watched as Allison stepped out of the pool, water dripping off her blue bikini which was just as skimpy as Jessica’s. The women were in great shape. Except for Lois. Yet, she seemed more comfortable in her plus-size body than the other woman did in their model size ones.
“Throw me one of those towels, please.” Allison looked at me since I was standing next to the table.
“Sure.” I tossed her a towel.
“Thanks.” As she wrapped herself into the large towel, she grinned at me. “Looks like Greg found someone who wasn’t a flake.”
“Just because I can throw a towel?”
Allison stepped closer and held out her hand to shake. “Actually, just because you responded to a request. From what I heard, Sherry would have ignored me completely. I’m Allison and I’m so glad I’m not the new girl anymore.”
“I guess that role falls on me now.” I liked Allison and Lois. MaryAnne seemed nice or at least funny. And Jessica? Well, she was the bride, so I’d let her have some bridezilla moments for the weekend.
Lois stood at the edge of the table, her hand on Greg’s shoulder. “Nice to see you stranger.”
Greg looked up and gave Lois a quick kiss on the cheek. “Did you meet my girl?”
Lois patted him on the shoulder, then smiled back at me. “I did. She’s lovely. You did good this time.”
“I hope so.” Greg leaned his head back and made eye contact. “Oh, honey, I didn’t see you standing there.”
“Whatever. Apparently, it’s time to eat. You guys done talking about glory days?”
Mikey jumped up and into a sumo warrior stance. “Never. But I am hungry.”
As we made our way into the grand hall where Brenda and her crew had set up dinner, I heard Jessica whisper to Levi. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this snooze fest. Tell me we won’t be doing this every year.”
A glance up at Greg and I knew he’d heard the comment too. He pulled me close and nuzzled my neck. “I guess we’re more of an acquired taste.”
“Or the rest of us are too polite.” Bridezilla Jessica had two strikes against her. One more and she’d be officially on my list. And not the one where I keep all my best friends.
CHAPTER 3
Brenda’s staff served the dinner party in four courses. When the dessert course, strawberry shortcake and coffee, was served, Levi stood. “Let’s take this party back out poolside. The bar is open and Greg’s behind on tequila shots.”
The group stood and followed Levi, leaving Greg, Allison, and me staring longingly on the uneaten plates. He sat his fork down on the table and turned to me. “Do you mind?”
I shrugged. “I get it, you want to go play with the boys. But seriously? You’re turning down one of Sadie’s desserts? I’m going to have to rat you out the next time she visits.”
“Don’t. She’ll stop bringing her leftovers to the station for the guys.” He looked at the group as they disappeared out of the dining room. “I’ll stay and wait if you want to finish yours.”
I shook my head. “Go. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Greg kissed me on the cheek and almost ran out of the room.
“These guys act like little boys when they get together. You’ll get used to it.” Allison took a bite of the shortcake. “You seriously know the pastry chef who made this? She must be crazy in demand. We don’t have anyone this good in Boise.”
“Sadie’s a friend and owns her own bakery here in South Cove. She supplies wholesale accounts like my coffee shop and catering jobs, like this.” I took a bite of my own dessert and smiled as the flavor exploded in my mouth. “They don’t know what they’re missing. I might just eat their servings as well.”
Allison giggled. “I’d help, but I’m already going to have to swim for an hour just to help negate the calories in my own. So you own a coffee shop? That’s cool. Mikey wants me to be a stay-at-home mom.”
“Oh, you guys have kids?” I sipped my coffee. “How old?”
Allison dropped her eyes. “That’s the thing, we don’t have kids yet. Mikey says it happens sometimes and we should just relax, but seriously, we’ve been trying for six months. In high school, girls got knocked up after one back-seat mistake. I’m having sex every freaking day and still I get my monthly visitor.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Allison’s personal sharing, but at least she was nice. “I didn’t realize you and Mikey had been married that long.”
“Six months. He made it clear when we got hitched that he wanted kids. And not just one or two. The crazy nut wants at least six. He’s talking about even more.” Allison looked at her empty dessert bowl. “Of course, I have no idea how to take care of even one.”
“I think that comes with time. You probably weren’t a perfect swimmer the first time you got in a pool, right?” I eyed Greg’s untouched dessert.
“Actually, I was kind of a child protégé. I trained for the Olympics, but I never could get my times down to where I was a serious contender. My dad said I had too much body fat to really compete.” She shrugged and pushed away the empty cup. “I won a few national titles, but nothing important.”
“Wow, I’ve never met a competitive swimmer before. Did you grow up in Boise? Were there a lot of swim programs there?” I took a sip of the coffee and tried to push Greg’s uneaten strawberry delight sitting within arm’s reach out of my mind. It wasn’t working.
“I started competing in junior high. We traveled a lot for events. It got me a college scholarship, so I went to Cali State. I loved living in California, but Mikey didn’t like it here. So we’re back in Boise.” She stood. “It’s a great place to raise kids. I’m heading back to the pool for some lap time. I’ll see you out there.”
As she left, Brenda Morgan walked into the room. She eyed the uneaten plates and sank down into Greg’s seat next to me. “People are funny about desserts. Some don’t eat because they’re on a diet, some people would rather just drink their calories.”
“I think you’ve got both in this group. Don’t tell Sadie her creation went to waste.” I sipped my coffee. “What’s been going on in your life? I haven’t seen you forever.”
“I’ve been busy here at The Castle. I really enjoy my job, even if it is becoming clearer by the day that Craig didn’t know what he was doing.”
“I’m glad you’re finding your spot. But don’t forget your friends. I’d love to have dinner with you sometime.”
“As soon as I get a break, I’ll give you a call.” Brenda took an unused coffee cup from the table and filled it from a nearby carafe. She nodded toward my cup and I shook my head in affirmation. With filled cups, we leaned against the chair backs. “So I heard about Jackie’s upcoming nuptials. What about you and Greg? Has he mentioned
