I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Perhaps I’d been a little overambitious. There were raised-garden beds to be assembled, plants to be planted, string lights to be hung, new patio furniture to be arranged. I couldn’t wait to see it when it was all done, even if it was going to take me a lot longer than I’d anticipated.
“You look cute,” I said to Georgia, admiring her cotton sundress and cork wedge sandals. She held a bottle of wine in one hand, reaching down to pet Biscuit when she wandered over.
“Girl, you need a wheelbarrow,” Logan said, crouching down to give Bacon a cuddle. Her shirt rose up, showing a sliver of her toned stomach and the Olympic rings tattoo that rested on her side.
“A wheelbarrow?” Georgia laughed, glancing around at the destruction that was my backyard. “What Bryn needs is a professional landscape architect.”
“Maybe,” I admitted, groaning when I stood. “Or maybe a massage.”
My massage in Anguilla last week seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then.
I brushed my hair away from my face, taking some dirt along with it. This project was a long time coming, and I was sick of looking out at a sad yard and even sadder flower beds.
“Let me rinse off and change,” I said, my muscles aching in protest. “There’s food in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
The dogs trotted inside, and the rest of us followed.
“Kylie’s coming, right?” Logan asked.
It was so good to see Logan. I was so happy that she’d found a great team and friends in Minnesota, but I missed her. Fortunately, she had a photo shoot in LA, so she was visiting for a few days. I’d offered to let her stay with me, but the brand had put her up in the Huxley Grand LA. While I didn’t blame her for wanting to stay at a luxury hotel, I suspected Logan was hooking up with someone who lived in LA, though she wouldn’t tell us who it was.
“Yeah. I think she’s just running a little late. She got caught up dealing with a client emergency.”
Logan cringed, and I laughed. We both knew that in Kylie’s world, a client “emergency” could mean anything from a comment being taken out of context to a sex tape.
I ran through the shower and debated putting on something cute, but this was a casual girls’ night in. Besides, I was tiredafter working all week. So, I settled on some comfy cotton shorts and a matching top.
When I returned to the kitchen, it was to the sound of hushed whispers that stopped abruptly. Georgia smiled brightly when she saw me, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Wine?” She offered me a glass.
“Thanks,” I said, eyeing her suspiciously as I accepted it from her.
There was a knock at the back door, and I went over to answer it when I saw Kylie standing there. “Sorry about the mess.” I hugged her.
“Looks like you’ve taken on quite the project.”
I linked my arm with hers. “That’s an understatement. Come on, Logan and Georgia are here. We just opened a bottle of wine, and you look like you could use a glass.”
She laughed, though the sound was bitter. “Another understatement.”
“That bad?” I asked.
She huffed. “You have no idea. Please promise me that you’ll always come to me first with anything that might affect your brand.”
My brand. I wanted to scoff, but I knew she was right. My brand was “Derek’s wife.” “Widow to a famous hockey player who died tragically.” And her comment made me feel even worse for waiting to tell her about Frasier and me.
We joined the others in the kitchen, and a generous glass of wine was soon offered to Kylie.
“To…” Georgia lifted her glass, looking from me to Logan to Kylie.
“Making messes,” I offered.
Logan laughed, and she and Georgia repeated the toast, while Kylie said, “And cleaning them up.” And then we all clinked our glasses together before taking a sip.
The flavors settled on my tongue, buttery and rich and yet fruity somehow too. It tasted like apricots. “Oh. That’s good,” I said, admiring the color of the wine and the way it coated the glass when I swirled it. “Did you get that on your trip?” I picked up the bottle, inspecting the label.
Georgia nodded. “There’s a great little winery there that’s owned by a former LA Leatherbacks player, Lorenzo Mancini.”
