"So dumb." She turned back to the window and leaned toward it. "Look at all those half-naked people. Ugh."
I laughed and worked my hair into a messy bun that the wind would ruin in a matter of seconds. "Come on. Call shotgun or Dedra will and you'll be pissy about it."
"Shotgun!" Emily yelled as she walked to the hallway with her hands cupped over her mouth.
"Really?" Dedra walked out. "You know I've been waiting to ride shotgun in that new Beamer."
"You'll get your chance. I might even let you drive it." I picked up the keys and wagged my eyebrows at her.
"No, you won't. Not if you're smart." Cindy grabbed a large straw hat and put it on her head. No one should be able to pull off something so gaudy, but she was doing it beautifully.
"Don't start with me again." Dedra gave Cindy a warning look.
"Oh, this sounds interesting." Emily opened the door and smiled. "What happened?"
"Dedra almost wrecked the boat because of some beautiful chocolate man that was half-naked lying out on his peer two days ago." Cindy shook her head and walked out on the deck.
"Beautiful chocolate man?" I walked out after her and laughed deep in my chest.
Serenity wrapped around me due to the beautiful scene before me. The lake was vast, and the dark blue water almost seemed to sparkle right along the surface. The sun sat at the top of the sky, and the tall trees all around us rustled with the force of the wind. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, not hearing the response to my question. I didn't care about anything for the moment but finding my center and trying to release the last four years to the past.
"Hey, you can meditate or do that yoga mess later. I'm hungry." Emily bumped her shoulder against mine, pulling me out of my mini-moment.
"Always about you." I winked as she gave me a look. She was the most giving person I knew. If any of us were selfish, it was me. I was raised to be and had worked hard to get over it, but it lingered—a lot.
"Tell me about the boat." Emily opened her door, directing her question at Cindy and Dedra.
"It's a small speedboat," Dedra started.
I got in and started the car, almost pulling out as a group of bikers rode just behind us. I slammed on the brakes, let out a yelp and jerked around, causing my friends to do the same.
"Damn." I shook my head and let the car roll back slowly.
"Yeah, those bikers are everywhere." Cindy patted my shoulder from the backseat. "Just be careful and we'll be fine. You can actually rent a bike at the lodge if you want. Might be fun one day?"
"Absolutely." Emily turned in her seat. "And, is the boat nice or a piece of shit they just threw in thinking we wouldn't use it?"
"It's nice," Dedra responded. "It's not a yacht, but it will comfortably fit all of us, and the thing is like a speeding bullet if you want it to be."
"Which you do," Cindy added.
"I like fast cars, fast men, and fast food. What can I say?" Dedra laughed, and we all joined her.
"Is the grocery store on the other side of town? I didn't see it when we were driving in." I stopped at the stop sign at the end of our street and glanced around, surprised by how many people were already on the lake.
Cindy leaned up into the front seat as Emily turned back around. "Yeah. Just take a left up here at the main light and it's on your left about a mile down. It's not like the big grocery stores we're used to, but it'll work."
"What do you guys want for dinner?" I asked and followed her directions, trying hard not to let my eyes wander to the half-dressed guys walking around everywhere.
It had been three months since I'd been on a date, flirted, anything. After dating Brandon for two years and being cheated on, I was done with guys… Or I thought I was.
"Let's make something delicious for your first night here," Cindy offered as she sat back next to Dedra. "Maybe pasta and salad?"
"Yeah, and let's get a bottle or two of wine and some more stuff for Cindy to make her cookies with." Dedra leaned into the front seat and pointed to the left. "It's right there. It's easy to miss."
"Oh, hell. I would have missed that." I pulled into the center lane and put on my blinker, waiting for a large group of bikini-wearing girls to cross the street. "This place is busy."
"Oh, yeah. It's the best summer hang out for almost everyone in the state." Emily glanced over at me. "If we can't find some fun here, we need to see a specialist."