“Clearly.” She strides over to Maggie and pulls her in for a side hug. “Welcome back. How was the book tour?”
“Amazing but long. I’m ready for some downtime.”
“When’s the next one coming out?” Ruby asks.
Maggie groans. “Not sure yet. Hopefully sometime next year, but I’m not rushing it. This whole thing has been a whirlwind, and I just want to relax for a while. You know how it is.”
Ruby chuckles humorlessly. “Yeah. It’s been nice to slow down and take things at my own pace for a change.”
“We really should have a girls’ night,” Maggie says, darting her eyes to me. “If your boss is cool with that.”
“Ooh. Boss. I like the sound of that,” Ivy says. “A little bit taboo.”
“Kind of like the best friend’s brother trope?” Maggie teases her.
Ivy snorts. “Worked out great for me.”
I elbow Miles and point at the girls. “What the hell are they talking about?”
Miles reaches into a cooler. “Tropes. Like in romance novels.”
My brow furrows. “I have no idea what that means.”
“It’s better that you don’t. Beer?” He holds out a bottle between us.
I take it and pop the top, keeping my eyes on Ruby and the women who’ve stolen my best friends’ hearts. She fits in seamlessly, like she belongs here. If I think about it too long, I might actually believe it, and I can’t afford to get caught up in wild fantasies.
“Got an orange cat in the house in case you feel like showing off your rescue skills, Liam. I’m sure we could coax him into a tree,” Cade says from halfway down the deck. He has one arm slung around Paige’s shoulder, and the other holds up a beer in greeting.
“Fucking Cheese Wiz,” I grumble.
Everyone laughs as I shake my head at the absurdity. I didn’t expect going full-time to include a weekly cat rescue, but here we are.
“Drinks are in the coolers, snacks are on the table, just make sure you put the mosquito covers on them when you’re done grabbing what you want.” Paige points to the folding table set up near the dock. It’s filled with platters of fruit, cheeses, meats, and an array of sweets. It’s so like Paige to go all out for something like this.
“Ruby said we could make s’mores!” Aiden chirps.
Paige bends to his level and offers him a high five. “That sounds like an awesome idea, my dude!”
“Where’s Sofia?” he asks, referring to Paige and Cade’s two-year-old daughter.
“She’s up at the cottage with Nana. We didn’t want to have to worry about her being around the fire, but you can go up there and visit later if you get tired, ok?”
He shrugs and turns his attention to the juice pouch in his hand.
“No pie?” Paige asks Ruby, smiling like they’re in on some secret together.
“Nope.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?” Ruby mimes zipping her lips and Paige squeals. “I want details later!”
I nudge Ruby with my elbow. “What was that all about?”
“Oh, nothing. Girl stuff.”
Fuck my life. I didn’t realize she’d been here long enough to have inside jokes with my friends.
Dean and Cara are the last to join us, and we all settle around the fire, some on blankets and lawn chairs. Others, like me and Ruby, are on logs.
