AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She watches me load them all into her small trunk, shielding her face from the sun, her squinting making it seem like she’s smiling.
She looks good standing in front of my door. Her spring sundress swaying in the light breeze.
I bite back the memory of that night at the Inn and step over to her. “Meet me at the Inn Saturday morning. I usually stop in for an espresso before going to the office. We can talk logistics over…” I wave my hand, “Whatever is first on your list.”
Her eyes shift with hesitation and it makes me sigh with irritation. “We called a truce, Charlie. I think that means you can come back to the Inn.”
She bites the corner of her lip and then shakes her head. “The Township Bakery. We’ll make that our meeting place. Weddings’ in four weeks so we can meet once a week, starting this Saturday.”
“Works for me.” That doesn’t work for me at all. If Charlie is leaving after the wedding and planning on hitting everything on this mystery bucket list, I’m going to need a lot more of her than once a week to find out what's on it.
6
Pepper flips through the brochures I brought from the library, which is a heck of a lot less distracting than browsing the internet.
Plus, I’m a paper girl, I prefer cutouts over screenshots.
“Oh, how about these?” I point to the flowers.
She cringes. “Ugh, calla lilies? They’re so…plain. I was thinking white roses.”
“Hmm…those will be expensive.”
Pepper doesn’t say anything and I wince. Of course. Her fiancé can afford it.
“White roses it is.” I flip back to them and tear the page.
“Mmm…put that in the maybe pile.”
“The maybe pile is getting awfully large. You’ll need to make a decision soon,” I warn.
Pepper throws her head back against the sofa cushions. “Can we take a break?”
“If you take any more breaks, you’ll be moving backward.”
She watches me thoughtfully. “Can we talk more about your bucket list?”
I roll my eyes. The other day, I had a little too much wine and started listing off things I thought I would have done by now, or at least before I turn twenty-five. “It’s not a list…I just said before I leave town, I want to skinny dip in my favorite lake. It’s not ice cold this time of year and I think it’ll be fun.”
“Well, I know I said I’ll do it with you but…if I can’t see what’s in the water, I don’t go in it.”
“College kids do it all the time. No one’s died.”
“Yet,” she mutters. “And?”
“And a super small tattoo.”
“Aaannd?” she urges and I have no clue what she’s getting at.
“That’s it.”
“Oh, come on, Charlie. You need to have sex. Pop your cherry. Knock those purple boots. You’re killing me over here.”
“How is my being a virgin hurting you?”
“Because it's hard to have sexy talk time with your bestie when she hasn't experienced it yet. And I want that for you because it can be mind-blowing.”
I cock my head. “The talk?”
