“Do you think you’ll move out to California with him once you graduate?” Lei asks.
Skyler pops her head out of the curtains, frowning. “I hadn’t thought of it… but honestly? Maybe. I could get down with the other coast.”
“Maybe you could go from paddle boarding to surfing,” I suggest.
“What’s going on with that intern, Lei?” Jess asks, coming out in a breathtaking high-low sunshine yellow dress. It highlights her bronze skin and showcases her cleavage with the sweetheart, shell bust, and the flowy layers of the skirt seem to swish and sway with every tiny move she makes.
“Oh, Jess,” I whisper, still gawking. “That is the one.”
“Agreed,” Ashlei says. “You might as well stop looking now. You won’t find better than that. God, you look stunning!”
“Is that a blush I see?” Skyler teases, poking her head out to see what all the fuss is about.
“Shut up.” Jess waves her off, but she can’t hide her glow as she looks herself over in the three-split mirror. “It really is pretty.”
“You’re getting it,” Erin says definitively, and then she steps out in a poofy purple dress that we all go silent at before bursting out into a chorus of laughter.
“Yeah. That ain’t it, sis,” Jess says.
Erin’s shoulders deflate. “I look like a bridesmaid from 1982.”
That earns her another roar of laughter, and when she’s in the dressing room again, Jess and I turn to Lei.
She sighs. “The intern is… fine. I guess. She was great at the Okay, Cool party, and she said she wants to interview me for some project. She really is good at her job, but… there’s something off about her. She’s like a fox. I don’t trust her.” She pauses. “And… I think she might be into me.”
“What do you mean into you?” Jess probes.
“I mean, I think she might have hit on me at the party.”
We all widen our eyes at that.
“I know, I know, it sounds crazy, and maybe it is,” she confesses with her hands up. “I don’t know. I’ll keep y’all posted when I know more, because right now, I’m just confused and jealous.”
“Nothing to be jealous of,” I assure her. “Especially since Brandon told you he loves you.”
I sing the last words, and all the girls chime in with ooh’s and aww’s that have Ashlei flicking us all off.
“I think I’m seeing someone, too.”
We all turn in unison to look at Erin, who’s looking back at us in the mirror as she assesses the long violet dress she’s wearing. She does a little turn, stopping when she’s facing us.
I don’t think a single one of us blinks.
“His name is Gavin. He’s in my therapy group.”
She adds that last part with a little clearing of her throat at the end, and we’re all completely silent for a moment longer before Jess squeals and wraps her in a hug.
“Ex! You sly dog, you. Why haven’t you told us?”
Erin blushes. “I don’t know. I kind of told you when we were sunbathing behind the house.”
“Ah, the friend,” Jess teases.
Erin shoots her a glare. “Well, I wasn’t sure what it was at first but… we’ve gone on a few dates and… I don’t know. I think I like him.”
“You haven’t dated anyone seriously since Landon,” Skyler observes. “Well, other than my boyfriend, but that was a hot mess.”
We all shift a little uncomfortably at that.
“Too soon?” Skyler asks with her arms out.
Erin chuckles. “Yeah, I know… it’s been…” She goes silent for a long time, a shadow passing over her eyes, and the girls and I exchange worried glances.
“You know you can talk to us,” I whisper, standing to touch my Grand Big’s arm. “Whatever it is you’ve been through, we’d understand.”
“I know,” she whispers, tears flooding her eyes. “And I will. Someday. Soon.”
We all nod, and then Lei wraps her in a hug. “Well, I for one am glad this Gavin guy has caught your attention. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“And I can’t wait for him to fuck your brains out so you’ll loosen up a bit in Chapter,” Jess adds.
Erin launches at her, tickling her sides before Jess breaks free and takes off. Erin chases her around the dress shop while we all watch and laugh.
Skyler and I exchange a beaming look, and I know we’re thinking the same thing.
Our sisters are fucking crazy.
But damn, do we love them.Later that night, after Sunday Chapter, Adam and I walk the beach licking on our respective ice cream cones. Mine is mint chocolate chip, his is moose tracks. Our hands that aren’t holding our dessert are clasped between us, swinging lightly as we walk.
The stars are non-existent, the clouds wispy, glowing from the moon behind them and adding a moody tone to the beach. It’s quiet but for the waves, and our occasional laughter.
When we finish our cones, Adam pulls me into his arms and kisses me breathless, his warm lips a contrast between the cool sand under my bare feet.