her.
“My grandmother used to call me stick bug when I was a kid. I was so lanky, and no matter how much I ate, I couldn’t gain a pound. It used to embarrass my mother because no one believed she was feeding me.” Stick grinned. “Eventually, it just shortened to Stick, which I prefer over Agatha. I adored my grandmother, but not her name.”
“My grandmother called me bug,” Molly intoned with a grin, “because she said I bugged the shit out of her. She lived with us for a while, and I was always getting into her things.” Molly shrugged. “I like to rearrange.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Jenny looked at Layne, who also raised her glass.
Molly raised a brow. “I’m not that bad.”
“You’ve rearranged my sunroom six times.” Layne wagged a finger at Molly. “And I think you were the one that hung that print in the living room, though you blamed it on Jenny.”
Jenny shrugged. “You know it wasn’t me. I didn’t even notice you had a print in there.”
“That’s a shame, Ms. Observant,” Layne said with a laugh. “It was yours, the one I gave you for your birthday last year.”
Jenny’s jaw dropped as she turned to Molly. “My Midnight on the Bayou ?”
“It’s temporary,” Molly said with both hands up. “Layne needed something above the mantel.”
“I can’t wait to see your new place, Layne,” Ronnie said, smiling at Molly and Jenny, who were bickering quietly among themselves. “Are you happy with it?”
Layne nodded and felt light-headed. “It’s bigger than the apartment, and there’s a back deck. We grilled burgers and sat out on it the other night.”
“You were invited but otherwise engaged,” Jenny said, “so no bitching.”
“I remember.” Ronnie grazed the backs of her fingertips across Stacy’s neck. “But it was short notice, and I’d already made plans to stay in.” She gave Stacy a suggestive smile and looked back at Jenny. “We were doing some rearranging of furniture ourselves.”
Molly cleared her throat. “I’ll bet.”
Layne felt a heat envelop her as she remembered how she and Stacy had “rearranged” the hotel room. Stacy had used everything with a surface before they managed to make it to the bed. Layne had worried that the coffee table would give way under her weight in the sitting area.
A scant niggling sensation formed in the pit of her stomach, and she realized it to be the stirrings of jealousy. She’d been so caught up in worrying about how Ronnie would feel if she knew about her and Stacy that Layne had not taken the time to entertain her own feelings. She glanced at Stacy, who met her eye for a fleeting second, knowing that Ronnie was enjoying now what she’d gotten a taste of.
“It’s a pretty night,” Layne said while the music coming from the dance faded as they drew closer to her cabin. “Thank you for walking with me, though I’m sure you’d rather be on the dance floor.”
“I can dance any night, but I don’t often get the opportunity of such pleasurable company.” Stick reached out to steady Layne as she stumbled when her sandal caught a root. Her fingers grazed the skin of Layne’s arm as she reached down to take her hand. “Are the margaritas doing a number on you?”
“Yes, I see a dozen cabins where I know there’s only one. If you’ll get me to the stairs on the right one, I’ll be grateful.”
Stick chuckled. “Take my advice, drink plenty of water before you turn in.”
“Does that work for you?”
“That, a light breakfast of toast the next morning, then a Red Bull.” Stick led Layne up onto the porch of her cabin. “I’ll have a cold one in the van for you tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you and thanks again for the escort. I’m not at ease with the woodland critters. Pickle-brained or not, I would totally lose my mind if I encountered one.”
“Then I’ll make it a point to be with you as often as I can.” Stick leaned in and kissed Layne on the cheek. “I’ll see you in
“My grandmother used to call me stick bug when I was a kid. I was so lanky, and no matter how much I ate, I couldn’t gain a pound. It used to embarrass my mother because no one believed she was feeding me.” Stick grinned. “Eventually, it just shortened to Stick, which I prefer over Agatha. I adored my grandmother, but not her name.”
“My grandmother called me bug,” Molly intoned with a grin, “because she said I bugged the shit out of her. She lived with us for a while, and I was always getting into her things.” Molly shrugged. “I like to rearrange.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Jenny looked at Layne, who also raised her glass.
Molly raised a brow. “I’m not that bad.”
“You’ve rearranged my sunroom six times.” Layne wagged a finger at Molly. “And I think you were the one that hung that print in the living room, though you blamed it on Jenny.”
Jenny shrugged. “You know it wasn’t me. I didn’t even notice you had a print in there.”
“That’s a shame, Ms. Observant,” Layne said with a laugh. “It was yours, the one I gave you for your birthday last year.”
Jenny’s jaw dropped as she turned to Molly. “My Midnight on the Bayou ?”
“It’s temporary,” Molly said with both hands up. “Layne needed something above the mantel.”
“I can’t wait to see your new place, Layne,” Ronnie said, smiling at Molly and Jenny, who were bickering quietly among themselves. “Are you happy with it?”
Layne nodded and felt light-headed. “It’s bigger than the apartment, and there’s a back deck. We grilled burgers and sat out on it the other night.”
“You were invited but otherwise engaged,” Jenny said, “so no bitching.”
“I remember.” Ronnie grazed the backs of her fingertips across Stacy’s neck. “But it was short notice, and I’d already made plans to stay in.” She gave Stacy a suggestive smile and looked back at Jenny. “We were doing some rearranging of furniture ourselves.”
Molly cleared her throat. “I’ll bet.”
Layne felt a heat envelop her as she remembered how she and Stacy had “rearranged” the hotel room. Stacy had used everything with a surface before they managed to make it to the bed. Layne had worried that the coffee table would give way under her weight in the sitting area.
A scant niggling sensation formed in the pit of her stomach, and she realized it to be the stirrings of jealousy. She’d been so caught up in worrying about how Ronnie would feel if she knew about her and Stacy that Layne had not taken the time to entertain her own feelings. She glanced at Stacy, who met her eye for a fleeting second, knowing that Ronnie was enjoying now what she’d gotten a taste of.
“It’s a pretty night,” Layne said while the music coming from the dance faded as they drew closer to her cabin. “Thank you for walking with me, though I’m sure you’d rather be on the dance floor.”
“I can dance any night, but I don’t often get the opportunity of such pleasurable company.” Stick reached out to steady Layne as she stumbled when her sandal caught a root. Her fingers grazed the skin of Layne’s arm as she reached down to take her hand. “Are the margaritas doing a number on you?”
“Yes, I see a dozen cabins where I know there’s only one. If you’ll get me to the stairs on the right one, I’ll be grateful.”
Stick chuckled. “Take my advice, drink plenty of water before you turn in.”
“Does that work for you?”
“That, a light breakfast of toast the next morning, then a Red Bull.” Stick led Layne up onto the porch of her cabin. “I’ll have a cold one in the van for you tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you and thanks again for the escort. I’m not at ease with the woodland critters. Pickle-brained or not, I would totally lose my mind if I encountered one.”
“Then I’ll make it a point to be with you as often as I can.” Stick leaned in and kissed Layne on the cheek. “I’ll see you in
Similar Books
