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—Simone—
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Seeing Kasey again couldn’t come soon enough. While the two weeks had flown by, boredom began to creep in after I’d got settled at the cottage. It didn’t help that I was avoiding Banks. And by avoiding, I meant dashing out for groceries while keeping my head down and alternating the time I went walking, which was never early morning now.
This evening, however, I tried my hardest not to speed to the domestic airport a few towns over, then impatiently hovered by the arrivals gate for Kasey to appear.
God, I’d missed her. While I hadn’t seen her every day in Denver, the hundreds of miles highlighted the fact that we weren’t in the same city anymore.
All my troubles faded the instant I set eyes on my wide-eyed, raven-haired bestie, striding into the terminal already searching for me. My frantic wave caught her attention, and her dazzling grin made the sun shine brighter.
“Sim!” she yelled with an excited scream and ran to me with her arms wide.
I hugged her tight as my eyes welled with happy tears. “Damn, I’ve missed you! Remind me why I thought moving was a good idea.”
We rocked from side to side before ending the hug. “Because you’re now in growth mode, babe. But seriously: longest two weeks ever!”
“And this weekend is going to go too quick.”
Kase threw her arm around my shoulders as we walked in stride to the baggage claim. “You’ll be sick of me before you know it.”
After snagging her bag off the conveyor belt, Kasey hoisted it over her shoulder and grinned. “Lead the way, bitch. We’ve got catching up to do.”
I snorted. Catching up really meant me spilling the tea about Banks.
Sure enough, we’d barely hit the outskirts of the airport parking lot before Kasey cut to the chase. “So, what shall we discuss first, The Kisser, or the list?”
I groaned and wrung the steering wheel. “Neither. I’m driving.”
“Exactly. You can’t escape.”
“Dick move, Kase.”
“Hey, bitches want to know things, and I’m bitches. So spill. The Kisser or the list first?”
I glared at her. “You have to stop calling him The Kisser. It’s going to stick.”
She feigned innocence. “I forgot his name.”
“Bullshit you did,” I exclaimed through a laugh.
“It’s Bruno, right?”
I scoffed. “God no.”
“Brian?”
“Oh, come on.”
“Brayden? Braxton?”
“For fuck’s sake, it’s Banks!” I yelled.
Kasey clicked her fingers. “I knew it was a B.”
I flipped her off, then fell silent while waiting for a gap at an intersection.
Once successfully merged with traffic, I declared, “Let’s start with the list. There needs to be drinking while discussing Banks.”
“Fair. And I definitely think we should aim to complete some of the more risqué elements on your list this weekend. None of that yodeling in the hills of Shlaavenberg.”
A laugh burst out of my mouth. “Where the hell is Shlaavenberg?”
“Who the fuck knows? I made it up. But you get my point, right?” Kasey lifted her eyebrows. “No boring shit. We can reminisce and cry and dance naked around a campfire if you want, but no goddamn yodeling.”
“There will be no getting naked.” I did a doubletake when Kase snickered. “What?”
“Skinny dipping is on your list, Simone,” she drawled.
I pointed to myself. “This body is absolutely not skinny dipping ready.”
She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. But we could do it at night... You know what they say: moon’s out, tits out.”
“No one ever says moon’s out, tits out! That’s literally not a saying!” I exclaimed, complete with a flapping hand to emphasize how fucking absurd it was.
Kasey threw her head back and roared with laughter in the passenger seat.
“Don’t make me turn this car around, Kasey Quinn,” I sassed.
She let out a deep, contented exhale. “Ah, fuck I’ve missed this. It’s not the same without you, Simmy.”
A somber taint filled the car as my thoughts immediately turned to Reagan. “I know,” I murmured, trying my hardest to hold onto the light, buoyant mood. I swallowed hard, then forced a shaky smile. “Good luck replacing me.”
Kasey harrumphed. “It’s proving harder than I expected.”
“Hey!” My backhand to her bicep landed with a sharp slap and dispelled the undertones of sadness.
“Honestly, Simone, I only had two people reply to my new BFF Wanted ad; one was an old guy wanting to be my sugar daddy, and the other was some jacked-up chick telling me about her third nipple. I’m still seriously considering the sugar daddy option.”
I snorted and shook my head. “That’s a tough choice. I mean, third nipple versus sugar daddy?”
“I know right!”
Our laughter charged the air with excited energy once more, and when we pulled up at the cottage, Kasey let out a little snicker. “It’s so... quaint.”
I smiled at the cottage while turning off the ignition. “Told you. Wait until you see the inside; it’s like stepping back in time.”
She met me at the trunk for her bag, then gestured for me to lead the way. Once I’d disengaged the lock, I turned to her and grinned. “Ready?”
“Bitch, I’ve been ready for the entire two weeks. Let me in already.”
Snorting, I obliged. The door swung inward, and Kasey entered the cottage without further invitation. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and let out an astounded puff.
“Holy shit, you weren’t joking about stepping back in time. You can literally smell the old.”
I laughed and closed the front door. “Right! Weirdly, I find it comforting.”
Kasey grinned at me over her shoulder. “As long as the bed isn’t lumpy or crawling with bedbugs, I’m happy. One question though: did anyone die in here? Because if they did, I’m fucking out.”
I cracked up and showed her the spare room. “I thought exactly the same thing, but I have it on good authority that the old spinster woman who lived here did not die in here.”
“Thank fuck,” Kasey breathed out. “Because ghosts are also a deal breaker.”
“There’re no ghosts,” I promised.
After giving her the grand tour of the tiny cottage, we came to a stop in the kitchen.
Kasey wiggled her eyebrows. “So, about The Kisser...”
I pressed my hands to my face and groaned. “I’m not ready for this.”
“Oh shush, yes you are. And I’m an enabler, so you’re gonna do it.” She opened the fridge and correctly assumed I’d stocked it with our favorite drink of choice. “Ahh, there she is: peach schnapps chilling like an arctic sloth.”
Plucking the glass bottle from the fridge door along with the lemonade, she set both on the counter with a heavy thud. “Schnapps me up, girlfriend.”
Already one step ahead, I handed her two glasses and Kasey diligently served us modest servings of schnapps.
“There’s vodka in the freezer for later,” I said, while topping the schnapps off with lemonade. “Come sit out back.”
Kasey followed and settled next to me on the top step and had barely swallowed her first sip before getting down to business.
“Let see those arms, Simmy.”
I showed her the good arm first that only held a few older cuts, then the one that bore the brunt of my self-harm.
“They’re healing well, hon. No fresh ones.”
I grinned at her praise. I hadn’t cut for the last week and was pretty fucking proud of myself.
“It’s been a good few days. Not that it’s been easy, but I’ve managed to ignore the urge by gardening.”
Kasey laughed and looked around the small backyard. “It does appear well-kept. You’ve surprised me.”
“Who knew I’d like gardening, right?”
She shook her head. “Not me. Maybe I need to move to the lake district too.”
Even though I knew she was joking, my pulse spiked with excitement. I held up my glass and pointed with my index finger. “Yeah, I’mma need you to do that.”
Kase giggled into her drink. “Who knows? If you decide to put down roots, I might have to come and see what’s so great about Gatlin Falls—aside from The Kisser, that is.”
“Really? You had to go there?”
“Yup. So tell the tea. What’s it like having one of Gatlin Falls’ most eligible bachelors wanting a bit of this?” Her forefinger flicked between my boobs and hips.
“Did you Google him?” I exclaimed.
“Of course I did! He’s hot property, apparently. So...?”
I groaned, and not in a good way. “He’s a pain in my ass! He’s intense, won’t take no for an answer, and already knows too much about this.” I lifted my gnarled arm.
“Sounds as though he reacted appropriately, though. No judgment?”
“No judgment. That’s not the point, though. I want to fly under the radar. I don’t want people knowing the ins and outs of my life. And I’m most certainly not ready for men in general.”
“Ugh, I’m hearing ya. Lesbianism is looking pretty freaking good right now. Where are all the sexy guys that aren’t walking red flags?”
I fought the tremor in my voice. “They get taken from us too soon.”
Regret pulled Kasey’s expression into a sad frown. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to trigger you.”
“You didn’t.” I sniffed. “Like, I want to talk about Reagan, but I’m still waiting for the time when I can talk about him without getting weird or crying, you know?”
“I know, Sim.” She slung her arm around my shoulders and leaned the side of her head against mine. “The universe makes some fucked up decisions, that’s for sure.”
“It really does.” I sniffed again. “I’m gonna need a change of subject. No men.”
She clinked her glass against mine. “No men... I can do that. So, are we skinny dipping tonight, or tomorrow night? Go get me the list. I wanna prepare myself for how crazy I’m getting while in Gatlin Falls. This weekend will determine whether I’m allowed back or not.”
“Oh my god,” I laughed while getting to my feet. “Unlike you, I have to live here after this weekend.”
Kasey pished me and waved a hand. “That’s Monday Simone’s problem, not Friday’s. Now go grab it; we have planning to do.”
