Stormy Love (Wet & Wild 1)

Kallie walked over and sank down to sit at the end of the bed. Eris sat beside her, pulling pins from the fancy updo it had taken an overpriced hairdresser an hour to put together that morning. Her hair-sprayed tresses fell past her shoulders and trickled down her back, and somehow Kallie felt a weight lift off her shoulders. As Eris pulled pin after pin from her hair and allowed it to tumble down, Kallie ran her fingers through it to smooth out all the knots and the teasing that had gone into making her look way too much like Magda.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do now. We had everything planned out,” Kallie said. “Where do I go from here?”

Eris took the little collection of pins, rising to set them on the dresser. She grabbed a paddle brush and sat back down, taking to the knots Kallie couldn’t get out with her fingertips. The brush moved slowly through her hair. Like molasses. Catching on every string and pulling and popping at every pass of the brush through her long copper hair.

“Take it one step at a time,” Eris said. “Your mom will be back with the takeout any minute.”

“My mom’s getting takeout?” Kallie asked.

“Did you not hear Rachel stick her head in and say your mother was bringing tikka masala?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Kallie’s eyes focused on a moot point on the wall. Even in her poised state, she was losing control. Losing grip on her surroundings. Losing out on the reality cascading around her. Kallie’s stomach grumbled with hunger. She hadn’t eaten all day so as to not risk bloating in her wedding dress.

Bloating.

Like that was the biggest worry of her day.

“So, we eat. We have a drink. Or five. We watch some terrible reality television. Make fun of their lives for a little while. And we worry about everything else in the morning when you’ve had some rest and time to think about and process things. And don’t discount that mime idea.”

It was good advice. Minus the mime. But Kallie’s thoughts spun in restless circles. For a long moment, they sat together in silence as her mind screamed at her.

Then, her best friend voiced what she was thinking.

“The honeymoon was already paid for, you know,” Eris said suddenly.

“I have no idea if it can even be refunded at this point,” Kallie said, more to herself than to her best friend. “I was really looking forward to that thing too. Two weeks in St. Barts. All-expenses paid villa on a private beach with drinks, a chef, a hot tub, and an infinity pool.”

She sighed again. It had been a long time since she had been on a vacation, and she had been looking forward to a break from the constant grind of work. James always told her she needed to slow down. Joked too often about how when she was his wife she wouldn’t have to lift a finger except to shop. It hadn’t been a joke Kallie particularly appreciated, but the sentiment behind it was nice at times. No worries. Weekend getaways. Travelin

g with the love of her life to see the limitless wonders the world had to offer.

“Hey. Now there’s a novel idea,” Eris said

She flopped down on the bed and sprawled across the mattress like she owned it, her glass of wine empty and abandoned. And Kallie, pulled from her thoughts, looked behind at her best friend.

“What’s an idea?”

“The honeymoon.” Eris didn’t call her an idiot, but going by the tone she might as well have. “It’s already paid for. So go on it.”

“Go on my honeymoon,” Kallie said. “With who, exactly? My cheating ex-fiancé?”

“By yourself,” Eris said with a breathless giggle. “Are you that thick? Come on.”

She fluttered a languid hand in the air, and Kallie knew what was coming next.

“Or with some random hot guy. I’m sure you could find one who’d be interested in two weeks of sun, sand, and you in a bikini. I mean, I’d offer to go—make it a girls’ trip or something—but unfortunately, I’ve got a major project in eight days and if I disappeared this close to a deadline, it’s entirely likely that my boss would have me drawn and quartered.”

Two weeks of sun and sand did sound tempting. And sticking it to James by going on the honeymoon he’d paid for without him didn’t sound half bad either. Really, it was the least he deserved. And two weeks of drinks, a professional chef, and the setting sun over the water was exactly what she deserved after the mess he had left her to clean up.

And he wouldn’t stop her. Not by a long shot.

The more she considered the idea, the better it sounded. She’d get that break she wanted—no, needed—after the fiasco of the wedding. Eris could be a bit of a loose cannon, but she had her moments. And this seemed to be one of them.

“Maybe I will,” Kallie said. “There’s still time. The plane doesn’t leave until morning. And my bag’s already packed.”

“Still time for what?”