Wasn’t I lying to my friends about her? And wasn’t I deceiving her about the financial side of this trip?
The truth was, there was no way my work would cover the cost of this vacation. But it didn’t strain me financially, and Hazel really needed to get away. Even if it was just for a little while, to catch her breath from work. From life.
“Didn’t you lie to your friends about me?” Hazel asked, as if reading my mind.
“I said rarely.”
She laughed wholeheartedly at my weak reply and disappeared into the bedroom. “I must admit, this bed looks ridiculously comfy.” Hazel sat down, then stretched out on herback, arms reaching above her head. I wandered to the window and noticed the balcony connected both rooms.
Great. Just what I needed. A shared balcony and a brain already filling in the blanks.
“Alright. If we’rereallysplitting it,” she finally said, getting up and dragging her suitcase into the bedroom.
“There’s only one issue—the bathroom’s in the bedroom,” I realized aloud.
“Well, I’m not peeking if you’re not peeking,” she said, trying to be funny. My smile slowly turned into a grin, but I stayed silent. “Oh, whatever,” she huffed, her cheeks flushing pink. “I’m hopping in the shower real quick before heading to the farmer’s market.”
Taking that as my cue to leave, I stepped out. But as I closed the door, a strange, restless feeling tugged at my chest. This trip would either be amazing or test every part of me. I cracked open a beer the previous tenant had left in the mini-fridge, watching the ocean through the windows. The faint sound of the shower starting in the next room made me glance over without thinking, and I silently sighed.
14
Hazel
“Do we even have room in the car for all this?” Summer asked, struggling to push the overloaded grocery cart.
“Probably,” Ava replied, dropping a jar of tomato sauce into the cart without looking up.
“You’re sitting in the front row,” Summer pointed a finger at her. “If you can wrap your legs around Alex’s giant frame, you can handle a box of beers between them, too.”
Ava gasped, half-offended but clearly amused, and chucked a bag of chips at Summer.
“Oh, shut your piehole! I’ll leave you here instead. Hazel and I will have more room for the beers.” Ava grinned, winking at me.
“You guys are funny. This is very entertaining.”
“Thank you. Usually, we’re polite and proper, but when we’re all together, it brings out the worst in us. Exhibit A.” Ava pointed at Summer.
“I wouldn’t call it the worst. I think we’re most ourselves when we’re together. The rest of the time, we’re just pretending,” Summer said, blowing Ava a dramatic air kiss.
Ava smiled and returned to her grocery list. I smiled, enjoying the pure moment of friendship.
“So, Luke said this is your first time joining them,” I said.
“Yeah, we’ve done trips with just the girls or as couples, but never with everyone together. It used to be more their thing. There were times we weren’t all on good terms—lover’s spats or those Ross’we-were-on-a-breakmoments. But things have been solid for a while now, so we figured, why not?”
I felt a twinge of guilt. “I hope I’m not imposing by being here.”
“Nonsense,” Ava chimed in. “It’s been a long time since Luke introduced us to anyone. And the guys say you’re not one of those girls who fall at his feet when he winks, which speaks volumes about your character.”
“I do my best,” I replied, the knot of nervousness in my chest loosening.
When we returned, Summer and Ava grabbed bags and headed inside, already yelling at the guys to come help.
I opened the trunk and hoisted the box. It felt heavier than at the store, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Halfway to the house, Luke spotted me.
“Put that down right now!”
“Shut up, you’re not my dad,” I shot back, feigning amusement. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
