Rachel hurried to finish her cold cereal and warm-ish coffee so they could head to the park and Oliver wouldn’t have to wait.
She glanced at Oliver lounging on her sofa. He’d been born around the same time as her boys—a few months earlier. The difference? Molly and her ex had never even tried the marriage thing. Once Ollie was born, his dad disappeared, and Molly sued him for substantial child support. She won and never looked back.
She also never seemed quite content, despite all of her theatrics.
If anything, Rachel guessed the theatrics hid how badly Molly wished she could find a someone to love.
Rachel did not have that same desire. She had two boys to shower with adoration, and that was enough.
“Let’s roll,” Molly announced after she’d loaded the travel mugs into a cooler with wheels Rachel kept in the pantry.
Placing her bowl in the sink and rinsing it before loading it in the dishwasher, Rachel grabbed her park bag, and they headed out.
CHAPTER 8
RACHEL
“Oh my gosh, this is amazing,” April announced, holding up the stainless-steel travel mug as though they were holding royal court. “Did he sprinkle these with some kind of special margarita man-candy dust that only hot guys have access to?”
Sometimes she’d bring yoga mats, but they definitely didn’t do yoga. No, they’d all sit on them while they drank mimosas. It was way more fun.
“He’s not a hot guy.” Rachel sprawled out on the blanket they’d laid on the grass, turning her head to focus on the clouds in the blue Colorado sky above. Fine, he was a hot guy. But she was trying desperately not to fixate on the curl of his hair, the muscles in his arms, the way he filled out those cargo shorts…
“Uh.” April waved her hand in the air over Rachel’s face.
Rachel turned her head to her friend.
“He pretty much is,” April said slyly. “Don’t tell Kent I said that. Actually, you can. We’re secure in our relationship.”
“I have to agree with the hot thing.” The newest member of their mom brigade, Sadie, was not actually a mom, but she was awesome enough to join the brigade nonetheless. With a tawny complexion from her mother’s Venezuelan roots, black hair, and a seemingly unflappable warmth in her eyes, Sadie had become a regular at their Sunday morning mom meetings. “You can tell Roman I said that, too. He’ll probably agree if you show him a pic of Travis.”
“Gahhhh!” Rachel tossed her arm over her eyes. “Travis is just Travis. He’s not allowed to be hot Travis.”
Rachel flopped her arm back to the side, staring up at the clouds again.
Sadie appeared in the view above her. “It’s okay if you find a man attractive. You know that, right?”
“Travis is not a man. He’s Travis,” Rachel muttered.
This got her a Sadie smile. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
The other moms all allowed a bending of the rules of their Sunday mom group to accommodate Sadie’s attendance because, first of all, they never wrote down any rules. They were all pretty flexible about the whole thing. And second, Sadie was a ton of fun and an attorney.
Everyone knew a mom group needed at least one attorney and one medical professional. They were still on the hunt for the medical professional.
Not to be left out, Sadie brought her nephew on Sunday mornings so his parents could have a bit of a break and sleep in, which every mom in the group knew meant Sunday was their morning for a booty call.
Some people went to church, some people…
“Hey ladies.” Kaiya hurried toward their meeting on the blanket. “I brought samples.” Kaiya gave each of them a small gift bag with samples.
“I freaking love your samples.” Molly dove right in to her bag.
Well, if it was sample Sunday, Rachel hoped she’d hit the jackpot with the lavender-scented facial cleanser. She loved that stuff, and the squat purple bottles were so stinkin’ cute.
April gestured to their circle. “Rachel brought margaritas.”
“Oh, I’m so in.” Kaiya looked to where her daughter dangled from the monkey bars, then settled on the blanket next to April. “We need to get together for momtinis soon. Cory’s heading to her dad’s for a few weeks this summer. I’m going to need serious distraction from the quiet that’s about to hit when she leaves.”
