“Damn, they massage your feet too?” Chase moans. “I’m going to have to get a pedicure every month.”
I giggle and snap a picture of him. Since his head is back and his eyes are closed, he doesn’t notice. I send a group text to Lexi and Alec.
Me: Look who’s replaced Lexi!
Alec: LOL How the hell did you get him to do that?
Me: His idea…
Lexi: Nobody can replace me!
Me: Well, he did.
Lexi: Tomorrow, let’s do breakfast!
Me: Sure! Sounds good.
“Did you tell Alec I’m getting my toes done?” Chase asks.
I look up and laugh. “Maybe…”
“You’re lucky I can’t get up right now, but once I can, you’re dead, woman.”
I laugh harder. “Okay, whatever you say. Lexi and I are meeting for breakfast tomorrow.”
“That’s good. See? You have nothing to be worried about with your relationship with your sister.”
After getting our toes done, Chase gets a manicure, this time forgoing any polish, while I get my fills done on my acrylics. I get my eyebrows threaded, and he gets his trimmed. When the technician waxes the middle of his brows and he squawks like a duck, I crack up.
“Thank you for doing this,” I tell him, once we’re back in the car on the way home.
“You don’t have to thank me. I had a good time, and I feel like a whole new man.” He wiggles his clean fingers, making me giggle.
“So, there’s this bonfire tonight,” he says. I open my mouth to tell him no, but before I can, he adds, “And before you say no…” He side-eyes me. “It’s at Carter’s house. He’s on a couple acres, has a big backyard that’s backed up to the water. There won’t be a lot of people there. Just a few. It’ll be fun. We’ll cook some hot dogs, roast some marshmallows, and I’ll be with you the entire time.”
It actually sounds fun, and before I can come up with an excuse not to go, I find myself saying, “I’ll go… But if you want to leave me to do your own thing, I’ll understand.”
“My own thing?”
“You know… if you meet a woman and want to hang out with her…” The words taste bitter as they leave my mouth, but I push the thought aside. Chase is just being nice to me because I told him I miss Lexi and am lonely.
“If I wanted to hang out with some other woman I wouldn’t have invited you,” he says, leaving no room for argument in his tone.
Chase
We arrive at Carter’s place, and there are a few cars parked in his driveway and along his front yard. Georgia is dressed in a pair of skintight jeans, a black hoodie that reads Fight Club, and black Vans. I love how low-key she is. Most women would be dolled up, but not her… She’s dressed casual and it makes her even sexier. Her eyes are scanning the area, and I can tell she’s nervous about being here. I promised her there wouldn’t be too many people, but she’s still scared. I told Carter a little about her condition and he ensured me there would only be a handful of people hanging out.
“He has a nice home,” she notes absentmindedly.
“His parents left it to him.” Carter lost both of his parents in a hotel fire when he was younger, which is the reason he decided to become a firefighter.
Taking Georgia’s hand in mine—something I’ve grown to enjoy doing the last couple days—I walk us around the side of the house. The closer we get, the louder the music gets.
When we reach the backyard, Georgia comes to a halt so she can take everything in. There’s a patio with tables and chairs, a decent size swimming pool, and a hot tub. Farther out, there are several lounge chairs facing the Pacific Ocean, and when you walk along the wooden path, it leads to his private beach where he has a bonfire going with chairs forming a circle around it.
If I had to guess, there are probably about fifty people here, a little more than I thought, but because he has so much room, it’s not stifling like a club, so I think Georgia will be okay.
“There are a lot of people here,” she says, mimicking my thoughts.
“They’re spread out, though. Let’s go find Carter to say hi, and then get drinks.”
She nods, her hand tightening in mine.
“Hey, man.” Carter extends his hand to fist bump me. “Nice to see you again, Georgia. Mi casa is your casa. Drinks are on the patio in the fridge and on the counters… food’s cooking. You can also grab something to grill over the bonfire.”
“Thank you,” Georgia says politely.
“Of course,” Carter says back with a smile.
We stop at the drink area and since I’m driving I grab a Gatorade. Georgia shocks me when she goes with a Mike’s Hard Lemonade.