“Look,” Charlene continued, perching her glasses on her head. “I have a meeting with the board next week, and I’m not sure what to tell them about you. I want to recommend you, and your work certainly speaks for itself, but?—”
“I’ll show you,” I interrupted her. My voice was louder than expected. I was suddenly breathing hard. “I’ll try harder. I can be a team player.” Words I never thought I’d say.
She patted my hand, then nodded and stood. “I’ll have to go through these for the next few hours and make notes.” She took the laptop with her. “Why don’t you go mingle?”
The afternoon sun was getting lower, and there was a biting chill in the living room when I came down. Noise traveled through open patio doors. I slipped on my boots, pulled my cardigan closer, and followed the walkway around the corner of the house, following the voices.
“Hey, there you are! Why don’t you jump in?” May said, wearing a bright orange polka-dot swimsuit. Her arms were stretched over the back of the bubbling, steaming hot tub that currently held two other people. Jeremy, who wore vintage aviators to combat the slither of sun that had broken through the clouds, and John, who straightened when he saw me.
Oh, hell no.
“I didn’t bring a swimsuit. Too bad,” I said, turning on my heels before anyone could protest.
Yeah, THAT wasn’t going to happen. After seeing a lot more John than I had planned, I would definitely not be sharing a bubble bath with him.
“Merde,” Elaine yelped as I bumped into her.
“Sorry,” I said, taking a step back, nearly losing my footing on the slippery deck. Elaine wore a fluffy white robe, had her blonde curls gathered on top of her head in a bun, and a bottle of champagne in her hand.
“You’re not joining us?” She looked me up and down without a trace of sadness.
“I tend to take my baths alone,” I said, then noticed Charlene as she walked into the room behind Elaine.
Crap.
Elaine tried to step out, but I blocked her. “Actually, I would, but… I don’t have a bathing suit. That is, I didn’t think I needed to bring one.”
“It’s a writing retreat. Of course it has a hot tub.” Elaine shook her head as if this small talk was draining the life out of her.
Me and you both, Elaine.
“Yeah, of course,” I added, glancing sideways at Charlene, who had perched herself on the leather chair behind Elaine. “I had laundry day and forgot.” I tried to smile at her, but it felt all wrong. “You don’t have another one with you, by any chance?”
Elaine sighed, looking longingly past me to where May barked a laugh.
“Fine,” Elaine said, slamming the bottle down with more force than was necessary, then waved at me impatiently. “You are lucky I brought a few for choice.”
Elaine’s room smelled expensive. It was neat. Her bed was made. Dresses hung in actual garment bags. Nothing says "I’m classier than you" better than a garment bag.
She unzipped her Louis Vuitton weekender and tossed two bikinis and one swimsuit on the bed.
I lifted the scrap of fabric on one pinky. Really, it would only cover about that much skin.
“This is lingerie.”
She had packed a bright pink bikini, a black lace… something, and a white one-piece that had so many cutouts it looked like Swiss cheese.
She shrugged, a smile spreading across her face. “I know they are a little… racy. But if you don’t feel comfortable…”
“They’ll do just fine,” I said, giving her my sweetest smile and grabbing the black one. “Thanks.”
Besides wearing my trench coat on top, I felt like I was walking down the stairs stark naked. I had, in the end, tried on all three. Each more revealing than the next. I went with the black two-piece. The one that looked most like me.
The icy wind bit my legs the second I stepped out. I quickly sent a prayer to Bowie himself to end this with a hailstorm right here and now.
A cheer erupted from May as I rounded the corner. “There she is.”
“Thought I may join the fun after all,” I said, my teeth chattering. “If there’s room.”
