewhere?” Rachel asked. I picked up our empty soda cans and threw them in the trash.
“Yeah, it’s outside in the gazebo. You wanna check it out?” Iasked.
Clare jumped off the couch. “Hell, yeah, let’s go!”
Rachel, Clare, and I went to our respective rooms and changed into our swimsuits. It felt crazy to put one on when it was almost December. The three of us reconvened in the living room. I started to put my fuzzy robe on when Rachel let out a low whistle.
“What?” I asked her.
Rachel looked fantastic in her red one-piece, cut up high on the hips. She gave me the once-over. “When did you getthat?” she asked, indicating my black bikini. I looked down at myself and blushed. Yeah, it was a little more revealing than my typical getup.
I covered myself, feeling self-conscious. “I got it last summer; just haven’t worn it yet,” I told her, slipping on a pair of flip-flops I had brought along.
“Well, you look hot. Where have you been hiding that killer body?” Rachel whistled again, making me blush. Clare giggled as she covered up her boy shorts and tank top. I grabbed some bottles of water from the fridge, tossing them at my friends, ignoring Rachel’s comment.
“Come on, before the guys get back and we lose whatever chance we have at relaxing,” I told them, leading the way outside.
As we stepped out the back door, the three of us began to shiver. “Damn. It’s freezing out here.” Rachel pulled her jacket tighter around her, but her bare legs were already breaking out into goose bumps.
It had easily dropped fifteen degrees since we’d gotten to the cabin. Looking at the sky, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it snowed. Running as fast as we could, we headed to the gazebo. I opened the door and ushered them inside. “Hurry up, so I can close the door.”
Inside, I was relieved to see baseboard heating running the length of two walls. I found the thermostat and cranked it. Rachel walked over to the Jacuzzi pump and turned it on. The water began to bubble and swirl.
We sat huddled together until it heated up. The gazebo had windows and I made sure they were all securely latched so as to not let in any cold air. Finally, it felt warm and comfortable so the three of us stripped off our outerwear, kicked off our shoes, and slowly slid into the water.
It was a huge Jacuzzi, easily fitting eight people. “Ah. Now, this is the life.” Clare sighed in contentment, laying her head back. The water came up to our shoulders and fizzed against my skin deliciously.
“This is just what I needed,” Rachel said after a long sigh. She had closed her eyes and sank down until the water lapped at her chin. Clare and I murmured our agreement. None of us said a word for a long time.
“So, Ray told me on the ride up here that Kylie was trying to get back with Daniel,” Clare said, breaking the relaxing silence. I quickly looked over at Rachel to gauge her response. Rachel hadn’t opened her eyes but I could see her jaw clench.
“Really? Danny hasn’t said anything,” I ventured, not sure I wanted to discuss Daniel and Kylie while Rachel was seeming pretty subdued.
Clare nodded. “Yeah. Apparently she’s been hanging around a lot. I know I’ve seen her at their basketball practices after school. I guess she and that other guy she was screwing around with didn’t work out so she’s trying to get her hooks back into Danny.”
Rachel suddenly got out of the Jacuzzi and wrapped herself in a towel. I watched her closely. I knew the topic of Kylie Good upset her.
I tried shooting Clare a look that said to drop the subject, but she apparently wasn’t picking up on my cues. “Well, Ray said that Daniel turned her down flat. Seems he’s finally seen the light and realized Kylie is a skank.” My eyes widened in surprise.
If Daniel had a weakness, it had always been Kylie. He seemed to never be able to tell her no. So the fact that he wasn’t running back to her as fast as he could was surprising. Rachel was vigorously drying her hair, trying to act unaffected by the news.
“Wow. That’s awesome!” I enthused, truly happy that Daniel was taking a stand for once. Clare’s eyes darted toward Rachel.
“Yeah, maybe he’s ready to move on to someone else.” Clare’s eyebrows rose pointedly. I rolled my eyes at Clare’s less-than-subtle tactics.
