Another yawn. “Okay, wake me up when we get there.” I curl up and get as comfortable as I can and close my eyes, my mind is a total blank, and I’m instantly asleep.
“Liv! Livi, we’re here! Come on! Look at the view! It’s incredible!”
Loren’s voice pierces through my sleep, and I slowly blink her into focus and stretch. I inhale deeply and feel refreshed. I love the salty smell of the beach. My movements are completely lazy as I clumsily make my way out of the car. As soon as my feet are on the ground, I stretch again, a smile slowly crossing my face. It’s like all the bullshit I’ve been dealing with has led me to this moment. I’m literally just steps away from my home for the next few weeks and I already feel more like my old self.
Loren’s phone rings and I already know it’s Mike. I have no idea how she’s going to last without seeing him while we’re here, but I grin as she skips away to talk to him. I glance over at Vanessa and she’s on the phone too. Luckily, Roxie pulls into the driveway and I walk over to greet her.
“Grab a leash and help me get these guys out to do their business!” she says as a greeting, as she frantically climbs out of the car and tosses a leash at me. “It doesn’t matter who you grab, but they all definitely need to get out!”
Great. Dog duty. Yay!
I go to Mosy the pug. She’s got the cutest little grumpy face and even though she looks like she’s totally judging me, I coo and tell her I’m going to help her out. She’s squirmy and impatient, but I eventually hook her leash onto her harness and get her out of the car and she instantly tugs hard as she runs toward the small patch of grass.
“Oof! She’s a strong little thing!” I call out to Roxie, who is cool as a cucumber with the other dogs.
“She’s got puppy energy and tries to keep up with the older two. I just love them all so much! I know you’re going to too! And I promise they aren’t going to be a problem in our room.”
Our room?
Turning, I look at her in confusion. “What do you mean? We’re not sharing a room.”
Roxie’s eyes go wide and she nervously glances toward Loren and Vanessa, but they’re both still on their phones.
“Rox? What’s going on?”
“Um…”
I give Mosy’s leash a little tug and guide her toward the other dogs. “Roxie? Come on. I feel like you’re not telling me something.”
“Guys!” she calls out. “A little help here!”
Now I’m not only annoyed but also suspicious. “Seriously? You can’t talk to me without them? What the hell?”
“What’s up?” Vanessa asks as she strolls over. She bends down to scratch Mosy’s head before straightening and looking at us.
“Roxie just mentioned that she and I are sharing a room. Why? The house has five bedrooms—one for each of us, plus a spare.”
Loren joins us, smiling like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Until she stops and looks at us. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong? Why do you all look so tense?”
No one says anything, and that just pisses me off.
“Someone better tell me what’s going on right now!” I demand because clearly, something is happening that they’re trying to keep from me.
Roxie and Loren both look at Vanessa, and I watch her shoulders sag with defeat. “Okay, fine. It’s not just the four of us staying here. The guys are joining us. They’re on their way here as we speak.”
For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. All of my glorious plans for relaxing and having a room for myself are gone.
“So…Mike and Zayne are coming? Are they staying as long as we are?”
“Not exactly,” Van says hesitantly. “And it’s Mike, Zayne, and Ash. They’ll definitely be here for two weeks, and then possibly on the weekends after that. At least…Mike and Zayne. I’m not sure what Ash’s schedule is like.”
“How did this happen? I thought this was going to be a girls’ trip?” I whine, thoroughly disappointed at the turn of events.
My friends all exchange glances before Loren takes the lead and speaks. “Liv, let’s be honest, your track record kind of speaks for itself. You haven’t shown up for anything in years. I mean, we do Zoom calls and text and chat, but every time you were supposed to get your ass on a plane and be somewhere, you always bailed.”
“Okay, I didn’t just bail for the sake of bailing,” I explain, while trying not to sound too defensive. “I can’t control the weather! You all saw the weather reports and the flight cancelations!”
“Which almost happened again,” Vanessa chimes in. “I kept waiting for you to say you just weren’t coming again.”
