"Better than anything you've ever taken for a spin, I'm sure." I walked into the house and tried to still my racing heart. Just the idea of flirting with someone so insanely hot was nerve-wracking. It was going to be a long summer, as guys like him were a dime a dozen.
"What was that all about?" Emily handed me a bowl of salad. "Dressings are on the table."
"Some idiot had a girl pinned to my car, making out with her." I grumbled and walked to the kitchen table, dropping down across from Dedra and pouring salad dressing into my bowl.
"Was he hot?" She wagged her eyebrows as I glanced up.
"He was a white chocolate man." I laughed and took a big bite of my salad. "Yeah, he was hot."
"Most of the guys out here are, but be careful." Cindy walked into the dining room and sat a few wine glasses on the table. "I learned the hard way our first week here that they aren't looking for summer romances."
"No? I'm surprised to hear that." I moved over a chair as Emily joined us.
"Summer flings, yeah, but no romance. They just want a night of grunting and then they're gone." Cindy shrugged and lifted the glass of wine nearest her to her lips, downing the whole thing.
"Whoa." I watched her. "Obviously, you have some storytelling to do."
"After a few more glasses." She filled it back up and turned to go back into the kitchen.
"Do you need help?" I called after her.
"Nope. Just enjoy yourself and rest. It's your downtime for the next few days."
"And, after that?" I took a glass of wine and took a quick sip, hating how tart the dark liquid was. I was a beer drinker, but the smell turned my friends off completely, so I would abstain for our first night.
"After that, we're going to bike, hike, and boat the hell out of this place." Dedra picked up a piece of bread from the center of the table. "Don't overeat. I don't want you to have any excuses when I whoop your ass on the courts later tonight."
"Excuses? You're going to whoop me, regardless. I'm soon to be in law school, and you're a basketball star. Is this a joke? Am I being punked?" I glanced around as she chuckled.
"You're good enough to be on the team, and you know it. You just don't want to deal with your folks over it." She dipped her bread in her salad dressing and shrugged. "I get it. My parents expected me to play, and yours would have died had you brought it up."
"Why is your dad so strict? I never have figured out the why behind it all." Emily glanced over at me. "Was your grandfather strict?"
"He lost his parents when he was little." I took a big bite of my salad. I rarely talked about my parents. It wasn't a conversation that created warm fuzzy feelings inside of me, so I usually avoided it.
"And?" Dedra leaned back in her chair.
"And, it made him callous and overbearing. He sees how finite life really is and wants to make sure I get the most out of it." I glanced up as Cindy walked back in and sat down.
She pulled her salad toward her and stirred it around. "But whose right is it to define what 'most' looks like? Maybe you getting the most out of life is dancing on Broadway or cooking for the president."
"Has he seen you dance or cook?" Emily laughed, causing all of us to join in
.
"You're right, but he is who he is. I love him either way, though I wish I could come up with a solid argument to fight him with. I don't want to be a lawyer. Not in the slightest." I took another bite of my salad. The summer with my friends was set up to be a great time, but the four of us had been friends for ages. It was hard not to dive deep into each other's lives. I expected tears, but not on the first night.
"You'll figure it out." Emily reached over and squeezed my arm. "When you get to the point where their disapproval doesn't outweigh your desire, you'll fight back."
"Very true." I leaned back as the image of the sexy guy against my car rolled through my mind. I snorted and shook my head.
"What?" Dedra lifted her eyebrow at me.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about that guy outside. He had some nerve telling that poor girl that my new Beamer was his. What if she asked for a ride?" I sat back and licked at my fork.
"Then he probably would have given her one. The ride of a lifetime." Dedra bit her lip seductively as we all laughed at her.
"How much longer until the lasagna is ready?" I pushed my bowl away and fought against the desire to get outside. I'd been cramped up all year. I wanted the freedom being out in nature would provide.