Carly laughs. “Ava is oblivious to those things. Wear what you want.”
Piper holds up a crocheted-looking two-piece with a pretty linen cover-up. “Found mine.”
Roxy groans. “How is that possible? We just started looking.”
“I’m not much of a shopper. So, I was going to go to this cute art store that’s two doors down. Text me when you’re done and I’ll meet you for lunch,” she says with a sheepish grin.
“Have fun,” Carly says as she pulls out a one-piece. Piper waves and practically skips out of the store toward the art supply store we passed on our way in here. She’s adorable. I swear she sees the world as one giant watercolor painting.
“No,” Roxy and I say in unison as we look at the bathing suit Carly is holding.
“No? You don’t think. I think it’s cute,” she protests as she turns it to look again.
Roxy surveys the rack in front of her and pulls out a navy bikini. “How about this one?” she suggests.
“Ladies, it’s called stretch marks. No one wants to see them,” Carly laments with a sigh.
“What about Bray? He’s a doctor. He definitely wouldn’t care,” Roxy says.
Carly blushes. “Well, no one else is a doctor, and I’m sure they care.”
I’m about to tell her to stop being extra and just admit her crush on her bestie, but Cam comes into the store, drawing our attention toward the front.
“Let’s get this party started, beotches. What are we getting?” she asks as she saunters toward us and picks up one of those giant rimmed beach hats, plopping it on her head and looking into a nearby mirror.
“We’re just—” I start, wanting to continue our foray into Bray and Carly.
“Picking out the perfect bikini for Carly,” Roxy finishes. I glare at her, and she gives me a look that says we need to tread lightly. We’ll need to sidebar about how we get those two to admit their feelings.
“Yeah, what about this one?” I offer as I hold up a tankini, hoping it’s a little more suited to Carly’s modesty preference. It does have a nice plunging neckline, and Carly has great boobs.
“I’ll try it,” Carly says as she takes it from me.
“I want the sluttiest-looking bikini in here,” Cam announces. Roxy holds back up the little red bikini that might as well just be called red butt floss with a triangle nipple-cover top.
She grabs it from Roxy. “Nice. I want Fletcher drooling the whole week.” She pauses and looks back at us. “And…easy access is also a plus.”
Roxy laughs, and Carly blushes again. “But not until Ava goes to bed,” she says in her best matronly voice.
“OK, Mom,” Cam teases as she heads back to the dressing room.
“Note to self. Make sure I tell Hutch to put me in a room far away from Fletcher and Cam,” I muse out loud. Nothing is going to make me feel more single than hearing those two going at it all night.
“Perhaps there’s a room away from all the other rooms,” Carly agrees.
Roxy laughs. “Wow, is this like that movie…what’s it called where there’s an island with a couples’ side and a singles’ side?”
“Couples Retreat,” I state.
She nods.
“No, but I don’t need to be reminded of how single I am all week,” I joke.
She hip-bumps me. “Maybe you can find a hottie on the island.”
I laugh as I pull a few bikinis from the rack. “Maybe.”
I head back to the fitting rooms, all I can think about is one hottie, but unfortunately, he’s one of my friends, so that’s not happening. I attempt not to think about Hutch as I try on bikinis, yet my brain keeps asking if he’d like each one. In the end, I get two, including one that shows off every curve on my body with a sheer cover-up to go over it. I try to tell myself it’s not for Hutch, it’s for me. I try and fail because the crush I’ve buried deep down has grown so much that I’m not sure I can keep it tamped down much longer.
