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“What book?”
I could hear the announcers in the background calling out gate changes and last calls for flights. Liz’s voice was a harsh whisper over the noise. “The book. It’s the first mock-up of the book Ashley proposed.”
The groan was involuntary. “Please don’t tell me they moved forward with bear genitals.”
“They didn’t. Chris got Ashley to put pants on the bears, but this is easily the lamest book we’ve ever published. It literally says B is for bougie, Kenna. Bougie! In a children’s book! I can’t bear—and that’s not a pun—to be associated with this monstrosity!”
I couldn’t help myself. I started giggling so hard, Irene poked her head in the door to see what the fuss was about and voluntarily cut her smoke break short. By the time I caught my breath and explained the history of the book to Irene, Liz was sitting at her gate. It felt really good to have let all that shit go. I didn’t trust Ashley further than I could throw her, but I wasn’t seething in anger any longer.
“How do you feel about moving to Florida? You can live with me until you find a job.”
Liz sighed. “I’d love nothing more, but isn’t your mom already living with you?”
I grimaced while Irene cackled a smoker’s laugh that had me worried about her lungs. Irene had met my mom earlier this week when I brought her into work with me. Big mistake. Mom supplied the weed and both women had been high off their asses, mooning every boat that came into our marina, like some kind of twisted geriatric Mardi Gras. That was not how I envisioned increasing business.
Leaving the desk to Irene, I stepped outside, pulling my hair off my neck and wondering when fall would hit Florida. Did fall hit Florida? Or did it go straight from summer into winter?
“Yeah, there’s no end in sight yet, but Dec’s father has been keeping her occupied.”
Liz made a suggestive noise. “Forget about my troubles. I want to hear about you getting laid again.”
I rolled my eyes and walked out onto the dock. The water was so clear here you could see several feet down to the sand. “Sadly, there hasn’t been a repeat. I’ve been too busy with Mom, the house renovation, and the boat club. Dec came over last night after Mom had gone to bed and we barely kissed before Mom came downstairs for water and ended up talking Dec’s ears off. The poor guy barely got a word in before he gave up and went home.”
“Parents. The original cockblockers,” Liz lamented.
“I know,” I sighed. “But I’m all she has, and I can’t kick her out.”
“Well, just wait ’til I get there. I’ll keep Mona so occupied you can sneak over to Dec’s and defile a pantry or something. Quickies can be super satisfying.”
“I would love that.” I scuffed the toe of my shoe against the dock, tracing the natural lines in the wood. “I actually miss him. We were spending every single day together and then a few nights, and now it’s just a glance across the shrubs or a stolen kiss here and there.”
Not a cloud in the sky, I turned back toward the boat club. I needed to get home so I could shower and then Dec could take me to the airport to pick up Liz. “I realized last night I never felt that way about Justin. Is that weird?”
“Not at all, babe. You were barely an adult when you met Justin.”
I thought back on that time, having to reach far into the recesses of my brain to remember how I’d felt about him. “I remember wanting to be around him, but it was more of an attempt to have his status rub off on me. I desperately wanted to be associated with the big man on campus. As if that meant I was something special too.”
“You always were something special, Kens. You. Not your association with the douchebag.”
I heard the announcement of Liz’s flight boarding in the background. “I love you, Lizzie.”
“Love you too, sweetie. See you in a few hours.”
We hung up and I eyed the rusty bike leaning against the side wall of the boat club office.
“I gotta get some wheels,” I said out loud. And by wheels, I meant a car, not a rusty men’s bike that left my tailbone bruised after a few measly miles of riding. But today was not that day, so I got my leg over the bike and headed for home, cursing the whole way under my breath.
We parked at the furthest corner in the cell phone lot at the airport, barely able to make out like teenagers before Liz texted that her flight had landed. Dec groaned, pulling his hand out from under my shirt. My hair was a mess, but by the time we got to the curb where she was to meet us, we both had ourselves back together again. Pretty sure Liz still knew what we were doing because the second I stepped out of the truck, she burst into laughter before hugging me. She was dressed in black joggers and bright white tennis shoes, a trendy workout top and gold jewelry that looked amazing against her darkly tanned skin.
“Liz, this is Dec Boggs. Dec, this is my best friend, Liz Davis.”
The two shook hands and Dec got her bags stowed in the back of the truck like the perfect gentleman. We were zooming down the highway with Liz sitting in the middle of the back seat, leaning between us and hurling questions at Dec. He was doing just fine without my help, his answers seeming to appease my best friend.
“Okay, okay, Liz. Let the man drive without being interrogated,” I finally interrupted.
“Hey, I can’t be too careful. You hitched your wagon to the head asshole. I’m just making sure you don’t do that again.”
Dec bit back a smile. “I was never the fraternity president or head asshole of anything. Never went to college, in fact. I’m just a simple fisherman.”
