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The afternoon blew by too quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to head to the clubhouse. After a quick trip home to change into something more casual and reapply her makeup—not because she wanted to look fresh in case she ran into any particular man—she was on her way. The drive wasn’t long enough, and within fifteen minutes, she found herself parking in front of the clubhouse way before her brain was prepared for a potential run-in with Lock.
“Hey, Brenna!” Liv jogged down the three steps from the clubhouse porch.
Finally, she wasn’t wearing a super trendy outfit that made Brenna feel like a frump, yet she somehow still looked glamorous in a pair of loose joggers and a fitted T-shirt. She wore designer sneakers that probably cost more than Brenna’s entire outfit, yet her smile was warm and welcoming. Despite her expensive tastes, the woman didn’t have a pretentious bone in her body.
“Hey!” She lifted a bottle of wine. “Couldn’t show up empty-handed.”
“You’re sweet.” Liv hugged her and then grabbed her hand. “Come on around back. I have a super cute setup, and Spec got a fire going a few minutes ago.”
Together, they walked around the back of the clubhouse, where a large beige blanket had been spread out near a raging fire. Someone had scattered chunky pillows around the blanket and placed a platter of snacks in the center. Lanterns sat at the four corners of the blanket, providing the perfect glow to make up for the setting sun. “Wow, Liv, this looks amazing.”
“Thanks. Coming from a hotshot designer, I’ll take that as a huge compliment. Sit. I’ll pour you a glass of wine. Red or white?”
“Um, let’s go white.” She kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the soft blanket. “Where are the other ladies?” she asked as she sat.
“Oh, uh…” Liv averted her gaze. “They’re coming. Brooke is feeding her army of dogs, then she’ll be here. Jo is with her, I believe. Rach can’t make it because she’s working, and I’m pretty sure Harper and Jinx are doing dirty things to each other in one of the apartments over there,” she said, pointing to a nearby building. “They’ll all be here soon. Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Brenna accepted the heavily poured glass of wine.
“To new friends,” Liv said, lifting her glass.
“I’ll drink to that. Cheers.” They clinked their glasses together then Brenna took a healthy swallow of the crisp white wine.
“Whoa,” Liv said, chuckling. “Rough day?”’
Whoops. So much for playing it cool. She gave Liv a sheepish grin. “Uh, no, not really rough. Just got a lot going on in my brain.”
“Yeah.” Liv tilted her head and studied her with a knowing smirk. “Been there, girl.” She glanced at the platter in the center of the blanket. “Oh, crap. I made cookies and left them inside. Let me go grab them.”
“You made them?” Brenna asked as Liv hopped to her feet, glass in hand. “I’m impressed.”
“Well, I drove to the fancy cookie shop and picked them out. That counts, right?” She shrugged with an unapologetic grin.
Laughing, Brenna nodded. “That’s baking in my book.”
“See, we get each other. Be right back.” Liv darted the fifty or so feet toward the clubhouse.
Alone, Brenna inhaled the woodsy scent of the fire. It’d been years since she’d done anything like this, and she should make sure not to wait that long again. Nature was good for the soul. So was girl time.
Oliver would have shuddered at the thought of spending an entire evening outside, even with such a luxurious arrangement. He’d have flipped out if his clothing smelled of smoke at the end of the night or if he’d gotten dirt on his loafers.
Why are you wasting brain power on him?
She gulped another giant swallow of wine as the clubhouse door creaked, announcing Liv’s return.
“I’m drinking too fast. You’re gonna have to catch… oh.” Her breath left her lungs in an audible whoosh of air.
Instead of Liv, Lock stood frozen a few steps from the door. The shock on his face said he hadn’t known she’d be out there. “Oh, hey. Liv said she needed help with the fire. Something about it almost dying…” His gaze went to the large flames jumping from Spec’s impressive fire. “Hmm…”
Brenna sighed. A sinking feeling settled low in her stomach. “That sneaky bitch,” she muttered.
“You say something?” He walked closer to the blanket.
“No, but, uh, I’m starting to think I’ve… we’ve been played.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Liv asked, more like demanded I come over for a girls’ night. She claimed the other ladies are on their way over, and we’re making big a thing of it.”
