“And, before she gets back, you’re not fooling me. Not for a minute. And maybe you don’t know it yourself, but the last thing I’ll say”—she paints a wide grin on her face—“since Ivy is walking toward us right now, is that she’stotally worth it.”
And with that, she takes a sip of her drink, like a victory bow. She drops something like that, and I have zero time to react.
“What’d I miss?” Ivy asks as she scoots into the booth.
And without skipping a beat, Vivian jumps in.
“Nothing. Holland was just telling me about local breweries.” She gestures to my beer.
I take a long drink. Luckily, Ivy and Vivian fall back into busy conversation while I’m an innocent bystander.
After finishing my drink, I decide to leave Ivy and Vivian to their own devices. Let them be without me.
“Vivian, great to meet you. Glad you could spend a couple of nights here.” I go to shake her hand and she pulls me into a hug. Which, ironically, is exactly what I expected from her.
“Nice to meet you. Try to get Ivy on another hike before she’s out of here.” She winks at Ivy.
“Definitely.” I gaze at Ivy to see her pink-cheeked, probably from the drinks, and radiant. “Your flight is tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow afternoon. I’m bummed I couldn’t get more time here. The return flights were outrageous for me to stay any longer. But you take what you can get.”
“I understand that. Safe travels,” I say to Vivian before turning to Ivy. “Let me know when you’re ready for another walk with Slate.”
Ivy claps her hands in excitement.
“I’ll text you tomorrow!” she says, her voice easy and like she’s said it to me a hundred times. I love it.
After I take care of their tab, my brain goes over what Vivian told me.
I spend the rest of the night thinking about her comment, “Maybe you don’t even know it yourself.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
SAYING GOODBYE to Viv is hard.
Our time together was entirely too short. We packed in as much as we could, including staying up way too late last night and breaking in our new tarot decks. It wasn’t the witchy vacation we planned, but it had enough of the right vibes to scratch the itch. We’ll get to Salem eventually.
Although she had her own room, we decided to have a sleepover. It felt like we were back in college, giggling in beds much smaller than this one, after a night of drinks and dancing.
There’s something about sharing a bed with your best friend. It lead to staying up ridiculously late, talking about anything and everything, and having your cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
The adult version was just as amazing. It’s one of those things that doesn’t lose its shine as you get older. But the main differences are bigger beds, high quality sheets, plus expendable income for all the snacks and drinks you could dream of.
In the morning, my heart is full and my eyes are heavy. Nights with Vivian always leave me feeling like I can get through almost anything with her by my side. We never get enough sleep, but this is the best type ofexhaustion.
We wait in the lobby for the off-road vehicle to take Viv to her car. We each have the largest coffee they sell at the restaurant. Viv also got a piece of the butterscotch cake to go. I told her it was a must, even if she only has a bite.
“Make sure to enjoy the rest of your time here.” Viv prods. “If that includes handsome lodge owners who feed you cake, then so be it.” She throws her hands up in sarcastic enthusiasm. “Casual sex shouldnotbe off the table.” Her eyebrows creep up making sure I know it’s a suggestion.
“Viv. I’m only going to be here a few more days—”
“Who cares?! Quit writing off good things just because they might not work out.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. Vivian is vocal about how she hates when I play it safe, sticking to what I know, and talking myself out of risks before I get a chance to consider them. It’s hard to hear but I know she’s mostly right. Sometimes I don’t know that I’m doing it; I chalk it up to being efficient and plan oriented.
“I won’t write it off.”
“Plus, you have no idea what’s coming next. No matter how much you plan.”
