I return to my chair where Sadie and Lauren are ripping open a bag of Barbecue Lays and guzzling cans of Sprite.
“So, that’s the ex-boyfriend?” Grace whispers, leaning toward me.
I nod.
“He’s cute.”
While I can’t disagree with her, the look of disgust is hard to hide on my face.
“What?” she asks. “He is.”
“That’s beside the point, Grace.”
“Obviously. He still broke your heart, but that is one fine ass man.”
My eyes widen, and I smack the back of my hand to her forearm. She smirks a laugh and takes a long, drawn-out sip out of her cup.
My eye catches the long glass bottle Mina pulled out of one of the grocery bags Josh brought, the metallic red glinting off the sun with the words Smirnoff winking in my direction. I reach for it, adding a healthy guzzle to my own plastic tumbler filled with ice and soda. I might as well be drunk if I’m going to have to deal with Everett’s constant gaze pointed in my direction.
* * *
“Mom.” Sadie’s voice perks up from the huddled whispers she and Lauren were speaking in. “Lauren’s mom’s here.”
I tilt back the rest of my drink—vodka mixed with a splash of Squirt—before I face her. “You need me to walk you guys to the parking lot?”
Lauren shakes her head. “My mom’s right there.” She points to where the sand meets the parking lot to find her mom waving in our direction. I wave a hand back, acknowledging the exchange of our teenage girls, as Lauren and Sadie collect their things.
“You got everything?” I ask Sadie.
“Yup.” She slings her tote bag over her shoulder.
“Make sure you wash your hair,” I say firmly. “That ocean water is dirty.”
“Yeah,” she answers.
“And brush your teeth,” I add.
“I know!” Sadie and Lauren turn to leave just as a buzz of alcohol starts to warm my blood.
With Sadie now in the hands of another responsible adult and out of my care for the night, it feels like the perfect time for a refill. I reach for the vodka, only a splash left, and add the remains of it to my cup.
“You want to take it easy there?”
“I’ll be fine,” I tell Grace. “This’ll be my last drink, and I’ll have plenty of time to sober up before I go home.”
She tips a doubtful look in my direction, but I ignore it, shifting my attention to my fresh drink instead.
“Hey, was Leo busy today?” Josh asks, taking in my morose state and the way I’m drowning it in something easier to stomach.
“I don’t know,” I tell him. “What did James say?”
“I guess he was tied up with something.”
“Then I guess he was tied up.” The alcohol’s starting to course through me, making me bold and my attitude thicken. I don’t care about pleasantries right now, and I’d rather not talk about my soon-to-be ex-husband.
The silence lingers while Mina and Josh canoodle on the blanket that’s way too small for the two of them to fit comfortably, causing Mina to take the seat on Josh’s lap. Grace tears open a fresh bag of Cheetos, and I suddenly have the urge to pee.
“I’ll be back,” I tell Grace. “Gotta use the little girls’ room.”
