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stomp to Law and the tickets. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to orchestrate something? Because I can tell you now it’s not happening.”
She catches me easily and tugs me to a stop. Her nose is crinkled, and I hate she can make it look cute, but when I do it, I look like I smelled a fart. “What’s not happening?”
“Nathan and I are not happening.”
“We already happened, baby.” His cocky chuckle slithers through me, both enraging and exciting me at the same time.
My eyes close, and I inhale an exceedingly slow, deep breath as his amused voice sounds behind me. When I pop them open, I turn my glare to Cami, who looks as if she’s trying desperately not to laugh.
“Next time, a warning would be appreciated.” The clench makes my jaw ache.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers in a strangled voice.
“I hate all of you. Except those two beautiful girls here. You guys ready to have some fun today?” I shoulder past Cami and hook arms with the tweens I’ve been entrusted to show a good time. Together, we march to Law for our tickets, and the three of us make our way to the gate, leaving the others in the dust.
My eyes wander to Nathan for a half second. Long enough to confirm he still looks like sinful temptation and bad decisions.
“Where to first?” I ask after we’ve been wanded and stamped at the gate. Thank god they don’t do bag searches. How embarrassing would it be to explain to my fourteen-year-old niece why her aunt has so much booze in her bag?
The girls enthusiastically discuss a roller coaster new to the park this year, so we trek in the general direction of it, and stop once for me to discard my tote and hat in a pay-by-the-hour locker. I’ll find it again when I’m ready to plop myself by the pool.
After a relatively short wait in line, the three of us board the new coaster, Persephone, and we’re off. The two younger girls have a seat together, and I occupy the row behind them. The operator didn’t force a stranger beside me, so I spread my legs a bit and wave my arms without worrying about whacking someone across the face.
I laugh and scream my way through the ride, loving how no matter my age, I still get that thrill in my stomach as we navigate the twists and turns. Wind blows through my loose hair, surely tossing it into a snarled mess, but I couldn’t care less. My stomach bottoms out as we cascade over one last drop before plunging into a dark tunnel. The ride ends mere minutes after it took off, and the three of us clamber out with smiles plastered across our faces.
“We want to go again!” Evelyn cries and takes Maggie’s hand to drag her back to the line that has grown exponentially.
“You girls go ahead! I’ll stay here to watch,” I call after them and follow at a much slower pace. It warms me completely to see Maggie smiling right along with us. Today will surely be a hard one for her. It may not hit her until later, or even next week, but she’s going to think about how her mom couldn’t be here with us. I hope whenever the thought strikes, she can remember this moment and know she is so loved.
I tip my face to the sun, chasing away the suddenly chill in my bones, and will away the tears pricking my eyes.
“Kiersten!” Cami’s voice rings out over the screams of the riders. Turning in search of her, she and the guys appear trudging off the main path.
“Hey,” I greet, glancing at Nathan from behind my shades.
“Where are the girls?”
I point at the line. “We already had a turn. They wanted to go again.”
Law joins us then and wraps Cami in a one-armed hug, kissing her temple. “You girls go get your drink on. We’ve got ’em.”
Cami presses up on her toes to give Law a hasty kiss on the mouth. “Thank you, baby.”
I toss the guys a peace sign. “Catch you all later.”
We retrieve my tote and hat and then claim two lounge chairs in the direct sun at the edge of the water park. I smooth out our towels while Cami runs to get us something to pour our alcohol in. Stripping off my tank and shorts, I adjust my bathing suit to make sure everything is covered as it should be. The last thing I need is an accidental nip slip in front of a park full of children.
“They have a lot of good options. I got orange juice to start. I hope that’s okay.”
I lean forward and accept the white plastic cup she offers me. “I’d take just about anything. This is perfect.”
We stealthily pour shots into our cups. I’m sure every adult in the vicinity knows exactly what we’re doing but are grown enough to mind their own business. We clank. We drink. We relax and turn every twenty minutes like good little sun worshippers. And every time we need a refill, we stop to hop in the pool to cool off before one of us runs to the concession stand. We pass the hours in a relaxed, buzzed bliss.
After so many flips on the lounger I’ve lost count, I rest my head on my folded arms and face Cami.
“This is so nice. I could almost pretend I’m in Mexico,” I slur, blinking stinging sweat from my eyes.
She sighs and stretches, mirroring my position. Reaching below her chair, she retrieves her cup from the concrete. Her tongue chases the straw around before she tilts the entire cup and sips from the side of her mouth. A bit dribbles down her chin.
