Free Everybody's After Love by Lyssa Layne

ended up on this boat full of hotties.
    I pull my hair up into a high bowtie bun as I turn my attention to Bri who begins to tell me about the last time they came to the lake and water patrol stopped them for not having enough life jackets on board. Glancing around, I count six life jackets in sight so we should be good today.
    My neck, sun-kissed and warm, is suddenly hit with a chill and I jump at the shock of the cold beer bottle on my skin. Spinning around, Bentley smiles above me, offering a Corona. With his sideways grin, he pops the top as he hands it to me.
    “You girls sit back and have fun,” he says, giving me a wink as he moves behind the wheel and starts the engine.
    Bri lifts her eyebrows at me and smiles. “Trust me, this will be a much better time than hanging out with Nikki.”
    I laugh and nod, surprised by her comment. “So why are you friends with her?”
    Bri shrugs as the boat roars to life and Bentley drives us into the center of the lake, water spraying back on us. Bri yells over the engine, “Our moms have been friends forever, therefore, making us friends forever, too.”
    Somehow knowing that Bri feels the same way I do about Nikki, makes me like her just a little bit more. Bri flips her hair over her shoulder and leans back to catch some more rays. I take a long pull from the beer bottle, enjoying the speed of the boat while at the same time being totally relaxed.
    The sun mixed with the alcohol and I’m almost enjoying a little siesta when the boat slows. Bentley parks the boat on single dock along the bank and announces, “Fishing time, ladies!”
    Bri groans beside me, but I lean up, remembering the last time we fished together. Turning my head in his direction, our eyes immediately lock and he grins as he reaches into the small compartment behind the steering wheel.
    “Come on, Jules, I got you special bait.”
    Standing up, but I shake my head and protest, “I am not touching any worms.”
    He laughs and holds out his hand, which I gladly accept as we step out of the boat. With two fishing poles in hand and me holding the tackle box, we walk hand in hand to the bank where he sets down our equipment. Reaching into the tackle box, he messes around with something as I stand there awkwardly in my bikini and flip flops.
    Squatting below me, he looks up and smiles, holding a fake worm in his hand. “Got these special for ‘ya,” he says and dangles one above his mouth as though he’s going to eat it.
    My stomach drops as he does this. “Ew! Don’t do that!” I screech and bat the worm away from him.
    Laughing, he grabs my hand. “It’s a gummy worm, Jules. Brianna would never touch real worms either so she always fished with gummy worms. She found that the red worms draw the biggest fish.”
    It’s exactly something Paulie would do for me as well. Like the time we went to our great aunt’s birthday party, Paulie knew they’d be serving German chocolate cake. I hate coconut with a passion, reminds me of toenails. When the dessert was served, one piece of regular chocolate cake magically appeared.
    I roll my eyes. “Why didn’t you say so?”
    “More fun to watch you squirm,” he replies as he baits my hook.
    The wind blows through the trees around us and even though there’s hundreds of people on the lake, Bentley’s found the one spot that no one knows about. He gets our lines ready and casts the first one. Facing me, he reaches out and his thumb runs over the small tattoo on my collarbone. “Cute.”
    My skin tingles under his touch which lingers for a second longer. Swallowing hard, I nod and mumble thanks. He swipes his thumb across it again and our eyes meet. My heart pounds loudly in my ears, wondering if we’ll catch any fish. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m thinking.
    “Catch anything yet?” Bri’s voice breaks the moment and at the time I’m thankful for it.
    Bentley turns to her and holds up his rod. “Here sis, take mine and I’ll go join the