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EIGHTEEN
Laia
I step back to check my reflection in the glass of the security door to Kenzi’s apartment block and tug at the high neckline of the black, full-length jumpsuit I let Kenzi talk me into buying. It’s almost completely backless. I twist to check for the millionth time that my butt crack isn’t showing and the scar on the back of my hip is hidden. It’s low, but I guess it is kind of flattering thanks to the built-in support system up front. The wonders of modern dressmaking didn’t come cheap though. I dipped into my inheritance account to buy it. The money I promised myself I’d use to set up a business on my own one day. It feels wrong using that, even if I am nowhere as near to fulfilling that dream as I’d hoped to be when I made that promise after my parents died. In Arizona, it was a sofa. Here, it’s clothes. I chew on the inside of my cheek.
You can’t take it with you when you’re gone, Lai.
I straighten my shoulders, the memory of my dad’s indulgent eyebrow wiggle whenever he treated me or my mom to something we couldn’t quite afford soothing a little of the buyer’s guilt.
The door buzzes for me to open it, and, for a second, I consider running. No. I meet my stare in my reflection. I need this. New Laia needs this. My dad’s right, I can’t take it with me when I’m gone, and, let’s face it, I wasn’t a woman on the run trying to build a new life for the second time in two years when I made that promise to myself. I yank the door open, careful not to drop the pie I made this morning. I’ve got this. I’m allowed to have this. Tonight’s gonna be worth the splurge. I hope.
Kenzi’s already waiting by her open front door when I step from the elevator. “You’re here.” She holds out a glass of wine. “And you look fabulous, my friend. And you brought the pie! Come, meet the others.”
I take a sip of the cool white wine and step over the threshold.
“Ladies, Laia’s here.” She wraps her arm around my shoulders and pulls me down the small entrance hall to the living room, taking the pie from me as she goes.
“Laia, at last we meet. I’m Rae.”
I smile and hold up my hand in a mini wave at the teeny woman curled onto the corner of Kenzi’s huge cream sectional because I’m cool like that, and meeting new people doesn’t revert me back to my dorky fifteen-year-old self. Her accent is amazing. Half Cluan lilt, half something else. Scottish, maybe? Irish?
Wide, hazel eyes crinkle and she tilts a can of soda to me while dragging thick, auburn hair over her shoulder, revealing an intricate tattoo that swirls from the ball of her shoulder down to the middle of her forearm. Butterflies and flowers. Badass, but girly, just like the pretty floral sundress and clunky, black biker boots she’s wearing.
“This is Rylie.” Kenzi turns me to the raven-haired woman sitting beside Rae.
Rylie smiles wide and raises her glass to me. “Hey, girl.” Her feline blue eyes twinkle as she takes a sip of her wine.
Are any of Kenzi’s friends not drop-dead-gorgeous?
“And this little pixie here is Jo. She works days in The Beach Hut.” Kenzi spins me around to where a petite woman is in the process of tying a red paisley bandana around her super short dark hair in the mirror hanging on the wall.
“Hey, Laia.” She meets my stare in her reflection. “Great to finally meet you.”
“And of course, you already know Si.”
I’m spun again to where Simon’s peeking his head out from the kitchen door.
“Hey, baby girl.” He eyes the pie in Kenzi’s hand, his white-blond hair slicked back.
I wave. “Hey, Simon.”
“Call me Si, darling.” His tawny eyebrows do a little quirk. “Only my mother calls me Simon. Now bring me that pie.”
I glance at Kenzi for support, but she just hands me the pie back and nudges me towards the kitchen door with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “You heard the man, go show him your pie.”
Clutching the plate in both hands, I step into the kitchen. “I made mixed-berry this time.”
I’ve barely placed it onto the sleek black worktop when Simon—Si, comes at me, knife and fork in hand. “My Yaya made the best berry pie in Miami, God rest her soul. You’ve got big clogs to fill, Laia.”
My stomach twists regardless of the humor tipping up the corners of his mouth as he cuts into the crust. I should have brought the mango one. That’s the one he liked best. Or the chocolate one. I should have brought both. Or all. Or neither. God, I should have stayed home.
I worry my lip between my teeth.
He chews slowly, his eyelids fluttering closed.
I hold my breath, the giggles and cackles from the living room only adding to the tension headache that’s beginning to twinge in my temples.
She thought she could and so she did.
I grip my pendant, my throat dry despite the giant gulp of wine I just swallowed.
Simon’s eyes finally pop open as he licks a crumb from his bottom lip.
His head tilts to the side and he clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Laia.” He glances at the pie then back to me. “Yaya lives on in you, girl. How the hell did you get that tangy balance to the sweetness?”
Air releases from my cheeks. “You like?”
“I love. You, young lady, are truly wasted as a receptionist. I need this one on my menu, too.”
My mouth drops open. “Really?”
“Really. I’ll need to talk to Pete. And try more variations but consider all your pies mine.”
Three glasses of white wine later, my cheeks ache from laughing and my face feels pleasantly fuzzy. Kenzi’s friends are hilarious, and they’ve welcomed me into the fold like I’m one of their own. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed having girlfriends. Doesn’t hurt that they all loved my pie too. Tonight is shaping up to be the best night I’ve had in—maybe ever.
“And he dragged me out by the scruff of my neck like a wet cat.” Rae’s nose wrinkles, and she takes a pull from her soda. “But I could have saved myself. Obviously.”
“Obviously,” the other girls deadpan then break into another fit of giggles. They’ve been regaling me with tales of their past and the weird and wonderful ways they amused themselves while growing up in Clua.
“What?” Rae holds her hands out. “I don’t need a knight in white armor. I save my own self, thank you very much.”
“Someone should maybe let Jackson in on that little fact,” Rylie nudges her playfully with her shoulder. “He’s practically made a career out of saving your skinny ass since you rocked up fresh from Scotland.”
Rae sticks her tongue out and her gaze drops to the pink straw jutting from her soda. When she lifts her head again, she’s grinning big. “Let’s tell Laia about the time Rylie decided to parade past the guys at Fee’s place.”
“Sounds interesting.” I lean forward, more to get the heat off of Rae than anything. Her big grin doesn’t fool me. There’s more to that story. I should know, I’m a master of grinning through things.
“No, let’s definitely not.” Rylie lifts a cushion from the couch and covers her face.
“She stuffed Kenzi’s mom’s bra and stole her heels then tottered right past the boys mid basketball game. Man, Seb’s eyes almost fell out,” Kenzi cackles from where she’s sitting on a big pink Aztec floor cushion. “Didn’t Fee get a ball in the face because Jackson was so distracted by bazookas over here?”
“Stop, Kenzi.” Rylie peeks out from behind her pillow. “They were the hottest guys in school, and they practically lived at Fee’s house next door to Kenzi. It took me years to live that down.”
“Who’s Seb?” I ask, glancing between their flushed faces.
“Seb,” Kenzi, Rae, and Rylie sigh in unison.
“Only the hottest guy ever made in Clua.” Rylie crosses one long, jean clad leg over the other.
How she can wear jeans in heat like this, I have no idea.
“He was the first guy I ever kissed.” Kenzi grins.
“And me.” Rylie holds a hand up and takes a drink of her wine.
“Me too.” Rae’s face screws up and she scrunches her nose.
I turn, eyebrows raised, to Jo.
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t move here until after he left for college.” Jo shakes her head dramatically. “Although, I did know a Sebastian once…” Her head tips back and she laughs at the other women’s amazed stares. “No way it was the same guy. There was nothing small-island about this guy.” She bites her painted red lip and grins, suddenly lost in whatever memories are running through her tipsy mind.
“I’d like to meet this Seb,” Simon offers, holding his fork up from where he’s digging into yet another slice of pie from the plate on the coffee table. “Cluans seem to have some sort of mystical hot man gene. If Pete wasn’t so damn fine, I’d almost be jealous.”
“Sooo, you all had your first kiss with the same boy?” I fail to contain my giggle-snort.
“In our defense, it was during a game of spin the bottle.” Rae holds up her hands. “And Seb was the only boy.”
“What about Felix?” I ask. Instant cringe. Stupid wine.
They all stop like someone’s pressed pause on the party, heads swiveling my way.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for our Fee?” Rae leans across Rylie and shoots me a toothy smile.
My face flames. Why did I have to mention his name?
“A thing is far too tame a word for what’s going on there.” Kenzi fans her face with her hand a little overzealously, nearly falling off her cushion.
“Kenzi,” I warn, shaking my head, attempting to shoot some shut-the-fuck-ups from my eyes.
“You know all of our darkest secrets now, Laia. It’s only fair they know your big juicy one.” She waves me off. “Felix drools every time he lays eyes on Laia. And though she doth protest, our little Laia isn’t much better.”
I drop my head back onto the sofa and cover my face with my hands. Why oh why did I mention his name?
“Felix? Our Felix?”
I peek through my fingers at the shock in Rae’s strangely accented voice. Surprise apparently ups the Scottish.
They’re all looking at me like I’ve grown another head.
“Ahh, I did hear that someone had finally caught his eye. I didn’t realize it was you though! Spill, Laia.” Rylie leans towards me, a bottle of wine in one hand, a glass in the other.
I throw the pillow on my lap at Kenzi’s head. “It’s complicated.”
“But you like him?” Rae opens her mouth and covers it with her hand. “And he likes you?”
“I…” I shake my head. “It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it, woman. Felix is fine—and good—and fine.” Rae’s grin is so wide it almost doesn’t fit on her face. “Do it. Uncomplicate it tonight. For real!”
“Agreed.” Zi reaches over to fist bump Rae then turns to me. “Talk to him, woman.”
“Talking was not where I was going with that,” Rae screws up her face.
I take a gulp of my wine and lock eyes with Simon.
He smiles sympathetically and reaches for the radio. “Leave the poor girl alone and let’s dance, biatches.”
Interrogation over. The others squawk along to Rihanna’s latest, but I’m still stuck on Felix.
Maybe it is time I stopped making things so complicated.
It’s not long before everyone is prancing around the room, trying unsuccessfully not to spill their drinks on themselves as they wiggle and giggle and sing at the top of their lungs.
“Laia, get your ass up here.” Kenzi holds her hand out for me.
I let her pull me to my feet, unable to stop myself from laughing.
Rylie stops mid-twerk and holds her glass above her head. “It’s nearly ten, people. Let’s take this party on the road!”
