Whitney tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder.Shewasn’t in her auburn wig today, but she looked just as fabulous. “Webrought air mattresses.”
“Ice and rest,”Jacksaid as he stepped back from the mob and disappeared over the hedge.
“Um, okay.Sohim running out of his house to save you when you stormed out was totally hot.”Whitneysquealed, jumping up and down. “Youhave your own cliché!”
I rolled my eyes.Wehad teasedWhitneyfor ages over how she met her husband,Miles.Shereally was a book cliché—falling in love with her bodyguard in a “just one bed” scenario.Icouldn’t have written it better ifItried.
“I do not have a cliché.”
“Yousodo!”Willowsaid as she took over forJack, offering support asIlimped toward the stairs. “Youhave the dead great-aunt cliché!"
“Geez!”Ibarked out a laugh. “Whatthe hell is that?”
“It’s where you inherit some old property from a dead relative, then meet the hunky small-town fisherman and fall madly in love,”Willowsaid.
Whitney nodded. “There’salways a storm or something too.Hasthe weather been bad lately?”
“Jack is a firefighter.Nota fisherman,”Igrunted asIloped up the stairs. “Andthe weather’s been fine.”
“A firefighter?”Willowlooked back in the direction ofJack’shouse. “Doeshe have a brother?Iwant one.”
“They’re not collectibles,Wills.”Ilet out a sharp huff when we made it to the top and eased onto the balcony. “Andhe’s on my last nerve.Hecockblocks me, then does something sweet like help me out of a hole whenItwist my ankle.”
Willow’s eyebrows darted up. “Girl.Isaw the way he was looking at you.Ifhe looks at you like that over a twisted ankle,Ican’t imagine what he would do if it was something bigger.Honestly,Iwill throw you off of this balcony just to get him over here again.Iwant to find out.”
The minuteIhobbled inside,Ifroze. “Howlong have you guys been here?”
“I dunno,”Whitneysaid as she made herself at home in the packed kitchen.Theformerly empty countertops were now full of grocery bags.Tortillachips had been poured in a massive bowl thatIdidn’t knowIowned.Ajar of salsa sat beside it. “Howlong were you over there withMr.FourAlarmFire?"
I rolled my eyes. “Hisname isJack, remember?”
“Jack,”Willowcooed with a wistful smile. “Ilove that name.Itfits him so well.”
“You don’t even know him,”Icountered.
“I know his type,”Willowsaid. “He’sgot that protector gene.Strongand soft.Macho, but still in touch with his emotions.Ishe emotionally available?Heseems like he goes to therapy and calls his mom every day.”
“First, he’s not a book character.Andsecond, what the hell are you guys even doing out here?Ifyou flew all the way out here to convince me to not quit,I’msorry, but you’ve wasted your time.”
The girls shared a look thatIcouldn’t read.Apparently, writer’s block also unsubscribed me from friend telepathy.
Willow reached into a brown paper bag and pulled out a bottle of tequila.Goodtequila. “Wedon’t give two shits if you never write a book again.ButtheWWshave three rules: no one struggles alone, no one drinks alone, and no one calls their mothers without the rest of us on standby.”
“We’re not here to talk you out of quitting.We’rehere because you don’t get to leave us.Sorry.It’snot your choice.We’reyour friends whether you like it or not.”Whitneydoled out shot glasses and slices of lime. “So, point us to the sledgehammers and bottom’s up.”
12
AURORA
WRECKING BALL, PARTY OF TWO
“This is the life,”Isaid with a lazy giggle asIstretched out on the sand.Thehappy tequila cloudsIwas floating on let me drift far, far away from my current predicament.
The air was warm and the cares were few asWhitneyandWillowlounged beside me.Aftera few hours of attempted demolition, we had retreated to the beach with margaritas in hand.Wehadn’t actually gotten all that much done, but scraping off wallpaper that was older than theLibraryofAlexandriawas far more pleasant with the girls by my side, partaking in my misery.
We blasted music thatIhadn’t heard since high school and caught up on all the gossipIhad been avoiding.Nothingbonded a group of friends quite like a solid afternoon of shit-talking.
When we had successfully stripped all the wallpaper from two of the upstairs bedrooms and prepared to paint, we decided the rest could wait.
