“You’re sure you don’t have black? Black is dependable. Black is nice. Black doesn’t show my ass when I bend over,” Ava said, giving her a pout.
“Sorry, the red shorts are the only ones clean right now. Now put them on so we can go.”
Ava snatched them off the bed and walked back into the bathroom to try them on in front of the mirror. She peeled off the black leggings Summer insisted she couldn’t wear tonight and pulled on the stretchy red shorts. To her surprise, they hugged her hips and butt, coming to arest just above her bellybutton. They were shorter than she’d like, but at least she didn’t look like a stuffed sausage in her best friend’s much smaller clothes.
Summer knocked on the bathroom door.
“Are you decent? I’m coming in,” Summer announced, opening the bathroom door. She walked up to the mirror next to Ava and slapped her butt. “Damn Birdie, look at that thing on display.” Summer grinned at her in the mirror.
Ava reached back to soothe the sting of Summer’s slap. “Ouch,” she complained. She turned to the side to see her profile. Her ass did look rather rounded.
“But we need to fix this shirt. Nobody ties up their t-shirts anymore. You tuck it into your bra.” Summer stepped in front of Ava and tugged at the knotted shirt. When hanging loose, Summer lifted the bottom of the oversized black Beatles shirt and tucked it into the underwire of Ava’s bra. The finished product showed off a sliver of stomach above the top of the red shorts, but the shirt was perfectly cropped.
Ava eyed her profile in the mirror once more. Her gaze drew to the protrusion of stomach below the cropped shirt. “Are you sure about this? I’m thirty now and don’t have abs like you do.”
“Girl, please. You look hot. If I had your ass, I’d be showing it off. But alas, some of us are making lemonade out of lemons with pushup bras and squats. Be proud of what you got,” Summer said, giving Ava a pointed stare through their reflections in the mirror.
“Let’s go before I convince myself otherwise.” Ava headed to the entryway where her shoes and black purse sat. Her purse was the only thing she’d grabbed when Summer picked her up from the cabin earlier. She slid on her white sneakers, sad to cover her red toes, and rifled through her purse to verify she had her phone, keys, wallet, and a backup hair-tie. She heard Summer’s footsteps behind her, thenSummer dropped an item pinched between her fingers into the open purse.
“Just in case.” Summer winked and slid on her sandals.
Ava pulled it out. “A condom? What the hell, Summer?” Ava leveled Summer with a glare.
“Better safe than sorry. Maybe you need some quick and dirty sex with a stranger in the bar tonight. Didn’t you always have a kink for public places?” Summer smirked at her. Then her smirk dropped as she shuddered. “Though knowing that and your history with my brother is something I don’t want to think about.”
Despite herself, Ava laughed at Summer’s discomfort. Just a couple months ago, Summer would have never dared to make a joke about Owen, but now the thought of Owen brought the flutter of butterflies to her stomach instead of guilt.
“I never should have told you that,” Ava laughed.
“No, you probably shouldn’t have.” Summer did her own purse inspection for the essentials. “Ready?”
Ava pushed down her trepidation and anxiety and put a smile on her face instead. She could fake enthusiasm for one night, for Summer’s sake.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter 22
The Deed
She could no longer fake her enthusiasm. While standing at the bar to order another round of drinks, a wandering hand brushed Ava’s ass. Again.
She sighed in frustration and tapped her foot on the sticky floor, willing the bartender to hurry back with her drink order. Ava looked over her shoulder, scanning the bar for Summer in the corner booth they’d snagged, but she couldn’t see through the packed crowd. Early July was peak tourist season in Cedar Falls and the busiest the bar would be for the rest of the year apart from Labor Day weekend.
“Two Jack and Cokes.” The bartender slid two plastic cups across the bar.
“Thanks.” Ava flashed him a smile and threw a few dollars in the tip bucket. She grabbed the drinks and threaded through the crowd, grateful to be wearing sneakers with how many times her toes got stepped on. She blew an errant curl away from her face when a patron’selbow jostled her on her way by, causing her to stumble the last few steps toward the booth.
One more drink, then I’m convincing Summer to call it a night.
She breathed a sigh of relief at escaping the crowd and slapped the drinks down on the table. Except Summer wasn’t alone. An attractive man with slight stubble and wavy red hair swept back to reveal his blue eyes learned into Summer’s personal space. His arm slung across the back of the booth; he leaned closer to say something in Summer’s ear that made her toss her head back in laughter.
Ava caught Summer’s eye and raised an eyebrow at her in an unspoken question.You good?
Summer nodded back with a smile. “Thanks for the drink. Ava, I was getting to know Caleb. He’s visiting Cedar Falls and is interested in getting thelocalexperience. Caleb, this is my best friend, Ava.”
The man reached out to shake Ava’s hand. Smile lines crinkled at the edges of his eyes. Summer certainly knew how to pick them. “Nice to meet you, Ava,” he said.
“You, too. I hope you enjoy your visit,” Ava responded. Not interested in third-wheeling it, Ava took advantage of Summer’s distraction with a potential hook-up to excuse herself. “I’m going to step outside for a breather. I’ll be back in a few, Summer.”
