Claiming Holly (Holiday Cove 1)

We dished up our plates and took them outside to join Hunter at the patio table. My condo was on the top floor and while the view below was a busy street, out beyond, there was a line of palm trees and an excellent view of the sunset which made up for the noise of traffic below.

“I swear, the only time he sits still is when there’s food somewhere nearby,” I joked, looking down at Hunter, who was sitting ramrod straight at my feet, looking more like he was the head of the obedience class, instead of the flunk out.

“I might have spoiled him just a little…” Rachel confessed. She leaned down and sneaked him a bite of her ravioli and gave him an extra pat on the head. “Good boy.”

I rolled my eyes as Hunter rolled onto his back and looked up at me, waiting for his next treat. “Remind me to pack that dog training book for my trip…”

3

Holly

“Are you seriously taking that?” Rachel asked, her face wrinkled with disapproval as I hauled out my laptop bag. And set it on the bed next to my open suitcase. She had agreed to help me pack after dinner, but her version of helping mostly involved drinking and rummaging through my shoe collection—or, at least, what was left of it after puppy patrol had torn through it over the past months.

“Rach, I can’t not have a computer with me!”

“It’s a vacation. I think, by definition that means you leave it home. For once.” She tugged the shoulder strap on the bag. “You cannot think I’ll stand by and watch you work all week!”

I smirked at her and tore it from her grasp. “Of course not, I’ll do it before you get there.”

She stuck her tongue out and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re impossible. I hope you know.”

“Noted.” I smiled and continued rummaging through the pile of clothing I’d pulled from my closet. “Now, help me figure out what to wear.”

Rachel sipped her wine, not moving. “I’ll only help if you put the laptop away.”

I rolled my eyes and stared at her. “You’re serious?”

She nodded, unflinching.

I heaved a sigh and put the laptop bag back under my bed. “Fine. You win. Happy?”

“I am. Thank you. Now, let’s talk bikinis!”

I laughed as she launched off the bed and went to my dresser. “I swear you and Hunter have the same attention span.”

She retrieved the tangled mess of straps that my bikini collection had been reduced to after months of sitting unused in the back of my dresser. “Heavens, Holly. This is a hot mess.”

I laughed. “Shockingly, I haven’t had a ton of sunbathing time in recent days. Here,” I said, reaching for them. Rachel handed the blob of fabric over to me, and I went to work untangling the suits from one another.

“Well, I’ll be thoroughly disappointed if you don’t have a head start on a killer tan by the time I get there.”

Rachel was blessed with a permanent tan after years spent frolicking the beach, and it had only gotten deeper since her move to Newport Beach. I’d never been much of a beach bunny, but I liked to go out and walk the shore or lay out by the pool. When Rachel and I had shared the condo, we’d gone sunbathing every other day at the rooftop pool of the luxe building. My skin usually burned first, tanned second, and as I’d been spending an obscene amount of time indoors, I knew it would take a little while to get my base tan back.

“I’ll do my best,” I replied, gritting my teeth slightly as I worked through a tough knot, cursing myself for sending them all through the washer and dryer.

“That’s all I can ask. So, let’s see,” Rachel leaned over and consulted the packing list I’d drawn up over the past few days while scarfing down lunch in between clients at the office. “Aren’t you taking any dresses?”

I looked up; my brow arched at her suggestion. “What for?”

Rachel sighed. “All I’m seeing here is jeans, jean shorts, oh, and your white capris. What if you want to go out to a fancy dinner or something?” She got up and trudged back to my closet. “Don’t look at me like I’m a Martian, Parker. It’s a valid question.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to unknotting the mess in my lap.

“What about this one?” I looked up as Rachel emerged from my closet, a tiny black dress hanging from her fingertips. “This is hot! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it before.”

“That’s because I haven’t,” I replied, pointing at the tags still dangling from the side.

“Why not?” Rachel held it up to her own body and spun to check her reflection in the full-length mirror.

“I think the better question would be why?”