Page 31 of Alice & Meg, Girls Trip

“Another good day and night in the books,” Meg said, her voice filled with satisfaction as she slung an arm around Lennox’s shoulders, guiding her toward the RV.

I nodded in agreement, looking around at my friends.

A good day indeed.

Chapter Nine

Fuck ‘Em

Meg

The sun was high in the sky, beating down on us as we lounged by the pool. The sounds of laughter and splashing filled the air, a stark contrast to the peaceful quiet we had enjoyed earlier in the week. I let out a long sigh as I took in the scene.

“The pool is busier today,” Karmen pointed out, her gaze sweeping over the crowded water.

“It’s Friday,” I sighed in return, feeling a bit of the weariness of the week settle in. “The weekends are always crazy at campgrounds. We should’ve camped Sunday to Thursday.”

Whenever Lo and I hit the campgrounds, we never stayed over the weekends. We liked the peacefulness of the weekdays—the calm, the stillness, the way everything just seemed to breathe easier when fewer people were around. But here we were, in the thick of it, surrounded by families and kids who had poured into the campground for the weekend.

We were at the same pool we had been at three days ago, but it was a different place now. There were at least three times as many people, and the once-quiet water was now a sea of chaos. Still, we had managed to claim two tables near the deep end, which, thankfully, was much quieter than the shallow end where the kids were splashing around.

Alice was floating lazily on a purple floatie, with Greta and Cyn drifting alongside her, chatting quietly. Lennox had wandered off to the shallow end, where she was wading in the water, and Reva, Paige, and Nikki had just left to head to the store to buy some souvenirs for everyone back home.

“There are such cute kids here,” Karmen sighed, a wistful note in her voice. “I miss Cole and Calla being this little.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, watching a little boy nearby laugh as he splashed his sister. “Though, I will say, I like being a grandma better than a mom.” I winked at Karmen. “I can send them home to their mom and dad when I’m tired and want a nap.”

Karmen pointed at me, her eyes lighting up with realization. “That is a good point I did not consider. I’ll just have to wait a few years until I get my baby fix again.”

“Just come to our clubhouse. You’ll get your fix,” I laughed, imagining Karmen surrounded by the little ones running around back home.

“I wouldn’t mind having a little baby to dote on either,” Wendy sighed, her voice soft with longing.

“Maybe with Adley moving back home, she’ll find someone to settle down with, and you won’t have to wait so long for that wish to come true,” Karmen teased, her tone light.

“Lord have mercy,” Wendy sighed, shaking her head. “Slayer would lose his shit if Adley turns up pregnant.”

“I didn’t mean like tomorrow she’d be pregnant,” Karmen laughed.

“I know, I know,” Wendy replied, her voice a bit more serious. “God knows it will happen when it’s meant to. I hope it’s not soon, though.”

I followed Wendy’s gaze and watched as Lennox knelt next to a little girl who was splashing happily in the shallow water. The girl couldn’t have been more than five, with curly blonde hair and a bright pink swimsuit. She was talking animatedly, her hands gesturing wildly as she chattered away at Lennox, who was listening intently with a warm smile on her face.

“You know she’s gonna be a great mama,” I sighed, a bittersweet feeling settling in my chest. “It’s crazy how much she reminds me of Jonas’ mom.”

Wendy turned to me, a curious expression on her face. “I thought you were his mom?”

“I am, but that didn’t happen until he was three years old,” I explained, my mind drifting back to those early days. “His parents died in a motorcycle accident. Lo and I adopted Jonas, and the rest is history.”

Karmen shook her head, a look of admiration in her eyes. “I knew you were cool, but you just went up fifty notches.”

I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Lo and I just did what anyone would have done,” I said, brushing off the compliment. But the truth was, Jonas had saved us just as much as we had saved him.

My attention shifted back to Lennox and the little girl. They were still deep in conversation, the little girl’s eyes wide with excitement as she spoke. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear that Lennox had a way with kids. Her patience, her kindness—it was all so natural, so effortless.

But then, something changed. A tall, blonde woman approached them, her face unreadable as she walked up to Lennox and the little girl. She was skinny, with a sharpness to her features that made her look out of place among the relaxed crowd at the pool. She wore a black bikini that accentuated her angular frame, and her movements were quick, almost aggressive.

I watched as she said something to Lennox, but I couldn’t hear what it was. Whatever she said, though, it made Lennox rear back as if she had been struck. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of shock and confusion, and she stood up abruptly, her posture stiff.

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