maybe he’s the only one who can find that secret part of you again. That part that makes you dance and sing.” She handed Carly the envelope from the basket and said, “I want to know why he thinks you need four boxes of cereal. Is that a sex thing I don’t know about?”
Carly laughed. “No, but it was our thing. We never slowed down when we were together, not even to eat. Cereal was portable. We could munch on it while we hiked, or sailed, or hung out on the beach.”
“You were a cheap date, and it sounds like you guys had tons of fun. That’s it—I need a Zev in my life.”
“I was never bored or hungry or anything but happy when I was with Zevy. We just clicked, you know? That’s why I was so devastated when he left.” Carly opened the envelope and withdrew a folded paper. A phone number was written across the flap. She and Birdie exchanged a curious glance as she unfolded the note and read the handwritten message. I dare you to sext me a picture.
Carly’s jaw hung open. “I am not doing that.”
“Oh, yes you are!”
“No. Kissing him is one thing, but I don’t send dirty selfies to anyone. Who knows where those things could end up? No way.”
Birdie giggled. “This is going to be so funny!” She took Carly by the wrist, pulling her over to a chair, and shoved her into it. “Give me your bra.”
“I will not.”
“You’re such a prude. Lucky for you, so are Sasha and I.” Birdie turned around and said, “Unzip me. Quick, before a customer comes in.”
“No. You’re nuts.”
Birdie made a frustrated sound, trying to reach her zipper.
“Fine, geez.” Carly unzipped her dress. “How did you get it zipped up, anyway?”
“I have a zipper pull.” Birdie proceeded to take her arms out of her dress and remove her bra. She put her dress back on, leaving it unzipped, and placed the cups of her bra over Carly’s knees, hooking it behind them. “I can’t believe you’ve never done this. You’re not that much older than me.”
Carly had about five years on her. “I don’t even know what you’re doing. He’s going to know they’re my knees!”
“Trust me, sweetpea, I learned from the best.” She snagged Carly’s phone from the counter and moved behind the chair. “Okay, knees together, tuck your legs back.” She leaned over Carly’s shoulder and took a few pictures. “Sasha knows all the tricks. All you have to do is take it really close up. She once sent a shot like this to a guy, and he started sending her pictures of him jerking off to it!”
“Gross!”
“He was big, too.” Birdie drew out the word big. “When Sasha told him he’d jerked off to her knees, he got so mad. It was freaking hilarious. But then my brothers found out. I’ve never heard them so mad at her.” She gave a little shrug and showed Carly the picture.
Sure enough, Birdie’s black lace bra cupping Carly’s knees looked just like cleavage. “Birdie, this is awesome.”
“Right?” she said proudly. “Your guy gets his jollies, and nobody has blackmail pictures of your body.”
“This feels wrong on so many levels, but I kind of love it.” Carly gave Birdie her bra and thumbed out a text to Zev while her friend put herself back together.
THE LABORATORY WHERE Zev was going to work on the concretions was part of the Real DEAL (Discover, Experience, Appreciate, Learn), a total immersion exploratory park for kids that included educational exhibits and hands-on activities, located on the border of Weston and Allure. The park, which was still under construction, was the brainchild of Zev’s cousin Dane, a shark tagger and the founder of the Brave Foundation, which used education and innovative advocacy programs to protect sharks, and in a broader sense, the world’s oceans. After living on a boat for years, Dane had moved his wife and son back to Weston, Colorado, to be closer to their families. Dane’s brother Hugh, a professional race car driver, and their brother-in-law, Jack Remington, a survivalist, had both jumped on board with the endeavor, just as Noah had, greatly expanding Dane’s original vision from the exploration of marine life to include several other disciplines.
Noah was giving Zev—and Bandit—a tour of the facility. Zev wasn’t used to having a dog at his heels, but Beau had asked him to bring Bandit on as many outings as he could to keep the dog from getting