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Emery nudged my arm and gestured down her front. “How do I look?”
She was wearing a simple pair of high-waisted shorts and a black crop top, hair in a flawless fishtail that I had no patience to try and achieve.
“You look as amazing as you always do,” I reassured.
“Thanks,” she beamed. “So, where to first? Inside, the dock, the fire…?”
We came to a slow halt and I looked around. They both stared waiting for me to answer. I didn’t want to go to any of those places. I wanted to find an alcove and hide, remain on the outside as an observer like I always did. I was good at being that quiet girl in a corner. The one who seemed oblivious to her surroundings but was actually listening to every conversation going on around me.
“After that drive I need to find a bathroom, stat.”
“Okay, inside then.”
“Em. I think I can manage using the restroom on my own. You have your phones on you? I’ll text when I’m done. Go have some fun. Drink as much as you want, I’m your D-D.”
“Are you sure?”
“She’ll be fine. Let’s go, you’re coming with me.” Annika grabbed her arm and began leading her away.
I didn’t stand around to watch where they were going. I wandered into the house, right through the double wide front doors that had someone had propped open. The space was even bigger than as I expected, cedar ceilings so ridiculously high I couldn’t imagine changing the lightbulbs.
I felt eyes on me, but I ignored them, making my way towards what I thought was the kitchen. I couldn’t have alcohol, not even a drop. I wouldn’t stop there. I’d drink an entire bottle trying to see if it would feel emptier than I did. Also, that wasn’t exactly designated driver behavior.
Finding what I was looking for, I grabbed a bottle of water from an ice-chest and then went through a set of French doors, stepping out onto an upper deck. Two guys and a girl were talking a few feet away, all holding the signature red party cups in their hands.
They paid me no attention.
I walked up to the bannister and looked at the lawn below. It took a few minutes, but I eventually spotted Emery and Annika standing by the docs with a dozen other people. Callum amongst them, the flirtatious grin on his face aimed at Em. I hoped Tyler was here to bear witness.
I pushed off and went to sit in one of the plush deck chairs. This wasn’t an alcove, but it would work. I sent a text to Annika, knowing she wouldn’t check her phone as quick as Em, buying myself more time.
I leaned back and unscrewed my bottle of water, listening to the people a few feet away talk about starting college in the fall. Had my parents’ still been around I would have found my way there eventually. As things were right now, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and felt no urgency to figure it out.
“Nova?”
I lowered my water and looked over, swallowing the sip I’d just taken.
“Mickey.” I gave him a small smile.
“I thought I was seeing things,” he joked.
“Nope. It’s me. I got roped into being a designated driver.” I held up my drink for emphasis.
“Ah, see. Now that makes sense. Always the do gooder.”
“Always,” I repeated, glancing away.
Mickey was the type of guy the parents around here wanted all their daughters to marry. He was smart, well-mannered, and had a lucrative future ahead of him. His looks were a bonus. With dark blonde curls, sky blue eyes, and a toned body from years of football, he was certainly easy on the eyes.
Half the female population lost their minds when we first got together, practically celebrating the moment they find out we were over.
I had no ill-will towards him, nothing negative to say. The sex was good, and he was sweet. A genuinely good guy. Exactly why he wasn’t for me. I’d heard he was with Melody Parker now. That was kind-of ironic considering how close our fathers had been.
He lingered for a minute or two, his uncertainty palpable. “I’m gonna grab a drink. You want anything or…? Never mind. Be right back.”
I laughed softly and waved him off. Staring out at the water, I didn’t see Rhett coming out of the house as Mickey went in. As fate would have it, I turned my head and met his eye.
The night before I’d told myself he wasn’t my type. Looking at him now I knew it’d been the right call. He was unlike anything I’d ever seen in Legacy Falls. Enigmatic, with a flare of darkness that radiated off him.
He had the perfect amount of bad boy allure. Except, he wasn’t a boy at all. Rhett was most definitely a man. He walked right over to where I was sitting, moving across the deck with a natural swagger. A small head nod of acknowledgement was all he gave the small trio that greeted him.
