Page 24 of Bargain With The Boss (Crescent Cove: The Moguls #2)
Sydney
I tapped my finger against the steering wheel of my new ride.
Well, new used ride.
It was a sporty, convertible Mini Cooper from a few years ago.
It was teal.
Absolutely impulsive and ridiculous.
And I loved it.
Claire sat beside me, flipping through songs on her phone. “You sure you want to do this?”
“No.”
She grinned. “That’s the second time you’ve said that today.”
I wasn’t impulsive. I planned and thought about planning, then planned some more.
Instead, I’d had a wild afternoon and evening of sex and laughter with a side of unprotected sex with my brother’s best friend and business partner.
No big deal.
Go big or go home, I guess.
“So, what do we want for trip food?”
Impulse number three. A road trip with my new friend. I’d agreed to be her plus one for the Lake George wedding that had been the impetus for our meeting in Vintage December. Mostly because I was avoiding both my brother and Xavier.
Right now, we were sitting outside a drugstore in Syracuse.
A drugstore that had exactly what I needed to fix everything.
I turned off Betty and pushed open the door.
Claire hopped out, bursting with energy as she came around the front of my car and grabbed me by the arm. “I can’t believe you said yes.”
“I’ve never been to Lake George.”
“It’s gorgeous. I mean, not as gorgeous as the Cove, but it has this vintage vibe that we don’t. We’re all family shine, but Lake George was the ultimate spot in the ’80s. Now it’s trying to make a comeback, but I actually really like the old world charm.”
“The ’80s aren’t old.”
She laughed. “Sure they’re not.”
Inside, we walked the candy and snack aisles, filling our basket with food I’d never usually eat. Cupcakes, chips, M&Ms, Butterfingers, a cooler, and ice along with a ton of energy drinks and soda.
Claire was practically twirling around the aisles in a sundress that barely hit her mid-thigh. She was carefree in a way that I never could be. It was addicting, and I found myself laughing at her.
I’d never played hooky, and I’d done so twice in a week. Now I was literally running away like a petulant teen.
I paused at the female care aisle.
“Oh, man did you get your period? Lame.”
I nibbled my lower lip. “No.”
She grabbed my hand. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
I turned to her. “I might have done something stupid.”
“How stupid?”
I looked around the store, but it was middle of the morning on a workday. It was practically empty save for a few employees.
“Sydney?”
“Pretty stupid for Crescent Cove.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Oh. With Xavier?” She pitched her voice low as if anyone knew him.
“Yes.”
She dragged me down the aisle to the condoms. “So, we definitely need these.”
I pulled her farther down to where the tags for Plan B were. “I actually should start here.”
“Whoa.”
“Yeah.” The story came out in a rush before I could stop myself.
“The condom broke, then I lied to him and told him I was on birth control but it gives me wicked migraines so I never could stay on it.”I paced back and forth down the aisle.
“I’m so stupid. I’m so fucked. The one time I ever do something impulsive—God, that’s not even true anymore.
I have a car named Betty outside that I would never buy. ”
“Okay, breathe.” She caught my hand on one of the passes and pulled me in front of her.
“First of all, Betty is perfect and she’s so very you.”
“She is not.”
Claire gripped my hands. “She’s who you are when you aren’t trying so hard to be who others want you to be.”
I blinked.
How could she know me so succinctly in such a short time?
“Takes one to know one.” She grinned at me, then gripped my fingers. “Is this what you want?”
“I don’t know.” It was the truth.
I’d never had a thought about a child or a family. Not after the absolute arctic chill of my own household. Even seeing Jude and Maddie didn’t compute to me. I’d never thought it would be for me.
“Well, how about we buy it, and you can think about it?”
I nodded. “Okay,” I whispered.
I wasn’t even sure if I was in the wrong time of the month—or maybe the right time.
I snatched the ticket off the shelf and went to the pharmacy and purchased it before I could think about it too hard.
I was in a fog while we checked out the rest of our food and fun things.
Claire chattered about car games and plucked trash magazines as well as a book of word games in the checkout line.
I distracted myself with getting the cooler set up and in the small backseat of my car.
Claire sat in the passenger and was already making a playlist.
I didn’t need to make a decision right now.
I had time.
I got in the driver side and grabbed my phone out of the cupholder.
Texts from my brother and Xavier stared at me as well as five missed calls.
Claire plucked the phone out of my hand. “What’s your code?”
Stunned, I blurted it out.
Her fingers flew over the screen.
“Wait, what are you telling them?”
“I told Xavier and your brother that you were going out of town for a few days and would see them on Monday.”
A nervous laugh rolled out of me. “Just like that?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re going to go have a great time and you’re going to live like there’s no tomorrow for once in your life, Sydney Keller.”
I turned on the car and Taylor Swift blasted out of the speakers about driving a getaway car.
And that was so on point, I couldn’t stop the laugh. This time it was much freer.
“That sounds like a really good plan.”
The trip to Lake George was a few hours. We sang and we laughed. I’d never played a car game in my life and Claire made up for it. We took the exit for the quaint little town, and she was right.
It definitely was a throwback, but I definitely saw the potential in the hotels and small shops that lined downtown. Claire’s friend was getting married right on the lake in a stone building that was more fairytale than kitschy. It reminded me of Italy with its old world charm and stone.
A valet took my car and our bags, and we took the soft-sided cooler which was pink because it was Claire.
A shriek and a gaggle of women spotted her and stormed over to us.
“Claire!”
“Josie! Carolanne, Bea! Ginny!”
I knew no one and suddenly wondered if this was the second biggest mistake of the last twenty-four hours.
“Guys, this is Sydney.”
A redhead who looked as if she came off the pages of Anne of Green Gables stepped forward. “I’m so happy you’re here. Way easier to hang with girls than a stuffy boyfriend that Claire would bring.”
“Hey!” Claire wrinkled her nose. “That’s not fair. I only did it that one time.”
“I’m Josie, the maid of honor. I require all the details of who you are and when you guys met.”
“We met in a clothing shop and I’m pretty sure Claire adopted me.”
“That sounds like her,” said a blond from behind us. “That’s how she trapped all of us.”
“Trapped?” Claire cackled dramatically. “In my web of delight that tastes like a cheap margarita.”
“The best.” Josie said and hip bumped me. “We’re going to have the best time.”
Josie hooked her arm through mine and the troupe of girls followed with giddy laughter and rushed conversations that were no deeper than catching up about life events.
Unsure what to do with a crowd of women who actually wanted to talk to me, I just went along for the ride at first. The first night was a barbecue as everyone was coming in from all over the area as well as out of state.
The bride, Lindee, was from Lake George originally and met her soon-to-be husband, Jay, while home for the holidays and the rest had been history. I learned a lot about the happy couple and Claire’s days at university throughout the rest of the night.
The champagne and cheap margaritas flowed as well.
I forgot to eat enough to combat all the alcohol, but the view and the company made up for it.
Until the sun dipped low and sizzled into the lake.
Until the couples paired off and the romantic music rose off the wraparound deck.
Until the margaritas made me bold.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket—because the skirt of my dress had pockets! Which made me laugh as I opened my phone and snapped a photo and texted it to Xavier.
Come find me.