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“You already know the answer to that, and you also know the answer is a big fat absolutely no. I mean, other things about him were big…and fat…” My voice trails dreamily.
“Eww, stop. I don’t need to hear these things.” She covers her ears dramatically.
The waitress’s punctual arrival ends my retort.
“Listen here, you can act like a prude all you want, but I know that Law taps your ass just fine, and you aren’t shy about letting him know it.”
“Kiersten!” Her hiss promises sudden death as redness floods her cheeks.
The smug bite of my burger was a bad choice as I inhale with humor and choke, slapping the table loudly with both of my palms. Silverware clatters, and my chair screeches back a foot, nearly tipping and crashing to the ground. I scramble for a drink of water. The cold liquid sloshes over the rim and the straw stabs dangerously close to my eye in the process. I finally get it into the correct hole and suck down a grateful gulp.
“Shit, are you okay?” Cami croaks in a cross between concern and a concealed laugh.
“Yeah, bitch, I’m just peachy,” I groan. “Choking on food is much less pleasant than choking on a dick.”
She buries her face in her hands. “Oh, my god.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m good now. I didn’t even need your skilled hands to give me the Heimlich. Look at that!”
“Eh…” She shrugs and stabs a forkful of steak salad. “You weren’t at that point yet. I could still hear air getting through.”
I bury my meat sandwich back into my mouth. “Whatever. Text Law and let him know about Saturday and tell him to be ready. We haven’t had a good night out since New Year’s. It’s about time we get up to some shenanigans.”
“Don’t forget there will be two tween girls with us. You have to stay on your best behavior.”
“If by best behavior you mean that I don’t find anyone to screw in a locker room, then I can handle that.”
Cami waves her hand at the waitress to signal for the check. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Don’t worry, bestie. We’ll lie in the sun, take on the water park, have a boozy buzz, and show two tweens a fantastic time. Pinky promise.”
I follow her to the register to pay.
“I’m sorry. I’m a little nervous about taking Maggie. We used to go every summer together, and this will be the first time without her mom. I just want her to have a good time.”
Maggie lost her mom this year in a car accident that almost killed her and Evelyn as well. That moment solidified my desire not to have kids. How parents can basically live with their heart outside their body is a mystery to me. Watching the pain Cami went through with nearly losing Evelyn hurt me almost as much as if she were my own daughter.
Gripping her shoulder, I pull her into a tight hug. “Hey, it’ll be okay. She’s always going to feel the pain of missing her mom, but that doesn’t mean she won’t have fun. We’ll make sure of it, and if it’s not enough to dull the sting, then she’ll have two strong women there to hold her up.” The grip of emotion crawls up my throat, so I sever my words there.
Cami pulls away first and swipes the back of her hand beneath her eye. “You’re right. We got this.” A watery smile graces her face. “Thank you.”
“Any time, babe. I got your back.”
Her regard of me is like a physical touch, and I know why with what she says next.
“Yeah, you always do. I just wish you’d let me have yours.”
With a wave of my hand, I brush away her words. “Of
course you do. Not all of us have a dramatic romance with long-lost lovers, secret pregnancies, and teenage runaways. Just because I haven’t needed you for any major events in my boring life doesn’t mean I don’t think I can count on you to be there for when I do.”
“Aw, you’re going to make me cry,” Cami whines. She isn’t wrong. All this talk even has my eyes stinging.
I wave her away again. “Yeah, yeah, it must be your motherhood hormones taking over again. Get back to work, woman. I’ll see you Saturday if I don’t see you before that.”
“See you Saturday!” she calls and hustles out the front exit. I turn around and meander to the back alley where I parked.
The early afternoon sun kisses my cheeks as I step from inside the dim restaurant. My face tips to the heat streaming beyond the cotton clouds, and I revel in my gratefulness. Warmth infiltrates my bones, chasing away the solid chill from our heavy conversation.
