Page 94 of Screwed
“Hang in, hon, we’ll be there soon. Maybe tequila is what you need.”
“That, too.”
When they neared Crystal Beach, Kristy said, “Text Charlotte and tell them we’re almost there. I know the room number, but we don’t have keys.”
Callie tapped in a message. “Okay, they’re going to wait in the room for us, and then we can all go out together.”
“Perfect.”
Emma threw open the hotel room door when they knocked. “Welcome! We have crabs!”
Callie grinned. “I certainly hope not.”
All four women laughed as Kristy and Callie carried their bags into the suite.
“Clearly you ladies have already been partying.”
Emma grinned. “You bet. Come on, let’s go. There’s a two-step contest tonight.”
“Who are we going to dance with?” Kristy lifted a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
Emma gave her a look. “I think we can find some partners.”
Callie sighed, then pasted on a smile. “Sounds like fun. But I’m starving.”
“And she needs tequila.”
Emma turned and hefted a bottle of Patron from a dresser with a triumphant grin. “Shots all around!”
Callie smiled despite the sadness that weighed her down. She loved her friends. If anyone could cheer her up, it was them.
A few shots later, Charlotte said, “Come on. We’ll go get Callie and Kristy crabs. And then we dance!”
The festival was in full swing, with music and food and dancing. A Ferris wheel rotated slowly in the sky amid other carnival rides, and people tried their hands at various games of skill. The girls devoured a pile of delicious sweet crab claws before the vendor sold out. Callie laughed and drank margaritas out of plastic cups and threw herself into the event.
They checked out the booths with local arts and crafts and tried their hand at the washer board competition. Callie missed every shot, and Kristy threw her arm around her. “You’re too drunk for this.”
“I know.” She leaned into her friend.
“Are you still sad?”
“No. Actually, now I’m pissed.” She straightened and lifted her chin. She’d been mulling things over in the back of her mind all evening. “I’m done wallowing over Cash. If he’s enough of a jerk to blow me off because I was too tired to have sex one night, then he’s not worth my time. I just want to forget about him and have a good time. Let’s go listen to the music.”
“Okay.”
In the falling darkness, they danced on the grass to the tunes of local entertainer Reefer Madness.
Emma, Charlotte, and Kristy started flirting with a bunch of guys as they listened to the music. Callie exchanged a tipsy smile with one of them. She wasn’t interested in actually making something happen, but she laughed along with the others as they talked. Then a few more guys joined them, other friends of theirs, and Callie’s jaw dropped when she saw one of them was…Cash.
Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart slammed against her ribs. Her insides immediately went so tight she was afraid she was going to throw up all the seafood she’d just eaten.
He had a plastic cup of beer in his hand, wore a loose plaid short-sleeved shirt over cargo shorts, and leather sandals. His face was tanned, like he’d spent the day outside. He looked…amazing. Handsome. Captivating. Her mouth went dry, and she pressed a hand to her stomach.
When his gaze landed on her, his expression changed—eyes widening, then narrowing, then shifting. “Callie.”
“Cash! Hey, what a surprise!” She threw every particle of surprised happiness she could find into her words.
The guys he was with all looked at her. She didn’t know any of them. They weren’t his and Beau’s usual friends. She smiled at them, too. Interest sparked in one guy’s eyes, and Cash scowled.
