“Smart ass,” he muttered with a chuckle. “So, if I asked you to keep wearing dresses all summer, you’d stop?”
I tossed my head back with a laugh. “Maybe I’d just walk around naked.”
That was the first time I’d seen Wesley Richards blush. It was a good look on him.
21
JULIETTE
“You’re here!”Lily squealed as soon as Wesley and I came into view walking down the wooden steps. She unlatched the pontoon’s side door and stepped onto the dock, quickly closing the distance between us. “Wes said you weren’t feeling well. Is everything okay?” Concern marred her face as she set her hands on the sides of my arms.
I nodded. “I’m okay. Just had a rough morning. I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, though,” I said, looping my arm through hers, “I want to focus on the boat day. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”
My mind was still distracted by the article, but my mood instantly improved being in Lily’s presence. I was so grateful to have her in my life. Regardless of what happened after the summer, I’d definitely return to Golden Falls to visit her.
“I’ve been so excited, too.” Lily led us toward the boat. “And I love your shorts! I need to shop in your closet one of these days.”
“Please do! But I can easily say the same about you,” I said with a laugh. I hadn’t wanted to keep Wesley waiting, so I kept my outfit simple today. I’d thrown on a pair of medium-washdenim shorts that were frayed at the ends and a loose white linen shirt. Underneath, I had a simple red triangle bikini.
Wes walked past us, holding the twelve-pack of seltzers in his hand and the bowl of watermelon under his arm. I’d offered to help, but he insisted on carrying it all. I’d quickly realized how stubborn he was—almost as stubborn as me, honestly—and figured the battle wasn’t worth it.
He used his free hand to get the side door open for us.
The chatter of voices became clearer as we stepped onto the boat.
“Cooper, stop moving the cooler around!” A woman, who I assumed was Eliza, swatted Cooper’s arm. “I put it in the shade for a reason, and I—Jules, hi!” she exclaimed. The frown she had directed at Cooper immediately turned into a smile when she saw me. “I’m Eliza. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Lily!” She took a few steps from the other side of the boat to meet us and pulled me into an embrace. I easily hugged her back, already feeling like I knew her from everything Lily had told me, as well as from the group chat Lily set up for the three of us.
“So nice to meet you, too. I can’t believe we’re just now meeting!”
“I know,” she sighed. “I wish I could’ve made time sooner, but between the yoga conference and extending my time in Madison, life was more hectic than I’d planned for. But the rest of the summer should be less busy. I’m back to a normal schedule at the studio, so you’ll have to come by for a class. My next task will be balancing the studio with bartending at Lake Ridge, but I think it’ll be a fun challenge. It’ll be great to have some extra cash to really get the studio where I want it.”
Eliza grabbed three cold seltzers from the cooler and then gestured for us to sit while Cooper and Wes finished getting the boat ready. Eliza’s sleek black hair hit just above her collarbone.As she reached up to pull it into a short ponytail, I noticed the various small tattoos scattered on her tan arms, fingers, and torso.
Both Eliza and Lily were wearing denim shorts and had their bikinis on already, too.
“I’d love to come by for a yoga class. That sounds perfect. Lily was also saying we should have a girls’ night at Lake Ridge before you start.” I got comfortable on the boat’s cushioned seating that wrapped around both sides. Eliza and I were sitting on one side, and Lily was on the other. In the middle, there was a small table between us that had chips, popcorn, dips, and other snacks ready for us to dig into.
“We need to,” Lily agreed. “It’s been too long since I’ve been out dancing, plus we can celebrate your first month in Golden Fallsandthe café refresh being done.” Lily turned to Eliza. “It looks so good, Eliza. The changes Jules made work so well for the space, and the cats are happy, which makes me happy.”
As I filled Eliza in on the work Lily and I had been doing, the pontoon’s engine rumbled to life. I snuck a glance at Wes, who was in the driver’s seat slowly backing the boat away from the dock. He eased the throttle forward, the boat gliding further into the lake.
The crisp blue water sparkled and rippled in the sun’s golden rays. The wind picked up as the boat went faster, and the fresh breeze felt incredible on a hot day. There were dozens of other boats out on the water already, and I figured the lake would get even busier as the day went on.
It had only been a matter of minutes of us being out on the water, but I already saw Wes relax. His shoulders eased, and what looked like a hint of a smile was gracing his face. I liked seeing him in his element.
“Ladies,” Cooper greeted, sitting down next to Lily. He ran a hand through his messy dark-blond hair. “Jules, you look absolutely beautiful, as always.”
I turned my attention to him, a laugh escaping me. “Thanks, Cooper,” I said at the same time Eliza reached over and threw a piece of popcorn at her brother.
“Stop flirting with our friend,” she scolded, before turning to me. “Well, unless you’re okay with it. I guess I always forget most women want Cooper flirting with them.” Eliza shuddered, immediately taking a sip of alcohol.
“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable or anything,” I assured. “Besides, Cooper and I are friends, right?” I asked him, and he nodded in agreement.
There was no denying Cooper was a handsome guy. But I found myself comparing him to Wes. His build was similar to Wesley’s in that they were both muscular and had that rugged appeal. His hair was lighter than Wesley’s, and his face was clean shaven most of the time.
What was it about Wesley that had me feeling more? The guy didn’t even want to be friends with me.
“Hell yeah we’re friends. Anyone who lets me talk their ear off about the various trails we have around here is immediately a friend. I’m so glad I got the day off today. I can’t remember a year when we didn’t spend the Fourth out on the water.”
