“Do these people know how to arrive anywhere without causing an accident?” Vanessa snaps, as I push myself out of Hudson’sgrasp. I wipe at a few stray water droplets on my face as I follow her through the crowd and onto dry land.
Our destination is a bit more barren than I expected. With only a few picnic tables, overgrown grasses, and no shade coverage, getting the photos Meredith wanted is going to be tricky, but on the bright side there is enough space here that Hudson and I can always stay at least a hundred feet away from each other.
“At least now I can take this fucking thing off,” Vanessa says, removing her life vest and throwing it to the ground with a heavy sigh.
I go to remove my own, realizing that my bra is completely visible through my shirt. Great. Guess I’ll be wearing this for the rest of the day.
“Ah. Now that I don’t feel like I’m being waterboarded, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on between you and Hudson?”
“There’s nothing going on,” I say, moving to take a seat at one of the picnic tables.
“Girl, y’all just had a moment.”
“That wasn’t a moment,” I argue.
“Really? Because from where I was standing it seemed like you twodidn’thate each other.”
Panic radiates through my body. The last thing I need is for Vanessa to think that I’m sneaking off with Hudson for a romantic rendezvous with his girlfriend just feet away, so I pivot.
“I’m just really clumsy.”
Vanessa holds her hand to her chin in mock contemplation. “Mmhmm.”
“Seriously. The boat hit something and I slipped. He just happened to catch me. It’s not a big deal.”
Vanessa is readying another question when Derrick breaks the tension.
“Anyone up for a dip?” he asks, stripping off his shirt like he’s posing for the fireman-of-the-year calendar.
“Ugh, put your clothes back on,” Vanessa scolds. “There are elderly people here.”
“Everyone needs something to live for. Even the elderly,” he says, sprinting towards the river and hopping in with a splash.
“Guys, life jackets please,” Bo says, running towards the shore and tossing Derrick his jacket.
“Sorry, bro,” Derrick replies, strapping himself in. I watch as he bobs along the river, climbing into one of the inner tubes Tonya’s hooked onto the side of the boat.
“Mind if I hide out with you guys?” Meredith says, joining us at the picnic table.
“Not much of a hiding spot, considering we’re out in the open,” I reply.
“Susan doesn’t do direct sunlight. For me this is a safe zone.”
“Here, you can take my spot,” Vanessa says. “I’m going to go see what the food situation is.”
Meredith sits down beside me, her arms falling to the side with a heavy thump as if she’s just run a marathon. Her usual sunny disposition is gone, replaced by an air of defeat.
“Rough day already?”
“You can say that,” she says, giving me a half-smile. “It’s just, when I thought about my wedding day, I imagined all my closest friends and family having fun together. Doing all the things I never got to do as a kid. I never thought I’d be bowing down to the whims of a woman determined to make my life hell.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ve seen worse.”
She eyes me skeptically.
“I’m serious. Until she actually burns down the wedding venue with a stress cigarette, you’re golden.”
My anecdote earns me a smile.
