“Yeah, he left this afternoon and will be back on Sunday,” I said. “And what do I always do on a Friday night?” It was a rhetorical question. As a general rule of thumb, Dad opened the restaurant and I closed it.
“Close this place down,” she said, spraying down a few more tables. I was confused as I watched her scrub the tables. Dani was my best friend and all, but she wasn’t scheduled to close tonight. Normally I’d be lucky if I could flip that closed sign before Dani was clocked out and running out of the place. “What if I said I’d help you get this place cleaned and closed earlier than usual so you could go out and have a good time with me before your dad even knew you were late?”
“I’d say you’re up to something,” I said, rolling the cart of dirty dishes into the back.
“I am up to something,” she hollered at me over the radio. “Trying to show my best friend a good time this summer. Trying to show her what she’s going to be missing out on if she gets married a few short months after graduating high school. Trying to show her the way a man should want to play with those fun bags.”
I rolled my eyes as I loaded a tray for the dishwasher. Dani had invited me to plenty of parties in our years together and the only ones I’d said yes to were her birthday parties. I’d even started missing those over the past few years because they’d been more a study in hedonism than happy birthday.
I’d always said no. So why, tonight, did I feel like a yes was on the tip of my tongue?
I was pretty sure my answer had something to do with a certain Cole Carson and that stomach thing he made me feel whenever I thought about him.
“Where’s the party at?” I said, not needing clarification as to what it was. Dani didn’t do slumber parties or cosmic bowling on a Friday night. She danced on table tops and drank Smirnoff like it was going out of production.
Dani’s head popped into the back, her brown eyes bugged out. So she was as shocked as I was that I was actually thinking about this.
“The clearing on old man Shanigan’s property,” she said, helping me load the next tray for the dishwasher. “It’s the summer kick-off party and everyone’s going to be there.”
“Everyone?” I said sarcastically, sliding the first tray into the washer and closing the door. “I just graduated a few days ago with ‘everyone’. I don’t want to see them tapping kegs and dry humping against trees on old man Shanigan’s.”
“Not all the dip-shits we went to school with,” she said. “I mean, sure they’ll all be there, but when I say everyone, I mean everyone as in the smokejumpers.”
How Dani could make the words smoke and jumper sound as filthy as she could was a true talent.
I groaned as I prepared to load the second tray. “Dani, the only thing that sounds like less of a good time than hanging out with all the same people we grew up with would be hanging out with a bunch of guys who think a local is something you put your penis in.”
Dani’s eyes bugged again. Given her eyes were already large for her face, the effect was rather funny. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard the word penis come from that sweet little mouth you’ve never had wrapped around one before,” she giggled as she helped me stack the clean dishes. “This is as wild as I’ll ever get you, Elle. I’m not taking a no tonight. You’re coming. You’ll drink a beer. Or two. You’ll have a good time. Maybe even get felt up by one of those raving sexaholic smokejumper sinners.” The glare I shot her only made her smile wider. “And then one day, when you’re lying next to Logan in bed, wondering how he failed to pleasure you yet again with his c**k or his tongue, you can have happy thoughts about that one night you let your hair down.”
I cringed. “Two things. Don’t ever mention Logan’s . . .”
“Cock,” Dani assisted, winking at me.
I nodded. “Logan’s c-word or tongue again.”
“Oh, hell, Elle. How can you and I be such good friends and you can’t even manage to say the word cock?” she said, looking almost offended. “Cock has to be my second favorite four letter word.”
“I wonder what the first is,” I said, nudging her as I headed back into the dining room. Paul, the chef, was just finishing up his closing duties for the night, and thanks to Dani’s help, we weren’t far behind.
“Yeah, but it’s my first favorite because of the action, not the descriptor.”
“I’m all finished up here,” Paul called from the kitchen. “I’ll catch you ladies tomorrow night.”
“Good night, Paul,” I said, waving after him.
“And that’s exactly the kind of night I have planned for you.” Dani shouldered up beside me and nudged me.
I wasn’t sure why, although I was sure I’d regret it later, but I nodded. “Let me grab my things and get closed up.”
Dani clucked her tongue and grabbed one rogue dishcloth and gave my butt another smack. “The point of tonight is to get opened up, Elle.”
Chapter Two
I’d just told my dad a bold faced lie over the phone about staying late at the cafe to do inventory. I’d answered Logan’s What are you up to text with Not much besides missing you and I was en route to a booze and bonfire party in the backwoods.
That streak of wild I tried to keep a lid on had officially burst free.
“So your dad bought your story?” Dani asked me as we headed for old man Shanigan’s in my Jeep.