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I walked over and poked my head into the office, careful not to step over the threshold. Perry’s face was buried in a box of board games. She pulled outBunkedfrom the top of the pile, then tossed it back down before moving on to the next.

“Not moving, just cleaning house. Doing a little decluttering. I’ve put it off too long, but now that Daniel’s gone, there’s no need to continue holding on to all this stuff.”

Perry looked up and nodded. Then she came over and took my hand. “Come on, Jills. I’ll drive. It’s time to get you the hell out of this house.”

The closer we got to the lakefront, the further my nerves unraveled. For the most part, I was pretty comfortable with myself, but who was I fooling? Having a decent figure from the waist down didn’t mean I should traipse around in an outfit meant for someone in their first couple decades of life. I felt like an imposter.

“Will you chill out already?” Perry glanced over, watching me fidget to cover up parts of myself I didn’t want flopping out. “You look amazing, so start acting like it.”

As soon as she pulled onto Jackson, I decided she was right. Not about the amazing part, but the need to relax. I didn’t have a spare set of clothes in my purse, so I might as well enjoy myself. Hell, there’d probably be great-grandmothers flaunting bikini tops, so I didn’t know why I was getting so worked up about a pushing-forty-year-old in a skimpy sundress.

The attendant waved Perry into the parking lot, and she swung into a spot, pulling next to a pack of teenagers getting out of their Jeep. When she opened her door, a blast of sticky heat tumbled in, coating me and turning the fifteen minutes of icy air I had into a distant memory.

I flipped down my visor and dabbed away the sweat collecting on my brow before throwing open my door. So much for it being cooler down here. If anything, it was hotter, and there were still a good couple hours to go before the sun went down. I stepped out, but not before grabbing a wad of Starbucks napkins she had stashed in her console and swiping it over the back of my neck.

“You do know that’s like toweling yourself off while still in the pool, right? It’s a thousand percent humidity out here, so you just have to deal with it and not worry about dripping all over the place.”

“Weren’t you the one making a big deal about my broken air conditioner?” The mental image of hoards of fairgoers bumping their drenched bodies against each other suddenly made me question coming out for the night. It was actually quite comfortable in my little office with the fans blasting away. And I did have lots of work to finish….

“Yes, when we were stuck inside, but now that we’re in the open air, it’s a whole new game.” Perry raised my arm high, no doubt flashing everyone behind us. “How can you not be psyched right now? We’re at a huge fucking outdoor music fest. Bands, food, beer. Fun, fun, fun. All you have to do is venture a few steps forward, and it can all be yours today.”

I laughed and lowered my arm. “You sound like an infomercial.”

“Seriously, Jills. You’re in your element here. How long’s it been?”

“I don’t even know. They still had rides here, though. I remember bringing Daniel during the day.” God, that had to be over ten years ago. She raised her eyebrows. “Do not even say anything.”

“I was only going to say I’m happy you’re here.” She smiled sweetly. “That’s all.”

I nodded. Perry had tried to bring me back for years, but I always had some reason to decline. I stared at the large white gates leading into the fairground and felt a little giddy. She was so right. I deserved this night. My life needed to consist of more than sitting behind a desk, and this was the perfect place to start.

“Okay,” I said, smiling in response to her tugging me off the lot. “I’m going. You don’t need to reveal my panties again.”

I stepped around a man selling giant balloon animals and almost collided with another. “Tickets?” he asked, holding out a stack.

Perry pursed her lips and dug through her bag frantically. I held it open wider for her. “Do not tell me you forgot the tickets.” She was supposed to be in charge of them. My legs started bouncing. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to be inside the park, sipping a cold one and swaying my hips.

“Ha! Got you.” She closed her purse and grinned widely. “See, you really do want to be here.”

I shook my head at the scalper, and we moved on down the sidewalk. It only took a few seconds before I busted out laughing, and Perry soon followed. “Yes, you’ve made your point. I’m ready to go have some fun. Honest.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, repeat after me: I look fucking gorgeous tonight.”

“I look gorgeous tonight.” Perry, my biggest cheerleader.

“Good, close enough. And I’m not going to fill my head with marketing pitches or asset reports or whatever other boring thing I do twenty-four seven.”

“I am not going to think about work.” A weak breeze wafted over us, and it felt wonderful. I was starting to get even more excited.

“And I’m going to get laid tonight.”

“Perry!”

“Just thought I’d slip that one in there. A night out isn’t all you’re due for.”

I opened my mouth to deny it but shut it just as quickly. Dammit. She was probably right about that too. If I weren’t careful, my vagina would revert back to virgin status.

We came to the entrance and Perry pulled out the tickets, frowning at her phone. “What’s up?”

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