Page 36 of Wag More Bark Less

“Actually, we’re going to fish at Glimmerstone,” Connor said. “Boat’s already docked there.”

Not ideal, considering it was the busier of the two lakes and typically crowded from the time the ice thawed until after the conclusion of Golden Days. If I was going to be forced to take time off, I’d rather it be as people-free as possible.

“Why Glimmerstone?” I asked.

“Because the last time I took the boat down the sorry excuse for a road to the old dock, I broke an axle.”

“That was two years ago.”

“You think it’s gotten any better since then?”

It hadn’t. That road was heavily rutted and an off-roading adventure on a good day. Plus, the cabin as well as the dock at the end of it were technically no longer part of our family. The property had belonged to Uncle Karl and Aunt Wendy for more years than I could remember. But my buddy Beckett recently took them up on their offer to buy it. I was sure he wouldn’t mind us out there, but it felt different now.

“You invite Beckett?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s coming too.”

“Kira too?”

“She had some yoga thing to do, so it’s just us boys and our captain.” Connor rustled a hand in Opal’s hair, and that delightful giggle warmed me from the inside out. Maybe having a family of my own was off the table, but I could spoil the hell out of my niece. “I better get this one to bed. We’re meeting at the marina at six thirty.”

“Goodnight, Uncle Luke,” Opal said, waving at the phone before she ended the call.

I set the phone on the kitchen counter, intent on gathering and inventorying my fishing gear. But the sight of two colorful socks resting on the table gave me pause. They were the socks Ellie brought me—one with reading raccoons, and another with a flamingo and the words don’t make me put my foot down.

I should return them, right?

Maggie was probably looking for the missing socks.

You’re fishing for an excuse, and you know it.

I stared at the socks for several more seconds, a war raging inside me. What was the worst that could happen? She’d slam the door in my face? Already happened.

“Fuck it.”

I swiped the socks off the table, slipped on a pair of flip-flops, and hurried out the front door sans shirt. I liked the way she looked at me without a shirt—like she wanted to lick my skin. Maybe tonight I’d get to lick various parts of her skin.

Grabbing the handrail, I hopped down the last three steps in one leap. The crisp autumn air gave me a slight chill, but the molten lava running through my bloodstream warded off most of it.

Halfway across the shared driveway, I caught sight of something white out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it was trash, I hurried between the two vehicles to collect it. Only when I got close enough did I realize it was a shred of tulle caught in the back door of Maggie’s SUV. The fabric fluttered in the gentle breeze, silently rustling against the pavement.

I froze.

I can’t wait for you to see me in my dress. It was Raquel’s voice echoing in my memory. You’re going to absolutely die!

I gripped the socks tightly in my hand, and sucked in a deep inhale. Shaking the unwanted memory away, I retreated back to my place. If I needed a sign that getting involved with Maggie—even for just a night—was a terrible fucking idea, this one was flashing neon.

FOURTEEN

MAGGIE

“What’s this for?” I held up an anchor the size of my hand attached to a yellow rope. I hadn’t been paddleboarding in a couple of years, since that trip to the Florida Keys, but I didn’t remember having one of these.

“It’s to make sure your board doesn’t drift into anyone else while you’re in the middle of Warrior II,” Alyssa explained, attaching her rope to the D-ring of her paddleboard. “Don’t be too proud to use it, either. I’d tell you to ask Kira why that is, but she bailed on us. At least Aspen had a legitimate bakery-related excuse.” Before I could ask who either was, she added, “Kira just didn’t want to put any clothes on. Can’t say I blame her though. If I was getting laid on a regular basis, I wouldn’t leave my bed any more than I had to either.”

“Who are they?” I asked, secretly relieved that whoever these women were, they weren’t here now.

I was comfortable giving a presentation to a room full of in-processing soldiers or teaching a basic computer skills class to an entire assisted living community. But put me in an open area with three women who were clearly close friends, and I couldn’t feel more the odd woman out if I tried. If I was going to give this making female friends my own age thing a real try, I had to ease into it. And that was still a big if.