Page 10 of One Hot Summer

I bite my lip, conflicting emotions warring within me. “This is the first time I’m seeing him since…. college.”

Mandy leans forward. “Didn’t you swear off men after Lance.”

I close my eyes, picturing Carson's face – the crinkles around his eyes when he smiled, the gentle strength in his hand. “But I can't ignore how he makes me feel. It's like... like he's waking up a part of me I thought was lost forever.”

“Listen to me, Kels,” she says. “Life is too short to ignore the possibilities of love. You've been through so much, and youdeserve happiness. If Carson makes you feel alive again, don't you owe it to yourself to explore those feelings?”

I shift in my seat, Mandy's couch creaking softly beneath me.

“Think about Leo. I met him at a music festival. He was only supposed to be passing through town, but we took a chance and look at us now. We've been together for three years now, and I've never been happier.”

I close my eyes.

“So,” Mandy drawls, a mischievous glint in her eye, “tell me more about this strapping cowboy of yours. Does he still fill out those Wranglers as well as I remember?”

Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Mandy!”

“What?” she giggles, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “I’m just asking the important questions here.”

I can't help but laugh, the sound mingling with the patter of rain against the windows. “You're incorrigible, you know that?”

“And you're avoiding the question.”

I roll my eyes playfully, but find myself smiling despite my best efforts. “If you must know, yes, he does look... good in jeans.”

“I knew it!” Mandy crows triumphantly.

She makes me laugh so hard I spit tea out on her rug. “You know,” I say, turning back to Mandy, “I’m really glad I came here tonight.”

“No matter what you decide, I've got your back.”

Mandy suddenly sprung to her feet. “You know what we need? A good old-fashioned movie night.”

I chuckle. “Your solution to everything is either tea or movies, isn't it?”

“Hey, don't knock it,” she retorts, already moving towards her impressive DVD collection. “Besides, nothing takes your mind off things like losing yourself in someone else's story for a while.”

As I watch her scan the titles, her finger tracing along the spines. “You're right. A distraction sounds perfect right now.”

Mandy pulls out a rom-com, waving it in the air. “This one's guaranteed to make you laugh and swoon.”

We settle onto the couch, and the opening credits roll. “Mandy?”

She turns to me, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

She squeezes my hand. “Always, Kels. Now shush, the movie's starting.”

Chapter Seven

Carson

It is ten o’clock, Collin has been passed out for two hours already, and even though the television is on, my mind is focused on Kelsie. Obviously, she doesn’t have a curfew, she’s a grown ass woman, but I expected her home by now.

I get up and start pacing the living room. It is still raining heavy outside and it didn’t do anything to help qualm my thoughts. I fight back the urge to call her phone for the tenth time in the past hour.

She is with Mandy, and honestly she might have just lost track of time and decided to stay there, but she did agree to let me know.Oh my god, I’m acting like her fucking father right now!

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