Page 39 of Riverside Reverie

“I wish Jasmine would follow her own advice and take a chance,” Lux murmured, watching the two of them together.

“She gave you advice to take a chance, huh?” I inquired, bringing her attention back to me. Her gaze settled on me, her cheeks heating at my proximity.

“Sort of,” she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. For some inexplicable reason, the fact that she’d been talking about me made my heart soar.

“Personally, I love taking chances,” I told her, my gaze falling to her lips. I wanted to kiss her again, wanted to feel her body against mine.

“Well, here’s to taking chances, then,” Lux said, lifting her beer in a toast. We clicked our cans together and both took a sip at the same time.

12

OPTIONS

Lux

We floated in the river for the rest of the afternoon. I was practically a prune when we finally got out to dry off. By the time we all emerged from our tents, the rain had stopped, and the grey clouds had broken up, revealing the blue sky and the timid sun.

Desmond said there wasn’t a whole lot of dry firewood, enough for a fire later but not enough to cook dinner, so we used the propane stoves to heat up the chicken stir-fry Zoey had prepped.

Once everyone had finished eating and we’d cleaned up, the sun had begun to make its descent. We moved our chairs back down to the beach, placing them around the fire pit while Theo and Desmond worked on getting the fire started. It took a few tries and fifteen minutes before they got the flames to take, but I got to enjoy the process of watching Theo’s muscles in his arms work.

“I think we’re going to have to make a run to the marina for more ice tomorrow,” Talia declared, returning with another bottle of whiskey and her speaker ball. “Levels are getting pretty low.”

“I could go,” Desmond offered. “I should turn my truck over.” Desmond’s truck was fifteen years old and didn’t like sitting for long without use. As it was, we’d have to jump the battery before we could leave here in a couple of days.

“I can go with you, if Talia or Theo let me borrow one of their kayaks,” Jasmine offered. “Kayaks move quicker through the water,” she informed me when she noticed my questioning look.

“You can borrow mine,” Theo offered with a grin.

“It’s settled then, we’ll go tomorrow morning.” Jasmine told Desmond, and he gave her a smile that felt like it was just for her. I turned, hiding a smile of my own, and Jasmine knocked her elbow into my arm. “What?!” she whispered incredulously.

“Oh, nothing at all,” I replied easily, my gaze catching Theo’s across the new flames he and Desmond had finally coaxed. He had an amused glint in his eyes too, reminding me about our conversation in the water. I hoped this meant Jasmine was considering taking a chance with Desmond, but I didn’t want to say anything to spook her.

Talia connected her speaker to her phone and started playing music. “Heck yes! She’s charged baby!” she declared, plunking down on her inflatable. “I love the twenty-first century, charging banks are an incredible invention!” she sighed happily, turning the volume to the perfect level.

“I don’t know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, charging banks are convenient. But I sort of envy our grandparents and parents. They didn’t have to worry about social media or staying connected all the time,” Rhiannon remarked thoughtfully, frowning at her phone.

“Fair enough,” Talia amended. “I barely use social media; life is better without it for sure.”

“I need to use it for work, unfortunately there’s no getting around it. I’ve had five inquiries about future weddings, and a few of the brides have already sent follow up emails. I announced on my business page I was out of town camping and wouldn’t have reliable reception, and they still expect to hear from me.” She sighed, letting her phone fall onto her lap.

Rhiannon’s worries made my fingers twitch a little, and I wondered if I’d gotten any emails about job prospects. I didn’t care about whatever I was missing on social media, but hearing back from prospective employers was important—especially if I wanted to get out of my parents’ house.

“Hey Des, have you rented out the spare room in our place yet?” Jasmine asked Desmond. I shot her a look, and she returned it with one of her own.

“Not yet,” Desmond answered, poking at the fire with the long stick that was dubbed the designated fire poker.

“Well, hold off. We might have found a new roommate,” Jasmine declared, putting her arm around my shoulders.

“Jas,” I cautioned, laughing awkwardly. “I have no clue what I’m doing yet.”

“I think it’s a great idea, and I’m not saying that because you’re my best friend and I want you to be my roommate,” Jasmine grinned at me. “There are a lot of medical clinics and even a hospital in Sudbury that you could apply at, and while you wait for something more permanent, there are plenty of restaurants and stores to work at.”

Desmond—and Theo—were watching with interest.

“I don’t know,” I sighed. I wasn’t opposed to the idea of going further north for work, but I didn’t want to potentially take a room off a college student, especially if I couldn’t find a job in my field.

“My sister works at the hospital in Sudbury, I could see if there are any openings coming up, and I’m sure she’ll put a good word in for you,” Baz said. I was touched at his offer.

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