Pure Belleza | ✔️

(72)

There are several traditions that the Lahey's have when it comes to the Fourth of July. If Grandma and Grandpa are with us, we have a moment for Grandpa's mom and dad, who died a long time ago on the Fourth of July. But Grandma and Grandpa weren't up for travelling to California, so we stuck to one of our more informal forms of celebration.

Me, mom, dad, Max, Amalia, Lucas, Milly and Flynn were all on the deck or a step below in the sand. The barbecue was grilling steaks and sausages, there was a chiller of ice and cold beverages and music pounding through the speakers. Dad said that some of his friends would be dropping in to have a drink and Coleman was meant to be here soon after he'd been to see his son.

Flynn, Lucas and Max were out on the sand with a football, tossing it around while dad flipped meat on the grill and mom walked back and forth from the kitchen with plates, glasses, salads, side dishes. I'd offered to help but she told me to remain seated with the girls. Amalia, Milly and I were on the double lounger.

It was the best seat in the house as far as I was concerned. And not because I could see Flynn running around without his shirt on, sweating up a storm, but because the lounge chair was as wide as a double bed, made of soft foam and could recline right out into a literal bed or it could be set so that it was elevated. The three of us fit on it with room to stretch.

"So," Mills said from one side of me, she was in a cute blue bikini whereas I'd opted for cotton shorts and a cropped tank top. "Have you decided where to live after the summer?"

"I think I want to move back in with Flynn and work on our relationship."

"Aww," Amalia pouted from the other side of me.

"I know," I pouted back. "It's hard. I love living with you and Max. And I'll miss Bernie. But hell, do I miss California."

"And Flynn?" Milly teased.

"Of course."

We fell quiet for a moment and I hoped that it wasn't obvious that I'd lied. Missing Flynn wasn't a lie. I missed him all the time and I did miss this home, California, the beach. But there was something about New York and the work that I was doing with Bernie. The possibility of a brand new venture. A purpose. It made me wish that Bernie could come here so that we could keep designing and pushing her brand together. But that wasn't possible. It was getting harder and harder to decide what exactly it was that I wanted but moving back to California and living with Flynn made the most sense. He was my future. So that was what I was choosing.

"How's school going, Milly?" Amalia leaned forward and pushed the bridge of her glasses further up her nose.

"It's going," she shrugged. "Final year starting in September. And I haven't a damn clue what I want to do after I graduate."

"What about the book that you were writing?" I asked.

"Oh I'm still working on it," she pursed her lips and tilted her head. "I need to be realistic though. I'll need to get a job. There's no guarantee that the book thing will pan out. So, I don't know, I was thinking of going into book retail or something of the likes. Something to do that won't be all time consuming, if that makes sense."

"That'd be fun," Amalia said. "I read a lot of self help books so I go into the book stores at least once a month. It feels like it'd be a great working environment."

"You read self help books?" Milly stared at her, mouth agape. "What on God's green earth do you need a self help book for? To be even more perfect?"

Amalia laughed her modest little giggle and said nothing in return.

"Seriously, you're the perfect woman. Looks, personality, even your laugh is a wet dream."

"Amalia doesn't like the word perfect," I informed Mills with a grin.