“True. I’m also notnota fan of them. I think they’re both really talented.”
River set her plate on the table and asked, “So, you really want to do this? Go on a double date with these two? Do they pick the restaurant? Wait. Do we have to drive up to LA to get to a fancy restaurant where neither of us fits in just to ask them questions we don’t really care about the answers to?”
“It’s more than that.”
“More? Do we get a behind-the-scenes tour of some set andthendinner?”
“No, it’s a whole weekend.”
“Weekend?”
“At a beach house in Malibu, according to their paperwork. The address isn’t there, obviously, just the general location, but it’s all inclusive. They will pick us up, probably in a really nice car, maybe a limo or something, and drive us there and back.”
“But we’re staying with Cameron Levine and Kennedy Gannon?”
“Yes, for two nights.” Lacey set her phone down and turned to River. “Come on, babe. We need this. We’ve both been working really hard lately. We’ve… River, we’re in a rut, and we could use some time in a fancy beach house we could never afford.”
“With another couple who also happens to be two famous lesbians?”
“Well, that’s what the prize is. I can try to enter a bunch of other contests to see if I can get us some fancy free trip or something, but I think my luck at winning things won’t get us there. I’ve literally only ever won this in my entire life, so we’ll be waiting a while to take that trip.”
“Okay, come on here, Lace. I didn’t know about this. I mean, that’s not entirely true – you had your computer out, and I accidentally saw a confirmation that you’d entered some contest, but I didn’t open the email or anything to check the details, and I never thought you’d win.”
“I did.” Lacey shrugged a shoulder. “And I’d like us to spend two nights and what probably amounts to only a total of forty-eight hours in a fancy beach house with a nice bedroom and free food and drinks. It will have a view of the ocean, and we can just relax, River. Please.”
“You really want this?”
“A beach house weekend away with my girlfriend? Yes, I do,” she said.
“I’ll agree to at least read through whatever they sent, but that’s it for now, okay?”
“I can be okay with that.”
“Give me your phone. I’ll check it out.”
“I’ll get you another pickle,” Lacey offered and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“I only agreed to read the stuff.”
“I know,” she replied, got off the couch, and headed into the kitchen with her heart racing.
CHAPTER 8
River
“Thank you for stopping by today,” she said to a customer and handed her a bag.
“This place really is amazing. Do you make all of this stuff yourself?” the woman asked.
“Most of it is made in-house, yes,” she replied. “All of the fudge and most of the candy. Some of it, we buy, but only from companies that still make everything by hand, including our ice cream.”
“How long have you worked here?” the woman asked.
River looked around the shop to see if there were any more customers whom she could be helping to use that as an excuse to get out of this conversation, since she was able to tell where it was heading, but unfortunately, they were in a bit of a lull at the moment. What she wouldn’t give for a kid sticking his hand into one of the barrels so she could politely ask him to stop right about now.
“We opened about five years ago,” she replied.
“Opened? You own it?”
