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“You definitely couldn’t,” Lucy said. “And I don’t mean just you. I mean no one. I think friends with benefits is a really bad idea because someone almost always gets hurt.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And I don’t want it to be me. Because out of me and Wyatt, it would definitely be me.”
Everyone was quiet for a few seconds.
“Well, I can ask Amelia if she minds,” Arya said. “When were you thinking about going?”
“I was hoping that we could go tomorrow morning.”
Arya’s eyes widened. “Tomorrow morning? That soon?”
“Yeah, I really need to get away ASAP. After the day I had today, I need to process everything. And, well, I’m still not sure what to do about Dominic and Tom Olivio. Should I keep going with my idea, knowing that they might hit on me?”
“Do you think either of them are attractive?” Lucy asked me.
“Honestly, yeah. They’re both gorgeous.” I nodded. “I can’t lie. They are handsome, and they’re hot, but they know it. They’re kind of cocky.” I wrinkled my nose.
“Okay. That doesn’t sound good, but I don’t know that they’re genuine like the Hamilton boys, you know? They’re players too, but they have good hearts. I feel like the Olivios are the sort of guys that would be like wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. And leave a note and $100 on the side of the bed.”
“Oh, that’s horrible!” Arya shook her head. “Yeah. Don’t even give them the time of day.”
“To work with or you mean to date?”
“Well, definitely not to date, but we need to brainstorm if you should work with them.”
“Okay. Maybe we should head back to the ranch now and then I’ll ask Amelia if she minds watching Eloise. How long do you think we’ll be gone?”
“We don’t have to be gone long. Maybe a night. So two days, one night. We’ll come back the following day in the late afternoon.”
“Okay,” she said. “And I’ll make sure Eloise is okay with that. She loves your family, but she’s never really been without me since her mom left, you know.”
“I know.” I touched her shoulder. “You are doing an amazing job, you know that, Arya? And I’m sorry this has been all about me recently, but—”
“Oh my gosh!” she interrupted me. “You’re going through a lot and it’s definitely not been all about you. You girls are like the best friends I’ve ever had. So grateful to be here with you all. I have always wanted a sisterhood. And I feel like I’ve really gotten that.”
“Me too,” I said with a grin. “I think so as well. Group hug?
“Group hug!” Arya said.
We all stood up and gave each other a big hug. I could feel the warmth and goodwill passing through us. Each of these women was wonderful, kindhearted, compassionate, and loving. Each of them was a true, kind soul, someone I was lucky to have as a friend. Many people couldn’t find one friend like these women, and I was lucky enough to have all three of them in my life. I was grateful that they had my back and that they were willing to come on this camping trip with me.
And I was grateful that I had someone to talk to about Wyatt because otherwise, I would drive myself absolutely crazy.
“Okay, is everyone ready?”
I looked around to see that Arya, Lucy, and Olivia each had a suitcase and a backpack, and I burst out laughing. “Guys, where do you think we’re going? We’re only going for an overnight camping trip, and I’ve got the tents and the sleeping bags.”
“But we need a change of clothes and makeup …” Lucy started laughing. “Okay, maybe I didn’t need makeup.”
“Girls, you’re not even going to need a change of clothes!” I pointed out. “It’s not like there’s showers and bathrooms out there.”
“Well, I thought we could bathe in the creek or something.”
“We can definitely go for a swim, but I wouldn’t count on bathing. Come on, guys, jump in.” I indicated my Jeep and they all got into the car. “I’m so excited for this. You don’t know how much means to me.”
“I’m excited too,” Arya said. “This will be my first time camping with just girls.” She made a face. “I know that sounds horrible, doesn’t it? I’ve gone camping before but only with boyfriends, and I just kind of tagged along when they went on hunting trips.”
“Oh, I feel you.” An idea came to me. “Actually, I was also thinking that along with the training ranch program, maybe I could set up something for women to do actual wilderness camping trips.”
