Only time will tell.
We break apart as Stella gets on her hind legs and starts licking Roxie’s face. “Uh-oh, someone’s jealous,” she says with a laugh, and that’s my cue to get up and finish unpacking.
By the time we’re done, the room looks like a tornado went through it. Between all our stuff and all the dogs’ things, the space is completely crammed. Thank God I’m only going to be sleeping in here because just looking at it makes my eye twitch.
“Guys! I’m starting a shopping list!” Vanessa calls out from the kitchen. “And I’ve opened a bottle of wine! Let’s do this!”
I’m halfway out the door when Roxie stops me. “Remember, no ick.”
Laughing, I turn and hug her. “And you remember, this stays between us.”
“Deal.”
6
ASH
I don’t find out that we’re vacationing with Vanessa, Loren, Roxie, and Olivia until we are literally in the driveway of the beach house. This is so not the vacation I imagined, and even though I’m okay with it, I have a strong feeling it’s going to make things awkward for Liv.
Liv? Olivia? I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to call her, so I’m just going to follow everyone else’s lead.
We’re climbing out of Zayne’s car when I ask, “So, um…how is this all going to work?”
“Don’t worry, you have your own room,” Mike assures me. “Loren and I have a room, then Van and Zayne are sharing a room, I guess. Liv and Roxie are sharing a room, and you’ll have one for yourself. If you ask me, you got the sweetest deal.”
“Nah, you and I get to have sex,” Zayne casually mentions and then bursts out laughing. “I mean, not with each other!” More laughing. “I meant with our girlfriends!”
Mike looks over at me with amusement. “Okay, so maybe you don’t have the sweetest deal, but it’s pretty close.”
“Something you should know before we go inside is that this house is seriously outdated,” Zayne warns. “Like…imagine what a beach house looked like in the nineties, and this is it.”
“O-kay…” I’m not really sure what to say to that, so I just grab my luggage and follow the guys up the stairs to the front door.
Mike knocks even as he opens the door and calls out that we’re here. In the distance, I hear Loren squeal happily before she comes running toward us. I step inside and then freeze, momentarily blinded by the brightness. Once my eyes adjust, I realize Zayne wasn’t kidding. This house is like going back in time. I’m not complaining, though. It’s essentially a free place to stay. As long as I have a bed to sleep in, I’m going to be fine. The rest of the time, I plan on being out on the beach surfing or playing volleyball, or even…
“Is that a pool out there?” I ask, glancing beyond the entryway.
“It is!” Loren replies as she hugs me. “I used to think it was crazy to have a pool when you’re only yards away from the ocean, but it’s great when you want to go for a night swim.”
“And there’s a hot tub,” Mike tells me. “Seats eight and it’s sort of the perfect way to end every day. I highly recommend it.”
I nod and move away from them and slowly make my way toward the living room. The floors are like a dingy off white, but the furniture is white, and the entire back of the house is glass. It feels a little like being ants under a magnifying glass and I wonder if there’s any relief from the heat and brightness. I shield my eyes the closer I get to the windows and try to see if there are blinds or shades or…
“You’ll get used to it.”
It’s crazy how I already recognize her voice.
Turning, I lower my hand away from my eyes and smile. “We need to stop meeting like this,” I tease, and fortunately, she smiles.
She stops just a few feet away and studies me. “In a million years, I never would have thought Ash was short for Sebastian.”
That…wasn’t what I was expecting her to say, but I’m glad she’s not angry about me being here.
“It never was until I met Matt in college. He used it and it just stuck.”
Her smile fades slightly, and I want to kick myself. It’s probably not the smartest thing to be mentioning the dead ex as soon as I walk in the door.
“So, um…this is weird, huh?” I say, raking a hand through my hair because I have no idea what to do with myself.
