Page 7 of Brighter than the Boss
"You must also know my boyfriend, Dean, then. He's a lifeguard too." She was smiling, maybe not as big as Esa, but she also didn't look like she was ready to stone me to death, so my secret kiss with Cain must be safe. "So...should we put on sunscreen?"
I blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Her eyes darted around, one side of her mouth lifted in a smirk. "You know, 'cause it's so 'Sunny' around here...?"
I remained frozen, my brain wondering if this chick was for real, then I threw my head back and laughed, even while the other girls groaned around us. She was weird. I liked her.
When I was able to look at them without giggling, the supermodel-looking one shifted closer. "That's Brinley. She tells the worst jokes ever but we love her anyway. I'm Bailey and I always prefer to get the inside scoop." She elbowed me and continued with her voice a little lower. "Any hot new lifeguards worth checking out down at the station?"
"Oh lordy, you need to cut that out, woman. Jack'll be in here arresting you just for sniffing out other men." A buxom blonde interrupted Bailey's interrogation with a reprimanding scowl on her face. Then she turned to me with a smile. "Don't give in to her obsession with men. She's taken, and if she doesn't watch out, her detective boyfriend won't hesitate to cuff her and haul her out of here."
My eyebrows rose, wondering what kind of hellion Bailey must be to provoke her boyfriend to whip out the handcuffs.
A redhead snorted. "Yeah, right, she loves it when he takes out his cuffs."
"Hey! Don't be a jealous bitch. You know you'd love a hot man to use ’em on you too." Bailey defended herself, causing the redhead to raise her hands in the universal sign of peace. "Besides, what do you know about my fetishes? You been reading my diary?"
The redhead launched in again. "I don't need to read your Hello Kitty diary. Just get you drinking those margaritas again and you'll tell us anything and everything. Jesus, woman, you need to install a filter on that mouth!"
"Hey—"
"Enough! I wanted to introduce Sunny to some nice Huntington Beach women, but apparently, there aren't any of those here." Shasta had her hands on her hips, a scary expression back on her face. She looked around the circle, giving each woman a pointed look before turning back to me, her face softening.
"Got time for some coffee?"
I felt myself smiling, feeling at home among the crazy women. My high school girlfriends were crazy like this, maybe not as extreme, but we didn't hesitate to give each other crap. There was always love behind the words so they didn't cut. It might be too soon to tell, but these women all seemed like they cared for each other and might become friends of mine. I didn't have any other friends in HB yet, so I might as well give it a try.
"Sure, I'd love some coffee."
Shasta smiled at me, then turned to the group. "If you can behave yourselves long enough, you're all welcome to come along."
Most nodded, looking a bit sheepish under Shasta's glare. Esa looked ready to burst into laughter and Bailey still had her arms crossed, not quite ready to let it go. Shasta walked off to grab her bag.
"I still want to know if there's any new hotties we need to know about..." Bailey muttered under her breath as she walked by to put on her shoes. She didn't look at me, but I knew that she knew I'd heard her when I let out a snort.
* * *
"So, I've been thinking."
We were sitting around a large table at a coffee shop near Strike Ready, getting to know each other and mostly just gossiping about locals. My first impression was proved right. These girls clearly loved each other and were a tight-knit group. Yet they seemed happy with the idea of opening up their ranks to a newcomer.
"Uh oh, nothing good comes from thinking about things," Hessa taunted. "I'm a classic overthinker and I almost lost my chance at happiness with the best man I know because of my ridiculous overthinking. I know you just said you've been thinking but the gravity in your voice tells me it's been deep thoughts. So spill it, missy."
I smiled at her, appreciating her advice and her ability to see beyond my words. "I just found out my mom has cancer a couple days ago." The group all murmured and Esa grabbed my hand in a tight grip. "She had surgery yesterday and she starts chemotherapy in a few days. The doctors are hitting it hard and fast, to make sure they knock it out before it has time to spread. I offered to fly out there, but my mom wants me to stay here and focus on my new job. But I just don't feel right about it. My mom's my best friend. She deserves better support from me, you know?"
Tears filled my eyes, and I caught myself by surprise, not usually one to spill my emotions to what amounted to perfect strangers. I was the glass-half-full girl, the one who lifted people up when they were down. This sudden role reversal had me confused.
Esa broke the silence first. "I'm so sorry to hear about your mom, Sunny. I can't imagine what that must feel like to be away from her. How far away does she live?"
I swallowed thickly. "Sorry. She lives in Indiana. I grew up there and then moved out here to go to USC. I always thought I'd move back to be close to my parents, but I was too intrigued by the beach living and the excitement in southern California. Figured I'd be young, live it up for a few years, then move back home to settle down. But now Mom's sick and I just don't know how to support her from afar."
"Can't you just ask for some time off? Ivan's not too much of an asshole." Bailey elbowed Esa, staying completely straight-faced, causing Esa to roll her eyes.
"I probably could, but I literally just started this last week. That would be hugely inappropriate for me to request time off already." I sipped my coffee, feeling better from just spilling my guts to the girls. Funny how that worked.
"By George, I've got it!" Hessa jumped out of her chair, attracting the attention of several other patrons. She was smiling at me like she'd solved world peace. "Let's chop off your hair!"
My brain went fuzzy and I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. I'd spent most of the morning feeling disoriented around these ladies. "Chop off my hair? Why would I do that?"
