Oh well. We’ll make up for it with the feast she makes for lunch.
I sneak out of Ben’s arms and tip toe into the bathroom to pee, brush my teeth, and wash my face. My hair is still damp; I quickly brush it then put it in a braid to keep it from becoming a tangled mess from the lakefront breeze or the air whipping through my hair as we zip along the water in the boat.
I’m not even going to bother with makeup. I lift my arms to inspect the hair situation going on under them. Damn you, dark pit hair. I shave them dry, regret it immediately, then sneak back into bed.
Ben opens his eyes and pulls me in. “I woke up and you were gone,” he mumbles. “I didn’t like that.”
I’m smiling as I tangle myself around his naked body. “Can I make it up to you?”
“I think so.” He pulls me in, squeezing me against him, then gets up to use the bathroom and get a drink. I roll out of bed, knowing we should get up and get moving or else Mom or one of my aunts will come down here to get us.
I put on my bikini. The top has fabric clam shells stitched onto the cups, and the bottoms are sparkly green with printed scales. I pull on the straps of the bikini. Being well endowed is a blessing and a curse. I can forego support and comfort for cleavage or get something with full coverage and hide these puppies.
I went with the mermaid suit with neither in mind. Because, mermaids. It wasn’t a hard choice at all. I pull on a white dress over top and slip my feet into flip-flops, then toss my phone and sunglasses into a beach bag. It’s big and I have room, so I throw in another dress in case this one gets soaked and I need to change. I get cold easily on the lake.
Ben comes out of the bathroom wearing gray swim trunks and a teal T-shirt. He has his sunglasses on his head, and his hair is still a rumpled mess from sleeping. He looks adorable.
“Ready?” I ask.
“If you are.”
“I am. We’ll eat breakfast at the house, and I’ll bring some snacks over with us tonight. I kinda forgot about it last night.”
“Good thinking. I’m starving.” We walk hand in hand down the boardwalk. The beach is already crowded with picnickers, and the water is dotted with boats. The sun is out in full force, with only a few clouds in sight.
It’s going to be perfect.
To my surprise, Danielle and her friends haven’t arrived yet. Ben and I eat warmed-over bacon and eggs—which isn’t as bad as it sounds—and go down to the dock with Jake to wait for his fiancé. The boat is loaded with beach towels, food and drinks. Dad makes sure everyone has a life vest, then goes to help some of the renters with the boat they checked out for the day.
Ben and I sit in the back of the boat. He drapes his arm around me and I do my best to take a few selfies of the two of us. I look like a hot mess: frizzy hair, red spots visible on my cheeks, and puffy tired eyes.
But I look happy.
That’s what matters. I like the picture and stash my phone in a cubby to keep it dry. I stretch out my legs, feeling the heat of the sun.
“Sorry if I blind you with my albino skin,” I say to Ben.
“It is hurting my eyes,” he says and shields his face with his hands. “You’re glowing.”
I elbow him. “Shut up.”
He grabs my arms. “You’re two different colors. Tan arms, tan face, but pale legs.”
We laugh. “I know. I used to be super tan all the time living by the lake. I don’t lay out or go tanning now, so this is the best I can get.”
“Maybe you’ll even out after today.”
“Maybe. But probably not. Is it bad I don’t care?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you don’t care.”
“Really?” Because I do care, just a bit. I want to look good head to toe, even though I know that’s a bunch of bullshit. People don’t really look like that.
“Really.” He seals it with a kiss. “I haven’t been out on the lake much,” he admits. “Even though I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life.”
“That’s kind of sad,” I tell him “I love the lake.”
“I don’t remember it being this big.” He looks out at the water. “And with traveling for the military, it made family vacations hard to plan. We went to Disney World a few times, but that was kind of it.”
“I’m glad you’re here with me now. We can make up for it.”
“This definitely helps,” he says with a smile. “And my childhood wasn’t bad or anything. Just different, I suppose, than most.”
“It makes me feel like I took mine for granted. As many times as I wanted out of this town when I was a teen, it would have been ten times harder to start over multiple times.”
He nods. “You get used to it. Well, I assume most people do.”
Jake stands and waves to Danielle as she comes into view. Ben is still talking about the lake and something that has to do with his childhood, but his words go in one ear and out the other.
Danielle leads the way down the dock. She’s wearing a bright-red bikini with a white scarf tied around her waist. Her sandals are jeweled and sparkle in the sun. Her hair falls in loose waves around her face. She smiles behind oversized sunglasses, looking ridiculously put together for someone in a swimsuit. Her friend Zoey, who I recognize now as the tall girl who scoffed at me during the shower, is next to her. She’s too done-up too, but she’s nothing compared to the tan woman walking next to her.
White wedge heels cover her feet, attached to lean legs, smooth and golden. My gaze travels up to her thin waist, tight and small with just a hint of muscle. Her bikini top is as small as her bottoms, hardly covering large, perfectly round breasts.
Her face is hard to see behind large sunglasses and a floppy hat. But I know who she is right away.
Mindy fucking Abraham.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I blink. I’m still drunk. Got too much sun already. I’m dreaming. No, I’m having a nightmare.
I can’t stop watching Mindy walk toward us. My blood boils and my skin prickles as the devil herself nears. My heart skips a beat. Mindy is Zoey’s sister. Holy fuck, the universe really does hate me, doesn’t it?
My mind immediately goes into stupid compare-mode. Mindy is tall, thin, toned, and tan. Her breasts, though fake, are perky and shaped like beach-balls, holding themselves in place. Her makeup is flawless and not a strand of hair is out of place in the fishtail braid that falls over her shoulder.
Wait a second. Her hair isn’t really that long. Seriously? She put in extensions just for today?
I blink again.
No. No, no, no. And why the fuck is Erin not getting here until after noon?
“Felicity?” Mindy says, literally stopping in her tracks. Our eyes have met. I should turn to stone or something, right? She flicks them to Ben. “And Ben?”
Ben turns, looking confused to see his secretary standing before us.
“You guys know each other?” Jakes asks, helping Danielle into the boat.
“She works for me,” Ben says matter-of-factly and my head shakes, still wishing I would lie and say I have no idea who the fuck this blonde bimbo is.
“What are you doing here?” Mindy asks, and I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or Ben. She looks at her friends, my brother, Ben, and then me, playing the Which One of These Does Not Belong game.
Clearly, it’s me.
“This is my boat,” I say and blink. Jake helps Danielle and Zoey into the boat, unaware of the complete nuclear disaster that’s taking place right now. Mindy takes her sunglasses off and looks at Ben.
“And you’re here…?”
Ben arm is still around me. His fingers press into my waist and he leans a little closer. “I’m here with Felicity.”
Mindy squeezes her sunglasses so hard I think they are going to break. “You two are here together?”