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“See?” I said. “He’s not even close to being a Justin.”
“Mhm,” Liz said, not quite convinced yet.
Dec told her about Harley, his own best friend who watched his back, and some of the hijinks they’d gotten up to on Dec’s boat. By the time we reached the house, Liz was giggling right along with me. Dec’s charm, when he wanted to put it to use, was deadly.
Mom ran out of the house, her arms stretched out wide like she was welcoming home a long-lost daughter. She’d met Liz multiple times over the years, of course, but the welcoming-committee act was more for theatrics. The two hugged and walked inside, leaving Dec to bring in Liz’s bags.
As soon as he put them down, his hand stole around my waist and he leaned down by my ear, giving me goose bumps. “I’m going to leave you girls alone for tonight, but call me later?” he whispered.
I looked up into those deep brown eyes and wanted to get lost in them. Sadly, there was no time for that. “Absolutely. Thank you for driving us.”
His lips tilted up into a grin I wanted to taste. “Anything for you, sunshine.”
“Where’s the tequila?” Mom asked from the kitchen. “Liz, grab the glasses!”
I dropped my forehead to Dec’s chest. “God help me.”
His rumbled laughter vibrated my skull. He left after a quick kiss and I went to find Liz and Mom. The house seemed to hum with excitement and life, maybe because Mom had left on every single light in the house, or because laughter rang out rich and genuine when Mom clutched the tequila bottle to her chest while she danced around the kitchen.
There was one thing I could count on when it came to my mother: she knew how to have a good time.
“I’m in Florida!” Liz squealed, grabbing my hands and forcing me to join in on the dancing. “It’s only right we make margaritas!”
“Isn’t that for when you’re in Mexico?” I teased.
Liz pulled me into her arms and then spun me out. “Nah. It’s Margaritaville time, baby!”
Mom whooped and somehow let go of the bottle enough to splash a healthy amount into the blender. With some good-natured bickering and Jimmy Buffet now flowing from the speaker on the counter, we danced in the kitchen and made a large batch of margaritas that tasted amazing. The girl party navigated to the back patio, where we sank onto lounge chairs and gazed at the sun dipping into the ocean.
“Ah, now this is what I was missing in San Francisco. Too many clouds to ever see the sun. Too cold to dip a toe in the water.” Mom swirled the slush in her glass with a pink crazy straw we’d found in the back of a drawer. “I think I could retire here.”
I snorted and Mom glared at me. The tequila had loosened my tongue. “What? You gotta admit that’s funny. Retire? Mom, you’ve never worked!”
“I have too! I worked at that daycare.”
“For three whole months,” I told Liz, who had taken a paint sample booklet and was using it as a fan. It would take her more than a few days to get acclimated to the weather here.
Mom lifted her nose in the air and sucked up more of the margarita. “Don’t forget that bead place. And the health food store. Oh! And dog walking!”
I rolled my eyes. The woman had never been able to hold down a job longer than a few months. The exact reason I’d turned myself into a workaholic. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of my mother. Stability was paramount. Or at least, I used to think so.
“I don’t know about you two, but I could use a dip in that water right now.” Liz, trying to play peacemaker, had a sheen of sweat on her top lip. “I’m going upstairs to change into a swimsuit.”
I stood with her, the world swaying a bit with the sudden altitude change. “Me too!”
Mom slurped loudly, having reached the end of her margarita. “And I’ll make more drinks while you young things have a swim.”
I made it downstairs first, feeling naked without my charm bracelet around my wrist. Knowing Liz, she was probably unpacking everything in the guest room next door to my room before she came downstairs. She couldn’t handle leaving things in a suitcase. I heard the blender running and decided to walk out into the water on my own despite the darkness fast approaching. Dec had said there were rarely sharks out here. You’d have to go much further out to get to the depths where they swam around.
“Wait up!” Liz called and I turned around, seeing my gorgeously curvy best friend stepping through the water to join me. She wore a bright red two-piece that made her look like a swimsuit model. How she was still single was one of life’s mysteries.
We held hands and waded into the deeper water, getting up to our waists before we let go of each other and floated. Liz tilted her head back and gazed up at the moon.
“You look happy, Kenna,” she said simply.
I looked up at the horizon and thought about it. “I am happy.”
Her fingers splashed as she felt around for me and then stilled as we held hands, floating on our backs in the Atlantic together.
