But by eight-thirty Friday morning, she was right back into thebooks.
Because she didn’t do bored well.
Kaci called at noon. “What’re you doing, sugar?”
“Nothing,” Anna said.
“You’re studying, aren’t you?”
“No?”
Kaci blew out a breath Anna could almost feel over the phone. “Get on over here. Lance and I both took the afternoon off. Pool’s perfect and we’re fixin’ to slap some ribs on the grill later. We’ve got lots.”
She glanced at her book. Her eyes crossed. “What can I bring?”
“Shoot, you don’t have to—oh, wait. Lance says he’d take one of your pies if you’ve got one lying around.”
Anna stretched her hands up toward the cracked ceiling and smiled. “None lying around, but if you don’t mind me using your oven, I can have one done before dinner. I’ll stop and pick up some fruit on my way.”
“Huh.” Kaci’s voice grew far away. “Lance, stop by the fruit stand for peaches, and you’ll get your pie.” She came back. “That work? You need anything else?”
“I’ll stop at the store. It’s on the way.”
Anna could picture Kaci tugging her hair out. “I’m starting to think you’re hopeless. Now listen up. Sometimes we need to let the men think we need ’em for something, and today’s Lance’s day to be needed. Now are you getting your rear end over here, or do I need to send him over to pick you up too?”
Anna flipped her book closed. Arguing would take more time than leaving a few dollars to pay for the peaches. “Give me fifteen to put a crust together, and I’ll head over.”
When she arrived at Kaci’s house, her friend had on a short swimsuit cover-up. She ushered Anna in the front door. The house was still and cool and comfortable. “C’mon in. Here, let me have the crust. You go get changed. We’ve got some time for a dip before the peaches get here.”
She went into the bathroom, changed intoher swimsuit, and slathered on sunscreen to compensate for her Norwegian genes. She met Kaci out at the pool, where she slid into the shallow end and sighed. “Thanks. I needed this.”
“You bet your britches.”
She slipped under the water and let the coolness envelop her. The August heat was far from livable, but the pool was perfect. She came up, swiped her hair out of her eyes, and the two of them soaked and gossiped until Anna’s fingers were pruny.
Kaci’s ring caught her eye. “How are the wedding plans coming?”
The wedding wasn’t until Columbus Day weekend. They would’ve had it over the school break—notduring football season—but Lance’s sister wasn’t due home from Afghanistan for another month, and they didn’t want her to miss it.
“I haven’t felt like shoving a firecracker up my momma’s rear end in at least a week, so that’s good,” Kaci said. “I’m telling you, eloping’s the way to go. Can’t believe I’m letting him insist on treating me like a princess. Might near kill me.” She grinned. “But he’s worth it. This one’s gonna stick.”
“You bet your britches, baby,” Lance said from the door. “Got a whole load of peaches for you, Anna. You want us to slice ’em up?”
She moved toward the stairs. “No, no, I’ll do it.”
“You sure? I got a big pocket knife.”
She scrambled out of the pool. He’d probably lose half the peaches in the skin, or—Gram would have a heart attack—not peel them at all, and the pie wouldn’t bake even if the peaches weren’t peeled and sliced uniformly.
“You quit teasing her or you won’t be getting any,” Kaci chided.
“Pie, or…?”
“Flyboy it’s all pie.”
“Put a sock on the door if you decide to go skinny-dipping,” Anna said.
“You bet, sugar.” Kaci winked.
