Page 93 of The Right Kind of Wrong

“I didn’t realize you’d be here,” Blake said quickly. It was common knowledge that teachers could use the studio during off-hours, but Blake rarely had the time or energy to take advantage of it. Still, she wasn’t going to overstay her welcome. She picked up the small towel that she’d thrown on the chair and wiped her chest. “I can head out.”

Holland gave her a playful smile, clearly unbothered by Blake’s presence. “What I just saw was the definition of ‘dancing it out.’”

Blake bit her lip. She had been dying to talk about this with someone, if only to try and work through her feelings on the subject of Monroe and whatever it was that they were doing.

Holland eyed Blake again. “I actually stopped by because I saw that your truck was in the parking lot. I’m on my way out to the falls for some general merriment. Did you want to join me?”

They hadn’t hung out again—at least, outside of class—since her niece’s birthday party. It would probably be good for her, she decided, rolling her shoulders. The last hour hadn’t done much to dampen her energy levels. She threw the towel around her neck, pulling at both ends, stretching it. “Sure. Hiking or swimming or something else?” she clarified.

Holland treated a ten-mile hike the same way she treated a walk down Main Street, so it was an important distinction to make before Blake agreed to anything.

Not that it would change Blake’s answer, except that, if needed, she’d probably ask to swing by her house to grab a pair of hiking boots.

Holland spun her keys in her hand.“How does paddleboarding sound? If we leave soon, they may still have some available to rent.”

“Sure.” She smiled. “Let me grab my bag, and we can head out.”

After a quick stop at home—where Blake promised herself she hadn’t been looking for Monroe’s SUV—they headed out to the falls.

Calling it a waterfall, at least where they were going, was a generous term.

Cypress Creek wound through hills, flowing downward until it first reached a well that created a large, cavernous area with limestone overhangs that divers liked to frequent.

Blake would not be going there. No, thank you.

As the creek continued to flow, miles down, it fed into the area near Slider’s, just outside of preservation land. In the 1950s, a small resort had been built and the creek expanded to create a swimming hole that tourists flocked to from all over during the summer months.

It was still early, barely ten a.m., which meant that the grounds wouldn’t be teeming with people yet. Hopefully.

Blake had changed into her bikini, and she’d thrown on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, along with flip-flops. She’d brought a backpack that also held a pair of sneakers in case they walked anywhere.

She looked over at Holland, who was singing along to the radio. “So, how have you been?”

It was strange. Even though they spent multiple nights a week in the same place and even though Holland was as sociable as they came, Blake didn’t know her very well. And the one night they’d gone out together, it had mostly been Blake venting about her sister inviting Noah without giving her a heads-up.

Holland was surprisingly tight-lipped about herself.

Honestly, Blake had been shocked when Holland had shown up at her parents’ house a few months ago, unannounced, and asked her if she’d like to teach classes at her studio.

She hadn’t even known that Holland was aware she existed. Sure, they’d grown up in the same neighborhood, but Holland was . . . well, she was Holland.

It had always felt like she lived in a world apart from mere mortals.

Now that Blake wasn’t in such a bad place, the way that she’d felt after Amelia’s birthday party, her insecurity started creeping back in.

Holland finished singing along to a verse floating through the car’s speakers, then turned down the radio. “Maybe the better question is how are you? I heard that your ex-husband is now a proud papa.”

Wow, she was cutting straight to the quick. “You don’t beat around the bush.”

Holland shrugged. “I figure that this town has enough people in it who fall in line. I don’t need to be another one of them.”

Overall, Blake appreciated that about Holland. Plus, she had to trust someone with her honest thoughts and feelings. Someone other than Monroe. It didn’t exactly seem fair to be lusting after Monroe while also making her the emotional anchor to help Blake work through how much she disliked her ex-husband.

“I mean, it’s not like I didn’t know the baby would eventually be here,” Blake acknowledged as they picked up speed, heading out of town.

Holland pursed her lips and then broke out into a smile. “You know, you make an extremely fair point.”

Blake laughed, loosening up a bit. Holland really could put anyone at ease. She had seen it dozens of times with kids and adults alike. “I do that sometimes. You didn’t see me at my best the last time that we hung out.”