Page 21 of Alice & Meg: Summer Vacation
Reva burst out laughing.“I’m joking.She never said that.”She pointed at Slayer.“You should see your face right now.”
It was perfect.His mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Everyone broke into laughter, and the chaos of the conversation continued with everyone chiming in about stats and data, most of it nonsense.Adley was trying to sign her receipt with the enormous pen, but it was like watching someone try to write with a turkey leg.
She finally scrawled her name, tilted sideways, and held it up.“Does that count as a signature?”
Clash peered over.“Looks like a kindergartner signed it.”
“With their left foot,” Rigid added.
“It’s the pen,” Adley grumbled.
“Hey, it worked,” I said, taking it back and tucking it into my purse like a treasured heirloom.
With all the bills settled and the table littered with receipts, chip crumbs, and bits of cilantro, we pushed back our chairs and headed for the door.
Outside, the air was cooler, the sky darker.We were all dragging a little from the food coma.
“Back to the Flamingo?”Wrecker asked.
“Please,” Alice groaned.“My pants are too tight.”
“I need stretchy pants and a fan,” Reva muttered.
The walk back to the motel was quiet, filled with full bellies and sleepy smiles.One by one, we peeled off into our rooms, the laughter from dinner still hanging in the air like sweet dessert.
Wednesday night was officially a wrap.
And I still had no idea where those damn turtles were coming from.
But I had a feeling tomorrow would be even weirder.
And wetter.
For Adley, anyway.
Bless her heart.
Thursday
Alice
The water was warm as I drifted near the edge of the pool, with my arms stretched out along the pink tile like I was melting into it.It was early, 6 a.m.to be exact, and the only sound in the world was the soft splash of Wrecker cutting through the water ten feet away.
He was swimming laps, steady and smooth, slicing through the pool with the kind of power that made me forget how to breathe.
The sunrise cast a golden shimmer across the surface, and every time he surfaced, droplets of water streamed down his shoulders and chest like some kind of steamy magazine ad come to life.
That man.
My man.
He looked just like heaven.The hard lines of his jaw, the thick, muscled arms, and that deep V at his hips that made smart women go stupid.All of it was on full display this morning.
And I was eating it up like dessert.
He came up for air and slicked his wet hair back with one hand before rolling his head toward me.
