“I’m…I’m so sorry I’m late?” she tries.
“You’re fine.” Gin waves her off. “You want a coffee? I’m serious about wanting your insight, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Renee slowly lowers herself onto the stool beside me. Her calf slides against mine, and she mumbles a “Sorry,” but it reboots the memory of our legs tangled up in bed, and I flush. It was just a minute of my morning, nothing more than a side effect of us tossing and turning in our sleep, but it’s a side effect I can still feel on my inner thigh, warm and tender. God, I need to think ofanythingelse. I laser focus on my cactus cup.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Renee hisses, leaning close enough that her breath tickles my ear. It absolutely doesn’t help my case.
“I tried,” I say, voice low. “You made a pillow sandwich out of your head.”
Gin passes her phone down the bar, and I hand it to Renee. She only has to glance at the list before all concern regarding her lack of wake-up call is redirected. I watch as she swipes her red thumbnail only once, instantly hitting the bottom of Gin’s wedding plan. She flinches, then swipes again. Certainly there must be more.
“Is this…” Renee clears her throat. Her voice is gentle, but I can hear the panic bubbling just below the surface. “What else are you using to wedding plan, Gin?”
“Just this right now,” Gin says. “Should I be using something else? See, I knew I should ask the professional.”
Renee’s eyes are two blue windows into the battle waging inside her head, a tug-of-war between polite and honest.
“This is…” Renee sets down the phone and slaps on a smile.“It’s a good start. You know…someof what you need.” She passes the phone back. “But let’s set a time to discuss that more later. This is your bachelorette party, right? Shall we discuss our plans for the day?”
Per the itinerary, we should have left an hour ago for this hike. Per the temperature, we may never want to step outside again. Renee pitches a shortened route on the same trail, promising that we’ll be back before the worst of the heat, but Chrissy’s sunburn alone makes it a no go.
“That’s fine. I have backup plans.” Renee fumbles for her phone, reading from a document I don’t recognize. Ofcourseshe has a separate page of contingency plans. “Option one.” Renee holds a finger aloft, the bar lights bouncing off her rings. “There’s a spa nearby with availability for massages at 11:00 and 12:00, so we couldn’t all get them, but maybe Gin and—”
“I’d kinda prefer we do something together.” Gin’s face twists into an apology. “Is that okay?”
Renee swallows and nods, eyes set on her phone. “Sure, of course.” But she sounds uncertain.
“I heard there’s this aerial tramway thing that you can ride up to a restaurant,” I suggest, and Gin instantly brightens.
“That would be cool!”
“Maybe if we bought tickets a month ago.” Renee’s eyes snap to mine, a sharp, scolding blue. “It sells out, Alice. Everything does.”
“Sorry,” I grumble. “I was just brainstorming.”
“We don’t need to brainstorm. I’ve already done all the work. For example, there’s a paint-and-sip place with same-day availability and a karaoke bar that opens at two o’clock…”
“Or we could just wander around downtown,” I suggest. “See what we find? It could be fun to explore.”
“It could bemorefun to pick something we already know we’ll enjoy,” Renee argues.
“But half the fun is finding something together,” I point out.
“Is the other half getting sunburned and lost and blowing a bunch of money?”
“I’m sure there’s plenty of shade.”
“And I’m sure there’s—”
“Can I say something crazy?” Chrissy interrupts, flashing a saleswoman’s smile. “Would you guys just wanna go back to the pool?”
Gin slaps the bar with both hands, visibly relieved. “Oh my God, thank you. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Based on Renee’s eye twitch, I’d guess we’re not all on the same page. “Are…are you sure?” Her lips tug around a smile she can’t quite commit to. “We have pools back home.”
“But we had so much fun there yesterday,” Gin says, eyes twinkling at the memory. “And I know we won’t have a cabana today, but so long as we can get umbrellas…and frozen drinks? And SPF?”
I chew my cheek, thinking before I speak. I’m not in love with the idea of risking sun poisoning, but the soft, hopeful smile playing on Gin’s lips is tough to argue with.
