“I thought we had to be a guest at the hotel to use the hot springs here.”
“Being a hotel guest is encouraged.” A mischievous smile covers my mouth before I jump out of the car.
“So we’re sneaking in?” She stands and slams her car door behind her.
“Can you handle that?”
“Pfft. Of course, I can handle that.”
“Just act like you belong.”
She heads for the front of the hotel. “That’s what I was going to say to you.”
We walk through the lobby doors, and the receptionist smiles at us from her spot at the front counter. I return the smile, leading the way into the hotel gift shop.
“What if we can’t find a swimsuit to buy?” Summer casually walks around the shelves of over-the-counter medicine and magnets.
“Then we’ll have to go naked.”
Her head jerks up with a freaked-out expression that ruins my joke.
I start laughing. “I’m kidding. If they don’t have suits, we’ll have to come back another time.” My eyes catch some in the corner. “But I think we’re in luck.”
We walk to the back of the small shop, flipping through the hangers.
“Oh, no!” Summer groans.
“What?”
“They’re ugly.” She holds up a white bikini with deer heads on each triangle and on the bottoms. Her lips quiver as she watches my expression go from confusion to comical until we both crack with laughter. “I think it’s a play on having a nice ‘rack,’” she says through her giggles. She flips the tag around, reading the description out loud. “The classic three-point top that better reflects the advantages of the body. Sexy-hot, cheeky design”—her blue eyes look up at me with a playful glow before she continues reading—“that will give you a new look and make you stand out in the crowd.”
“Or stand out in a herd.”
Summer snorts, drawing out my own laugh. There’s something so satisfying about making her laugh.
“I willnotbe standing out in a herd today.”
“You have to wear it. It’s amazing.”
“No, it’s hideous.”
“Look, there’s a matching men’s elk swimsuit for me. I’ll wear one too.” I hold it up to my waist, showing off the antler pattern strategically placed in the middle of the crotch.
“That’s gross. I refuse to be these people.”
I grab the hanger from her before she can put the bikini back. “You’re wearing it. What size are you?” My eyes drift up and down her body as if they’ve magically become a tape measure, but when they land on Summer’s face, all signs of laughter have faded into a playful, pointed stare.
“Um, do you mind?”
“I wasn’t checking you out. You look like a marshmallow in your snow clothes.” I start walking backward toward the cash register. “If I were going to sneak a peek, I wouldn’t waste it on when you’re wearing your snow clothes. I’d make sure to steal a glance when you’re wearingthis.” I hold up the bikini.
Summer’s cheeks turn pink, and it isn’t from the cold outside.
But I saidif.
IfI were going to check her out.
I never said I would.
