“Good choice.” It had been years since Liz had seen it, but it definitely fit the beach theme.
“You need to get your groove back,” Paige said, pointing at Liz. “How long has it been since you and that guy broke up?”
There was nothing wrong with Liz’s groove. She and Drew had proven that at Mitch’s wedding, not that she could say so. “The last thing I want in my life right now is another guy. I’m enjoying being single, thank you, even if it means being groove-less.”
“I, on the other hand, am sick of being groove-less,” Hailey said. “I’m going to have to move to the city and find my groove.”
Paige snorted. “You always say that, but you’re not going anywhere. You love your house and you really love your job.”
“They’re going to have to give me a raise just to cover the cost of batteries.”
Liz was saved from having to respond to that by a knock on the door. She opened it to find Fran Benoit, wife of Butch and owner of the market, standing on the step with a dish in one hand and a small wooden bookcase in the other.
“Open the door. This is heavy.”
Liz took the bookshelf, which was more awkward than heavy, and let Fran into the house. “Nobody told me movie night was bring your own bookcase.”
“I hadn’t told her yet,” Paige said. “So we wanted this to be part housewarming party, so everybody is to bring one useful item from their own house they don’t use anymore to give to you.”
“That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard.” The sudden prick of tears in her eyes surprised Liz and she tried to blink them away.
She hadn’t expected to be made so welcome into a group of friends so quickly. Sure, she knew them all, but most she hadn’t seen in years. And Paige was her sister-in-law, but she’d only met her once. Since that had been the weekend Mitch and Paige got married, she hadn’t had a lot of quality bonding time with the bride. The fact she and Hailey had set all of this up for her made her want to cry big, fat happy tears, but she sniffed them back.
Fran gave a big shrug, making her thick gray braid sway. “I also brought nachos.”
Paige and Hailey went back out to Paige’s car to carry in their contributions. Paige brought her a vacuum that was possibly older than her car, but she promised it worked, and Hailey contributed a toaster oven. Jilly brought her son’s infamous Buffalo Chicken Dip, a bag of tortilla chips and an over-the-toilet bathroom organizer.
Tori brought a veggie tray and a small end table that was painted a glossy black, with neon flowers stenciled on it. “I’m a little weird. Sorry.”
“I love it,” Liz said, and she did. It was funky and, strangely enough, it matched her blow-up furniture perfectly.
Hailey made the drinks because Fran made them so strong they could only have one and, even then, driving could be an issue. Hailey made them more in the spirit of drinking, but light on the actual spirits. Then they popped the movie in.
Fran chose to sit on the futon, but Liz claimed one of the pool floats and set her drink in the cup holder. It wasn’t the easiest thing to lower herself into while balancing a paper plate loaded with food, but it was fun and squeaked if she moved around.
“You ready for the big camping trip?” Paige asked as she performed the same balancing act.
“I think so.” She hoped so, since they were leaving in a few days and she didn’t want to spend any more of her meager savings on a vacation that didn’t involve a real beach.
“I can’t believe everybody can actually go. Even Drew managed to get the time off.”
One of the reasons Liz had agreed to host movie night was to get her mind off Drew Miller for a few hours, but between talk of getting one’s groove back and the camping trip, that wasn’t really working out for her.
Luckily, Hailey finished making the last drink and hit Play on the movie before maneuvering into the lime-green float. At last, a distraction.
But nothing, it seemed, could stop her from thinking about the Fourth of July fireworks. Whatever had possessed them to hold hands, surrounded as they were by almost her entire family, she’d never know. But she’d liked it.
It was delicious, the way her hand felt in his. And when her thumb stroked a certain spot, his fingers would tighten around hers for a few seconds. She wanted to play with that spot some more. And she wanted to see what other spots on his body would get a reaction like that.
Since that night, she hadn’t seen him at all. The Fourth being on a Thursday meant a long holiday weekend for most people, and long holiday weekends meant busy law enforcement. Or he was avoiding her, possibly scared off by learning Rose knew they’d been together. She wasn’t sure which.
But she was about to have a week of being with Drew twenty-four seven, and there would be no avoiding each other. And, once again, she’d be surrounded by her entire family. She wasn’t sure her nerves could take it, but, like it or not, she was going to find out.