“I see I’m not the only ‘humble’ one,” I mutter.
“Gotta let her know her options,” he teases, giving Laney a wink. I make a point to keep my fingers relaxed, even though I want to ball them up into a fist and punch Jet right in his shit-talking mouth.
“Laney Holt! Ohmigod!”
The shrill voice saves Jet from getting himself into trouble. Or at least that’s the way I see it.
We all turn to see a curvy redhead making her way toward us. She’s wearing a string bikini that shows off her ample cle**age to perfection. Her face isn’t bad, either.
“You probably don’t remember me. We met at Shane’s apartment last year. I was dating his cousin, Rod.”
I watch expressions flit across Laney’s face as she digs for the memory. “No, no, I do remember you. Hannah, right?”
“Yes. Ohmigod, you do remember!” The girl seems overly pleased. Good God, what’s the big deal?
Women.
“So nice to see you again.”
“You, too,” Hannah says. “I didn’t think I’d know anybody here. Shane was supposed to be coming, but he couldn’t make it. So now it’s just me and my friend, Lisa. She’s a freshman in college this year, but she grew up here in Greenfield. Shane knows her, but I doubt you would. I think she’s a few years younger than you. “
“Of course Shane knows her,” Laney mumbles.
“Pardon?” Hannah asks.
“You’re probably right,” Laney says, glossing over her comment. Hannah might not have heard her, but I sure did. “Greenfield is small, but I’m sure I don’t know everyone.”
“So, are you gonna swim? The water feels great. This is such a cool little spot.” Hannah giggles. She’s very enthusiastic. And bubbly. And she makes my head feel like it’s about to explode. I’m about thirty seconds from excusing myself to go jump in said water and not come back out until she’s gone.
“No, I didn’t bring a suit. This was an . . . impromptu trip.”
“No worries. I can loan you something. When I heard this was a swimming hole, I brought a suit and some shorts, too. Just in case. I mean, you never know. You’re welcome to the shorts.”
“No, thank you. I’ll just—”
I perk up at her offer, even if Laney doesn’t. “Oh, come on, Laney. Didn’t you hear? The water’s great. And everyone needs to ride the swing at least once,” I add, glad that I didn’t leave the girls to their conversation and miss this turn of events. Laney. In shorts. Wet. This is definitely heading in the right direction.
“I’d really better not.”
“Today’s about fun, remember? And I’m not in the habit of taking no for an answer.”
She wants to argue. I can tell. But she’s too polite. Southern girl all the way to the bone.
I turn to Hannah. “Go get them. I’ll talk her into it.”
Hannah grins, happy to be a part of the pile-on. “I’ve got an even better idea. Come with me, Laney. You can change in my car.”
The smile Laney gives her is almost as tight as her ass. “Okay.”
“Here,” I say before she walks off, pushing her refilled cup into her hand. “Seems like you need it.”
She gives me a frosty glare and stalks off with Hannah.
NINE: Laney
The only reason I’m letting Jake talk me into any of this is because I need it. As much as I hate to admit it, I know I do.
It’s out of character for me to be going to parties and drinking purple people eaters and jumping off things, but that’s what I want most right now—not to be the same old Laney. I don’t want to be the boring, predictable, good girl anymore. That got me nothing but heartache. At least I know I don’t have to worry about that with Jake. Trust isn’t really an option. I know who and what he is. He makes no bones about it. And I have no more intention of getting deeply involved with him than he does with me. That’s part of what makes this so perfect. It’s fleeting. And dangerous. Two things I’ve never before craved or pursued in my life. And two things I know I could never settle for in the end.
But there’s no reason I can’t lose the old me in this person for a while. Just a little while. If only I could learn to embrace her . . .
Hannah’s chattering stops, making me realize that I have been lost in thought and completely ignoring whatever it is she’s been talking about. “Is that okay?” she asks.
I have no clue what she’s referring to. “Sure.”
She gives me a bright smile and hits the keyless entry for a bright purple two-door car. “Great.”
She opens the door and disappears inside for a few seconds before reemerging with a couple of scraps of clothing. I look at her in question and she smiles again. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
With that, she turns her back to me, crosses her arms over her chest, and assumes the stance of a sentry, leaving me to climb into the passenger side of her car and change clothes.
After some creative maneuvering, I’m sitting in Hannah’s front seat, staring down at my bare stomach and a whole lot of bare leg. When Hannah said “shorts,” I made the very erroneous assumption that she meant real shorts, not these teeny tiny cut-off denim . . . things. And the T-shirt that goes with them? A scrap of cotton that might fit a doll.
Might.
I take a deep breath, reminding myself that I’m easy, breezy, and fun girl right now, not uptight Laney. I spy my glass of grape drink sitting in the cup holder. Impulsively, I drain the entire cup.
Liquid courage.
A burp bubbles up and surprises me. With a gasp, I clamp my hand over my mouth, hoping Hannah didn’t hear. I look out the window at her, but she hasn’t budged. I imagine that, if she’d heard, she’d be the type to mention it. So, figuring my embarrassing gastric mishap is still a secret, I grab my clothes, open the door, and exit.
Hannah turns around to size me up. Her eyes round. “Damn, look what you’ve been hiding under those clothes, Laney! You look hot!”
I feel my cheeks sting and resist the urge to cover myself with the skirt and blouse I’m holding.
“Thank you.”
Hannah reaches for my hand, taking the empty cup from my fingers, crumpling it up and tossing it into the bed of a truck as we pass. “Come on. Let’s drop your clothes off and then go show you off.”