at these boor itty bitty titties,” she said, staring down at her small chest.
Nancy was crazy. She had a body women killed for. Or paid thousands and thousands of dollars to achieve artificially. “Okay, the rule for the day, no self-body-shaming. Out loud or in our heads.”
A smile broke out on Nancy’s face. “Done. Let’s get some drinks and soak up some harmful sun rays.”
Twenty minutes later, they were lounging on chaises beside Brooke’s pool. A small table between their chairs held a pitcher of margaritas as well as a bowl of chips and guac. Yes, I was only one in the afternoon, but it was a Saturday, and they deserved a treat.
“I’m pretty sure the only time I’m going to move for the next few hours is to flip over. Does it work for you if David swings by to pick me up at four when he’s done golfing?” Nancy wore a sunny yellow bikini with a much slinkier cut than Brooke’s. Round white sunglasses took up most of her flawless face as she lay on her back with her arms dangling off the sides of the chaise.
The sun warmed Brooke’s skin and relaxed her muscles to a state of drowsy bliss. Moving seemed a monumental and unnecessary task. “Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ve got someone swinging by at six to adopt one of the dogs, so that’ll give me time to get everything ready for him.” Speaking of the dogs, her crew was scampering around the yard playing with each other and generally having a fantastic day. Ray supervised the other pooches from a shady spot beneath the covered area she’d had built for the dogs to escape the brutal summer sun. She’d turned on a sprinkler, and the water-loving pups ran around in the spray, happy as could be.
Nancy’s head popped up. “He? That convict guy from the other day?”
With a frown, Brooke turned her face toward her nosy friend. “Don’t call him that. He spent thirteen years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. Can you imagine living through something like that?”
Propping herself up on her elbow, Nancy slid her sunglasses down her nose then pierced Brooke with a slightly intimidating look. Even though her friend couldn’t see Brooke’s eyes through her mirrored sunglasses, she felt raw and exposed. Transparent.
“What?”
“Awfully defensive of some random dude who’s adopting a dog from you. Some guy who has a history of leading a criminal motorcycle club that did some terrible shit back in the day.”
“He’s not a bad guy.” God, she was defensive of Curly, but she couldn’t help it. The time she’d spent with him the other night only made her want to learn more about him. To hear his story, as ugly as it might be, and understand what made a man like him tick. “He doesn’t deserve to be judged for something that wasn’t his fault.” Sometimes, one choice set off a chain reaction of events that changed someone’s life, whether or not they deserved it. She sure knew that.
“Mm-hmm.” Nancy laid back down.
“What?” Ugh, that didn’t sound nearly as aloof as she’d hoped.
“I think someone’s got a little crush on a bad boy,” Nancy sing-songed. “Gotta say, I did not figure you for the tough-guy type. I was thinking when you finally woke up and looked at a man, it’d be someone who liked nature walks and granola. Maybe a vegan with a love of hemp and sprouts who rides a bicycle. Not a leather-wearing motorcycle sex fiend.”
“A vegan?” Brooke laughed. “My favorite food in the entire world is Carne Asada tacos. What would I do with a vegan?”
With an unrepentant shrug, Nancy reached for her margarita. “I don’t know. Eat tofu? You love to be outside. You like to garden and get dirty. To romp around with animals. Made sense in my head.”
Brooke arched an eyebrow. “And a sex fiend? Way to stereotype, Nance, and to get back to your original statement, I do not have a crush on anyone.”
“Your face is red. Excuse me if my imagination turned that hot biker man into an insatiable sex maniac.”
Brooke pressed her palms to her warm face. “It’s the sun. Keep this up, and I’ll be advertising for a new best friend.” She wasn’t touching that sex maniac comment with a ten-foot pole.
Nancy snorted and almost spat her margarita all over herself. After she set the glass back on the table, she propped up on her side. “At the very least, you’ve gotta admit the man