It was the local bar that we always went to. By anyone else’s standards, it was kind of a dump. But Heidi adored the place.
“Actually…we’re all heading to Ransom Canyon for Memorial Day weekend. Lake, boats, barbeque—the trifecta. You in?”
“And how exactly am I going to get laid out of this plan?”
“Well, there will be a lot of alcohol,” Heidi hedged.
“And?”
“And…a lot of hot eligible men.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like who?”
“The Wrights all invited a bunch of people to come hang out. I know your…issues with Austin, so I didn’t mention it before. But I don’t think that should stop you now.”
I groaned. “Austin Wright is the biggest alcoholic jackass on this side of the planet! You know how he treated me when we were together.”
“True,” she added. “But…that was a year and a half ago. And since you slapped the shit out of him last fall, he’s kind of avoided you like the plague. Which means you should be fine.”
“Heidi!”
“Get your ass over here and bring a bathing suit. I want to see those tattoos you’re sporting. I won’t take no for an answer.”
And then she unceremoniously hung up on me. I glanced down at it with a sigh. Maybe Heidi was right, and I needed some girl time to get over this break up.
I stripped out of my work attire and into a pair of cut off jean shorts and a black Queen tank top. I piled my dark red hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head and admired the recently shaved undercut. I filled up my travel tote with enough clothes for a week away from home. Now, I just needed my favorite olive green bomber jacket. Not that May in Lubbock, Texas was cold by any stretch of the imagination, but the dusty, windy, and flat place I had called home for almost two years now, got cool on summer nights. But the jacket was nowhere to be found. I tore my apartment apart looking for it. I swore I’d left it hanging in my closet, but nope. No luck. Must have left it at work or in the car or something.
I finally added a black Beatles sweatshirt I’d picked up at a thrift store and headed over to Heidi’s place, where she lived with Landon Wright, the middle sibling in the Wright family dynasty. They’d gotten together last year and were totally crazy in love. They’d gotten engaged practically right away and now lived together in a brand new house that they’d had built on a golf course. Country clubbers, man.
When I pulled up in my oversized black Tahoe, Landon was packing up his Jeep. He waved as I parked.
“Hey Julia. I’m glad to see that Heidi convinced you to come with us.”
I hopped out of the car and moved my bag into the trunk. “Yeah. She’s persuasive all right. Told me to get my ass over here and hung up on me.”
Landon laughed congenially. He had the goddamn Wright good looks—dark hair, dark penetrating eyes, perfect smile, and so tall you could climb the fuckers.
“This sounds like my fiancée.”
“I swear you say it just because you like the sound of it.”
He grinned not at all sheepish. “Can’t blame me.”
“Not in the least.”
Heidi appeared then in tiny white cut offs and a pink bathing suit top. She had a huge floppy hat on her head, her long blonde hair falling to her waist, and sunglasses to cover her entire face. “I’m so fucking ready!”
She clobbered me on sight, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“You’re insane,” I told her.
“And you are wearing too many clothes.”
“Don’t say that around Emery,” I said about her best friend. “She might get jealous.”
“Can I watch?” Landon asked from where he was standing with his arms crossed, eyeing us appraisingly.
“You can join in,” Heidi said with a wink. Then she smacked my ass and hopped into the front seat. I climbed into the back, and once Landon was in the driver’s seat, we were off and away.
It was only a twenty-minute drive to Ransom Canyon, and Heidi kept me from brooding too much about my recent break up. Not that I was actually upset about leaving Trevor. I was more upset that he had been right. I liked uncomplicated fun. Preferably with a lot of mind-blowing sex.
“So, who all did you say would be here?” I asked again.
“Um…” Heidi trailed off.
Landon shot her a look of frustration. “My family mostly.”
“Mostly?”
“Heidi and Emery and her sister Kimber and her husband Noah and their two kids will also be there.”
“And?” I added.
“And Patrick,” Landon said as an afterthought.
“What happened to all the hot eligible bachelors, Heidi?”
She chewed on her bottom lip and her big blue eyes searched my face. “About that…”
“Oh, you’re such a bitch.”
Great. I was going to be the only single girl here who wasn’t related to the Wright family. And the two single guys here—Austin and Patrick—were totally off limits. Just perfect.
Heidi laughed and shrugged. Clearly this had been all part of her evil plan. The little witch.
Landon parked his Jeep next to a giant truck, which I vaguely recalled belonged to his oldest brother, Jensen, and then we all hopped out. Landon waved us off when we tried to help. “Go on and check out the lake. I’ve got this.”
Heidi kissed his cheek, grabbed my hand, and dashed down the hill to the dock below. Ransom Canyon was a town of only about a thousand people, but the lake filled up all summer. It was craziest on Memorial Day and Fourth of July. As in…today. There were boats everywhere on the lake, and I could see parties happening all up and down the lake. Maybe I wouldn’t be at such a loss after all.
We skipped to a stop when we got to the end of the dock and Heidi laughed before peeling her shorts off.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Taking a swim. Come with me, lover.”
“Uh, no. I do not have a swimsuit on.”
“That’s no fun.” She handed me her floppy hat, tied up her blonde hair, and then cannonballed into the water as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
I laughed as she splashed water on me and took a step back. “You’re crazy!”
“Oh my God, get in! The water is divine!”
“No chance in hell. I need to change first.”
Heidi pouted as she treaded water. “You’re missing out. Emery would do it.”
“Don’t care. You can’t goad me into this.”
“I want you to have some fun. Since you finally ditched Mr. Boring.”
“He was not boring.”
Heidi rolled her eyes and ducked under water. “He was so boring,” she said, when she came up for air. “My girl is fire and passion and tattoos and top-shelf whiskey.”
“You must be thinking of someone else,” I teased.
“Come on. Show me those tattoos!”
“Later! When I have a freaking swimsuit on. Unless you are just dying to see my thong.”
Heidi raised an eyebrow. “I bet everyone here would die to see your thong.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Would you rather talk about Trevor?”
I shook my head. “Let’s go back to my thong.”
“Did someone say thong?” a voice called from behind me on the deck.