Page 56 of Hometown Hottie

None of them had come here to counsel me through my misguided feelings for my brother’s famous best friend. So I lifted my shoulders and smiled. “I don’t mind that he’s going to be here. I didn’t know he was coming until yesterday, but I came to spend time with you guys. That’s it.”

“Vance and Jessie are getting hot and heavy,” she mused as we walked out of the room. “Those guys are bound to spend a lot of time with us this weekend, so we might’ve come to spend it together, but together now means with them too.”

“Nah. I’m sure the lovebirds will lock themselves in a room soon enough and we won’t see much of Carson once Vance disappears.”

We joined the others in the kitchen.

She chuckled and took my arm, rolling her eyes at me. “Girl, it’s not like any of us are going to mind seeing much of Carson Drake.”

Jessie perked up at the sound of Carson’s name. A beer had replaced the margarita that had been in her hand before. “I can’t wait for them to get here. A whole weekend at the lake with Vance is going to be amazing.”

“And us,” Harriet said dryly with an amused smile playing on her lips. “We’re here too, so it’s a whole weekend at the lake with all of us.”

Jessie laughed and pretended to blow her a kiss. “Of course. That was what I meant. Now let’s take this party out on the water, girls. Amber has been dying to get started on her tan.”

“Can you blame me?” Amber asked mildly, holding both of her arms out to her sides. “I’m so pasty, they can probably see me from space.”

“As long as you do it with a drink in your hand, I’m happy,” Jessie said cheerfully, shutting the cooler filled to the brim with drinks and ice. “I’ve been itching for a good party weekend for years. I mean, how long has it been since we’ve all been able to just kick back together like this?”

“Years,” I confirmed without even having to think about it. “Let’s go then. It’s a gorgeous day and we don’t want to waste any more of it inside.”

A chorus of whoops rang out and the group of us headed down to the dock. We carefully climbed onto the pontoon boat and helped Jessie load the heavy cooler without incident. Cassidy was a pro at handling the boat, and she took us out to the middle of the lake, where she cut the engine.

I kicked back in the padded bench seat and let the sun warm my skin. Tension drained from my shoulders and the gentle waves rocked me like a baby. The day couldn’t be more perfect.

“Harriet!” Cassidy snapped when she saw our friend was back on her phone again, her face buried in it once more.

She looked up and gave everyone an apologetic smile. “Just this one email. I tried to ignore it, but this idiot is like sand in my vagina.”

A chorus of groans echoed around the boat. I shook my head but left her to it as Amber, Jessie, Cassidy and I spread out on the boat to work on our tans. Harriet’s first email turned into another, and another, and eventually, we harassed her about it so much that she hid it in her backpack. She grabbed a hard seltzer from the cooler and damn near chugged it all in one go.

I laughed. “There’s the Harriet I remember.”

She wiped her mouth and glanced around like she was looking for something. “I wonder when the boys are going to get here. I’m ready for a little eye candy.”

“Hey, you leave Vance alone,” Jesse said playfully. “Keep your eyes on Carson.”

Harriet frowned. “I don’t know about Carson. Do you all think he still has feelings for Nova?”

“What?” Cassidy screeched, sitting upright and swiping her sunglasses off to gape at me. “He had feelings for you? And you never told me?”

I groaned. “Yes.”

She shook her head and looked almost impressed. “Well done, you sneaky bitch.”

“But it’s not like that,” I said, not sure what it was like, but I felt the need to defend myself for some reason.

Amber remained perfectly still in her position so as not to risk ruining her tan, but the arch of her perfectly manicured eyebrow said it all. “You guys are unfinished business, Nova. It’s likely that he still has feelings for you. Unless you’ve finished said business since he got back into town?”

Jesse cheered. “Aww yeah! Get it, Nova.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not getting anything but older and grouchier.”

Cassidy gave her head a firm shake. “No. Nope. Hold up. Let’s pause for a minute. Can someone please tell me what happened with Nova and Carson, and why am I only hearing about it now?”

My cheeks flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the sun as Harriet and Amber told her what they’d seen at the bonfire way back when. I filled in the gaps in a squeaky voice and begged them to leave it in the past—where it belonged—but they weren’t having it.

“He’s so dreamy,” Amber said once I was done telling the story. “That part hasn’t changed. Have you guys seen him since he got back?”