Category:

Lainey was no longer a wallflower, though Jillian had never seen her that way. At the moment, she was the life of the party, leading a line of dancers through the crowd like a human snake of pheromones and hair gel. Jillian could only shake her head, letting loose a deep, slightly tired belly laugh. Lainey raised her hand in the air, pretending to yank a chain while yelling "Woot, woot!"

As she passed, Jillian called out, "This does not look like you need rescuing."

Lainey craned her neck as she led the line away, grinning at Jillian. "Five more minutes, Mom."

Letting herself slink away from the crowd, she leaned against the wall to text her mom that she'd be back soon. Her parents were traveling later this summer, taking an RV trip with some friends. They were following their favorite band on part of their US tour. It made Jillian laugh to think of her parents like groupies. Her mother and her best friend, who was like an aunt to the Keller siblings, even had shirts made that read: WE GO WHERE THEY GO.

They'd come home midsummer last year after a much shorter trip. When their oldest son, Grayson, acquired the fishing lodge, they'd pitched in to get it in shape and ready to accommodate guests. It was so nice to have her whole family close. Jillian and her two older brothers, Gray and Beckett, got along very well, and both were great with Jill's daughter, Ollie. So was Beckett's girlfriend, Presley, whom he'd met at the lodge through a strange set of circumstances. She'd moved to Smile last summer, and Jill enjoyed having another woman her age around. Ollie was just thrilled to have everyone she loved within hugging distance. It'd be hard to watch her parents go, but the lodge and the siblings were in good shape, gearing up for this summer's season. Jillian's phone buzzed.

Mom 

You could always let your hair down and dance while you wait.

Jillian 

I didn't come to get down, Mom. Just to pick up the Bracelet Babe.

Mom 

You could use a little fun, sweetie.

Jillian 

I live with a nine-year-old, you, and Dad. My life is non-stop fun.

Mom 

I take that back. What you need is a dictionary. Clearly, you don't know what the word means.

Jillian 

Or I could Google it?

Her mom sent her a facepalm emoji that made Jillian laugh out loud before slipping her phone back in her pocket. When she looked up, her gaze caught on the hint of dark hair against a white collar and wide shoulders moving through the crowd.

She rubbed her hands over her biceps in an attempt to tame the strange tingling waking up all of her nerve endings. Weird. He looked like Levi Bright. Just the simple thought of him prompted her mouth to tip up in a smile, her heart to speed up. Haven't thought about him in a long time. Giving her head a slight shake, she reminded herself that she was here to grab her friend and get out, not get mired down in the past—on the dance floor or in her head. She'd lost more hours than she could count in her teenage years thinking about Levi or writing about him in her diary.

She really needed some sleep. The lodge wasn't opening for another month. They'd decided to open on the first of June so they could make sure everything was ready to operate at full capacity. This also allowed her to do a trial run of hosting an event there to see if it was feasible. It'd been Jillian's suggestion to start with a kids' overnight camp before the end of the school year, because really, were there any judges harsher than eight-and nine-year-olds?

Lainey bounced over to her, bumping her, hard, with her hip. Jillian straightened off the wall, stopped herself from falling. "You lift weights with your hips or what? You could knock someone out like that."

Lainey laughed, lifting her long arms in the air and letting her gorgeous, uniquely designed bracelets slide down until they stopped at her elbows.

"These hips can do wonderful things. Come dance," Lainey said, shaking said hips.