“No, it just started there. We moved to a lounge chair—”
“Double gross,” Emma said. “Remind me never to sit on your pool chairs again.”
“By the hot tub, again in the shower, and finally the bed,” Kate finished.
“Gross infinity,” Lucy said. “I’m never coming over again.”
“Dang. Three times?” Lizzie said with a tinge of awe that made Kate smile.
“Well, we had a lot of time to kill while his pants were in the dryer.” She opened a sandwich and dug in. “Wow. I hope he doesn’t cave as easily as I just did,” she said between bites.
“I’m sure he understood that when you said you wouldn’t tell anyone, you meant everyonebutus,” Emma said, rummaging through the bag of sandwiches. “Are these all turkey?”
“If not, he should have,” Lucy agreed. “Did you get me ham?”
“They’re all turkey,” Kate said. “I was in a hurry and didn’t have the mental capacity to get everyone’s usual. As our preschool teacher Mrs. Honeycutt used to say, you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”
“So, what does that mean?” Emma asked around a mouthful of bread. “Is he your boyfriend now?”
“No. We agreed on a fling,” Kate said. “By the way, Lizzie, what does that entail? Exactly? I’m going to need a clearer definition of what I’ve signed up for.”
“It means you hang out until one of you gets tired of it. Then that person says, ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ or ‘I’m just not interested in a relationship right now,’ or something like that. That’s how you both know it’s over, and you move on.”
“And it’s really that easy? What happens if you really like the person?”
“I suppose that’s when someone gets their heart broken, which means you’ve moved past fling and feelings are involved. It’s never happened to me, but it is a possibility. Especially for you.” She looked down her nose at Kate and pulled her sunglasses down to give her a stern look. “Flings aren’t for everyone, Kate.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. Well, I guess we’ll see how I do, huh? You guys will be here to pick up the pieces if it all goes south on me, right?”
“Hells yeah,” they all responded.
Lizzie held up her glass. “To Kate finally getting some. Cheers.” They raised their glasses and drank.
“Do you feel like a teenager again?” Lizzie asked. “Drinking while Mom and Dad are out of town?”
“I never did that,” Emma said.
“Me either,” Kate and Lucy said together.
“Just me then? Oh-kaay.” Lizzie had always been the rebel among them. Not arealrebel, only when compared to the rest of them, who were all correctly pegged as goody-two-shoes.
“Anyone else just think of Daisy?” Emma asked.
“Let’s call her,” Lucy said. “It’s what, six hours later in France?”
“Yes, but she has the dinner shift at the cafe, so she’s most likely working,” Emma said.
“Oh, well. Let’s remember tomorrow,” Kate said.
“Hey, Katie, you’re in charge of the next batch of mimosas. Make it extra strong, eh?” Lizzie said.
“What? Why me?”
“You were the last one here,andyou jacked up the sandwich order.”
“Oh, pft. Fine.”
They spent the afternoon drinking, gossiping, and swimming. They had Chinese takeout delivered for dinner and decided since no one was fit to drive, they would have a slumber party in the living room.