“This is Teeny,” I announce into the phone as soon as I answer it. “Don’t say anything disgusting.”
“Where’s Mina?” he asks, dismissing my request.
“She’s with Sadie in the water.”
“I just got back home,” he says. “I thought she’d still be at Mom’s.”
I shake my head, though he can’t see me. “She came with me to the beach after we were done. You want to join us? I could use some chips.”
“And bean dip!” Grace adds.
“Yeah,” Josh answers. “Just send me a pin.”
“Snacks are on the way,” I tell Grace, tossing Mina’s phone back in its place as soon as I send him our location. Grace and I move in unison, perching our sunglasses on our noses and tilting our breezy smiles toward the sun. Flashes of light veiled in pink fill my vision through closed eyes, and I can feel the warmth coat my skin, my arms and legs getting the brunt of the hot UV rays.
A rhythmic wave of cool ocean breeze brushes past us, soothing our pink-tinged skin. The sounds of Sadie’s laughter and Buster’s elated yelps assure both me and Grace that our kids are within earshot and safe.
It isn’t until a shadow casts over me that I realize I’d been gradually dozing off into a lazy slumber, tired from the long day.
“Enjoying yourself?”
The warm tone, both teasing and harmless, stirs something familiar in me. Something that heightens my normally dormant fight-or-flight response.
“Everett!” I jolt from my lax state, hopping away from broad shoulders and the drifting scent of spice and outdoors.
“Hi, Teeny.” Everett’s eyes roam over my bikini-clad body. He takes his time, as if he’s committing everything to memory. Everything from my messy ponytail, all the way down to my polished toenails.
“Everett! What are you doing here?”
I fumble with my cover-up and haphazardly throw it on, suddenly feeling completely underdressed, even with the amount of exposed skin scattered throughout the beach by other patrons, Everett included. He’s wearing a pair of swim trunks I’ve seen on Josh multiple times, exposing all the way up past his knees to enough thigh exposure to have me looking away.
“He came with me.” Josh drops two large grocery bags on the soft sand, various packages of chips and what looks like a bottle of alcohol poking out the top. I cast a glare in his direction, though he can’t see through my shaded eyes.
From the distance, Sadie, Mina, Lauren, and Grace leisurely stroll toward us, Buster running circles around them. I hadn’t even noticed when Grace joined them, but it looks like they’re ready to take a break from their shivering bodies and enervated gait.
“That water is freezing!” Mina exclaims, reaching for a towel and wrapping it over her shoulders. She greets Josh, to which he wraps his arms around her to create some warmth and friction.
Grace approaches my side but her steps halt as soon as she takes in the scene in front of her. My tense shoulders with fists at my side and my voice caught in my throat. And this stranger of a man hovering over me with his height and authoritative aura.
“Uh, hi,” she says nervously. She turns to face Everett, her back angled in my direction as if to create a shield. Maybe it’s the instinctive female intuition of protecting any and all women from unwanted male attention. Or the fact that, among the growing group of familiar faces, Everett stands out like a very attractive sore thumb.
“I’m Everett.” He offers a hand in Grace’s direction at the same time Grace’s brow shoots up.
“Everett?” There are so many hidden meanings behind her voice and a perplexed guise of confusion twists his features. “Like,EverettEverett?”
He doesn’t answer but looks at me instead. The corner of his mouth tilts upward, but that quickly disappears when Grace takes his offered hand and aggressively shakes it. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All lies, I assure,” he responds coolly, and he’s rewarded with a delighted laugh from my best friend.
I walk away from the conversation, not caring about pleasantries or playing hostess to this awkward interaction, and stalk over to Josh. “Why did you bring Everett?” I hiss.
He turns away from Mina who’d been feeding him a chip.
“He was at my house, and I asked if he wanted to come when you asked me to bring over some food.” He adds a little shrug, and that increases the frustration coursing through me. I hold back a groan and run my hand through my hair instead. “What’s the big deal?” he asks, popping a chip into his mouth.
“It’s not,” I lie. “I just would like to know if you’re bringing someone.”
His palms face me. “Okay, jeez. I didn’t think it would matter.”
