World renowned writer, Molly Tulip, moves up to Northern Montana, hoping to escape the busy city life and a cheating ex. After years of stress and toxicity from her previous relationship, Molly needs to focus on healing herself through her writing...
"Are you sure it won't be too much of a hassle if we tag along?" I ask Clara and Travis who both shake their heads in dismissal.
"Don't be crazy Molly, we want you to come with us to the lake! It's probably the last time we'll be able to enjoy it before the snow comes." Travis says as we all walk towards our cars. The breakfast was unbelievably good, even better than Mo's in New York. I know, hard to believe since I basically lived there while working on books two and three of my series, but they beat them out by a long shot once I tasted their gluten free peach and olallieberry cobbler. Seriously, I'm still drooling thinking about it.
"Carver will meet us at the boat launch once he hooks up the boat to his truck." Clara smiles, her fingers interlock with Travis's. They really are an adorable couple. She keeps him from doing crazy shit and he brings adventure and fun into her life. Not that she needs it, she's a pretty fun girl, but I can tell he helps her with her OCD and anxiety. It's always good to have someone around to keep you loose and relaxed. That's why I've been relying so heavily on Brigette these last few years. He was never one to help deal with my emotions. He'd always say I was too emotional and that I needed to be more logical about things. He's a freakin' robot. If you really want to know, he was only ever looking out for himself and keeping things by the book, well except for relationship things. He must have picked up the Cheaters How To Book and followed along with that one.
"It's really sweet of you to invite us, however, I didn't prepare for water adventures. My suitcase is fresh out of swimwear." Brigette sighs. She's pulled her long, auburn hair down from the bun it was in earlier. The warm early Fall wind is whipping it to and fro as if she were a model at a photo shoot.
"Our Target should have some options available if you two want to go check it out before meeting us at the lake?" Clara offers and I nod. I don't have any kind of swimsuit either, so it'd be good to have that in case I decide to go swimming on the lake.
"There might even be some end of summer deals, B!" I say and her eyes light up. Brigette is a huge fan of sales and discounts. She might dress in designer clothes, but she sure as hell didn't pay the designer price tag. Brigette grabs my wrist and waves goodbye to Clara and Travis before she starts dragging me down the street towards her rental car. "Send me the address!" I shout to Clara who is bursting out laughing. She shoots me a thumbs up and I turn around and follow Brigette the rest of the way to the car.
"I still can't believe we got all this stuff for under $30!" Brigette exclaims and taps on her steering wheel to the beat of the country song on the radio. I get that I moved to the middle of the country, so country music is to be expected, but god does it have to be on every single channel? I tried flipping through the channels earlier, only to be slapped on the wrist when Brigette's "favorite song" came on. This girl has never listen to country music a day in her posh British life.
"What'd we get again? Two suits," I start.
"Two adorable suits." Brigette interjects and I roll my eyes.
"My bad, two adorable suits, two packs of sodas, chips and dip, a handful of assorted snacks, and a pack of waters." I look at the receipt and grin.
"Gotta love a good sale!" She cheers and I laugh. "So, Molly, you never told me that Clara had a gorgeous older brother, and that he has the hots for you!" Brigette nudges me.
"He does not have the hots for me." I laugh nervously then look at her, dead serious. "Do you think he likes me?"
"Of course love, what's not to like? You're a total babe, gorgeous, and brilliant. You've got a great personality and you're funny as hell. You're the package deal, Molly." Brigette brags as we pull into a parking spot. We made it to the boat launch in no time. I look out on the lake and see Carver backing his truck into the water and Travis unhooking the boat from the trailer.
"Looks like we're just in time." We head out of the car and carry our goodies to the dock where Clara is waiting.
"You girls didn't have to bring anything! We have plenty of booze and sunscreen for the trip." Clara says.
"We brought some snacks and other drinks to make sure we don't get too toasted on our boating adventure." I lift up the sodas and snacks.
"Hey! She brings us gifts!" Travis shouts from the boat and gives me a thumbs up.
"Well I'll get those all set up on the boat, do you want to go put your suits on in the restroom before we set sail?" Clara takes the drinks from me. Carver, having now parked the truck, runs over to meet us and grabs the rest of the supplies from Brigette.
"Sounds like a plan." Brigette and I go change in the fastest time possible. I swear we would have won a World Record had someone been timing us. She was able to find this adorable navy blue and white polka dot bikini with a ruffled top and thong-like bottoms. It goes so well with her fair complexion and ginger hair. I luckily found a sexy one piece with a very modern twist to it. The sides are cut open, so the top and bottom pieces are connected by knots in the space right under the breast and the middle of the back. It's a beautiful forest green with ribbed fabric that pairs perfectly with the aviator shades I borrowed from Brigette. Very chic if I do say so myself.
We walk out of the bathroom and back to the boat. Five more people have shown up at this point, all with bags of alcohol and snacks in their hands. We should have brought more. I dread as I continue forward with Brigette. Carver is chatting it up with a petite blonde off to the side while Clara and Travis are talking with the other four. My eyes linger on Carver, he looks happy talking with the cute girl. She's only about five feet tall, her blonde hair is shoulder length with half of it up in two little buns on top of her head. She laughs at something he says and the grin he makes is too cute. I look away before either of them can see me creeping. It's unbearable to see so many people finding happiness in another person when I don't have that feeling anymore.
"Molly, Briggette, meet Robbie, Karl, Marcus, and Shawn." Travis gestures to the four people in front of him. One tall, slender woman and three muscular men, total bros. "And that's Angie talking with Carver." He nods his head and I can see the disdain seeping out of Clara's pours. This girl really needs to learn how to hide her emotions better.
"It's nice to meet you." The taller of the three brutes says. He shakes both Brigette's and my hands and the other two follow suit. The swan looking woman has a very sour face, maybe she's just been cursed with RBF, but I can only wonder if I did something to offend her with the way she's looking at me.
"Alright everyone let's get this show on the road, or should I say water. We're only young once!" Clara shouts as she walks towards the boat. Everyone scrabbles to gather their belongings as they rush after her. I look over at Carver and Angie, who look extremely chummy, as they walk ahead of Brigette and me.
"So much for having the hots for me." I whisper and Brigette gives me a halfhearted smile.
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