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“Fuck,” Kline muttered. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked, and yet, I did.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I’m officially scarred for life.”
“Oh, come on. Save some of the drama for the future,” Thatch challenged. “Given time, I’m sure I’m going to say way worse shit than that. If you’re already all tapped out, I imagine your whining will become unbearable.”
“Here’s an idea, T,” Kline interjected. “How about you try your hand at beinglessexasperating?”
Thatch laughed and then shook his head. “Nope. Don’t think I can. I am who I am, men. Deal with it.”
Suddenly, the power came back on, plunging the BAD kitchen into a cacophony of noise. Blenders started back up and ovens beeped and fans turned on high, screaming at full bore. Immediately, Thatch, Kline, and I all jumped into action, running back into the main kitchen where Jean, the chef, was scrambling to turn everything off, but as soon as we got there, the power faded again, zapping us back into darkness.
“Dude, I don’t want to say you’re up shit’s creek without a paddle, but I’m not seeing any fucking paddles right now,” Thatch commented.
“Yeah,” I muttered, having put a false amount of hope into that being the last of the outages. “Fucking tell me about it.”
Maybe Winnie was right—maybe we just needed to get the hell out of here.
Greenwood Lake, NY
Ah, yes. We have arrived at the land of power and relaxation!
Pulling up to my uncle Brad and aunt Paula’s house on Greenwood Lake felt like taking the first gulp of air after nearly suffocating for an hour. It was comforting and familiar and, for the love of everything, was fully functional with power.
My aunt and uncle were on a cruise in the Caribbean, and thankfully, I’d managed to get in a phone call with them before they left shore. My uncle Brad, one of the best men I knew, hadn’t hesitated to give us permission to take over his house for the holiday.
It wasn’t what we had planned—and the BAD BBQ at Wes’s restaurant would have to wait another year for its debut—but man, it felt like just what we needed.
The car had barely come to a stop when Lexi hopped out and took off at a run toward the back deck, where she had left her rain gauge set up the last time we were here several months ago. Under strict instructions, Uncle Brad and Aunt Paula hadn’t touched it, so she could do whatever calculations she wanted on the extended period of rainfall.
With a deep exhale from my lungs, I let myself relax. “I know you were looking forward to the event at the restaurant and that things didn’t go as planned at all, but I’m really happy to be here this week. This house has always brought me peace.”
Wes smiled, reached out, and took my hand in his before leaning over to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m glad. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy.”
“You don’t have to say that, you know.” I rolled my eyes on a giggle. “It’s okay to be simultaneously upset for what you’re not doing. I don’t mind.”
“Are you kidding?” My handsome husband laughed. “I’d take a week away with lots of getaway-sex over some event at BAD any fucking day.”
“Oh,” I teased. “Did I forget to mention that this is a sex-free vacation?”
Wes lunged, across the console and nearly on top of me, taking my mouth in a laughing kiss that made my head spin with endorphins.Man, there’s literally nothing that feels better than doing this with my husband.
“Now, now,” he said, nipping at my mouth. “There are no approved water shortages, and there won’t be any. Do you hear me, Mrs. Lancaster?”
“Water shortages?” I giggled and scrunched up my nose. “What are you talking about?”
He smiled. “It’s a Thatch thing. I guess you had to be there.”
“Ohh,” I said with a snort. “You mean Cassie cutting him off.”
“You know?”
“Of course, I know all about it. Cassie’s ability to overshare is alive and well, power outage or not.”
Wes nodded, popping the door handle and shoving open his door to climb out of our SUV. “Thatch, too. They really are a match made in heaven.”
My phone buzzed in my lap as I pulled the handle on my own door, and the screen spoke highly of irony.
“Speak of the devil,” I muttered to Wes as I climbed to the ground and slung my purse over my shoulder. “I’ve got a message from Cassie now.”
