Page 29 of Unstoppable You

Juniper thought about it and then nodded.

“It’s okay, Laney. Do you want a hug?” She was too sweet.

“I’d love a hug, thank you,” I said, putting my arms out. It was impossible to have a bad day when you were around Juniper.

She jumped up from her chair and came over to give me a sticky and syrup-scented hug.

“I would love to hear about these bad decisions, but maybe that’s a conversation for another time,” Jo said. We all knew that my Fuckit List wasn’t something that could be discussed with young and sensitive ears nearby.

“Oh I’ll get into it. I might actually need some help with a few of them.”

Larison propped her chin on her hands, elbows on the table. “I’m intrigued even more.”

“I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we’ll do anything to help you complete this list,” Jo said.

Larison nodded. “One hundred percent. You look good, Delaney. Better than you have in a while.”

I didn’t want to know how bad I’d looked before today. It wasn’t that I’d let myself go, but I had definitely seen my frowning face and tired eyes and lifeless smile in the mirror more than a few times since everything that had gone down with Connor.

That damn man had sucked the life out of me and I was getting it back.

* * *

I spentthe rest of the day with the three of them and didn’t get a chance to tell Larison and Jo about my list, but I ended up sending them a few of the items in our group chat later that night. No one besides me was ever going to see the full list, because no one but me needed to know what else was on it.

I especially didn’t tell them about the “kissing a girl” part. Not that I thought they would judge me, but it still made me feel strange. Like I was trying to be some kind of…lesbian tourist. Like one of those girls who kissed another girl when she was wasted to make all the boys drool. Disgusting. That wasn’t what I wanted to do it for. And trying to explain it would get weird and complicated, so it was easier to just not talk about it.

They were on board for the skinny-dipping.

You should do it in the ocean. Really live it up. Cold plunging is supposed to be really good for you, I thinkLarison sent.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually swum in the ocean. There was always one excuse or another. I didn’t want to get my hair wet, or I couldn’t find a cute suit, or the water was too cold. That last one was legitimate because even in the height of summer, ocean water never got all that toasty in Maine.

So would you come with me so I don’t have any mishaps? I feel like I’ve seen too many shows and movies where skinny-dipping goes wrong.

They said they were on board and we started planning.

How about we make a whole sleepover of it? Rent a cottage for the night?Jo suggested, and that was a fabulous idea. Every single one of these items on my list should be checked off with ceremony. With celebration.

How about next weekend? We’ll have to go after the shop closes on Saturday and be there before open on Sunday unless I can get Holiday to coverLarison sent.

We figured out the rest of the logistics and Holiday was all too happy to cover now that she was back from her weekend getaway with her girlfriend.

Jo did some searching online and somehow found a cute little cabin in a coastal town that also boasted a lighthouse, a bookshop (very important), and an award-winning bakery. The cottage was too cute for words and somehow had availability for us, so I went ahead and booked it.

Booking a place to stay without doing a ton of research and agonizing over it for days also wasn’t something I was used to. I was rebelling already. It felt good. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a massive change, but for me, it was a step in the right direction. No, I’d never be the kind of person who could just pick a random dentist to go to or who could grocery shop without an itemized and very strict list, but I could be a little more spontaneous.

My skinny-dipping adventure was ON.

Chapter Twelve

James

My clientsthe following week were incredible. Not only did I have a polyamorous triad who was welcoming twins, I had a single mom who had decided to have a child on her own. I always put my utmost care into my work, but I made sure that I did everything possible for them. It helped to scour away the negative comments that I received constantly on social media. About my job being fake, and a scam, and criticizing everything about me from my eyebrows to the tone of my voice. I did my best not to read too much of it, but I did have to do moderation on my pages to make sure that nothing truly bad was going on.

I wish I could have hired someone to manage all of that, but then I’d be paying someone to potentially expose themselves to internet hatred and I just couldn’t go through with it.

You had to take the good with the bad. That was life.

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