Page 24 of The Summer for Us (Golden Falls #1)

JULIETTE

“You’re here!” Lily squealed as soon as Wesley and I came into view walking down the wooden steps.

She unlatched the pontoon’s side door and stepped onto the dock, quickly closing the distance between us.

“Wes said you weren’t feeling well. Is everything okay?

” Concern marred her face as she set her hands on the sides of my arms.

I nodded. “I’m okay. Just had a rough morning. I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, though,” I said, looping my arm through hers, “I want to focus on the boat day. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”

My mind was still distracted by the article, but my mood instantly improved being in Lily’s presence. I was so grateful to have her in my life. Regardless of what happened after the summer, I’d definitely return to Golden Falls to visit her.

“I’ve been so excited, too.” Lily led us toward the boat. “And I love your shorts! I need to shop in your closet one of these days.”

“Please do! But I can easily say the same about you,” I said with a laugh.

I hadn’t wanted to keep Wesley waiting, so I kept my outfit simple today.

I’d thrown on a pair of medium-wash denim shorts that were frayed at the ends and a loose white linen shirt.

Underneath, I had a simple red triangle bikini.

Wes walked past us, holding the twelve-pack of seltzers in his hand and the bowl of watermelon under his arm. I’d offered to help, but he insisted on carrying it all. I’d quickly realized how stubborn he was—almost as stubborn as me, honestly—and figured the battle wasn’t worth it.

He used his free hand to get the side door open for us.

The chatter of voices became clearer as we stepped onto the boat.

“Cooper, stop moving the cooler around!” A woman, who I assumed was Eliza, swatted Cooper’s arm.

“I put it in the shade for a reason, and I—Jules, hi!” she exclaimed.

The frown she had directed at Cooper immediately turned into a smile when she saw me.

“I’m Eliza. It’s so nice to finally meet you.

I’ve heard so much about you from Lily!” She took a few steps from the other side of the boat to meet us and pulled me into an embrace.

I easily hugged her back, already feeling like I knew her from everything Lily had told me, as well as from the group chat Lily set up for the three of us.

“So nice to meet you, too. I can’t believe we’re just now meeting!”

“I know,” she sighed. “I wish I could’ve made time sooner, but between the yoga conference and extending my time in Madison, life was more hectic than I’d planned for.

But the rest of the summer should be less busy.

I’m back to a normal schedule at the studio, so you’ll have to come by for a class.

My next task will be balancing the studio with bartending at Lake Ridge, but I think it’ll be a fun challenge.

It’ll be great to have some extra cash to really get the studio where I want it. ”

Eliza grabbed three cold seltzers from the cooler and then gestured for us to sit while Cooper and Wes finished getting the boat ready.

Eliza’s sleek black hair hit just above her collarbone.

As she reached up to pull it into a short ponytail, I noticed the various small tattoos scattered on her tan arms, fingers, and torso.

Both Eliza and Lily were wearing denim shorts and had their bikinis on already, too.

“I’d love to come by for a yoga class. That sounds perfect.

Lily was also saying we should have a girls’ night at Lake Ridge before you start.

” I got comfortable on the boat’s cushioned seating that wrapped around both sides.

Eliza and I were sitting on one side, and Lily was on the other.

In the middle, there was a small table between us that had chips, popcorn, dips, and other snacks ready for us to dig into.

“We need to,” Lily agreed. “It’s been too long since I’ve been out dancing, plus we can celebrate your first month in Golden Falls and the café refresh being done.

” Lily turned to Eliza. “It looks so good, Eliza. The changes Jules made work so well for the space, and the cats are happy, which makes me happy.”

As I filled Eliza in on the work Lily and I had been doing, the pontoon’s engine rumbled to life. I snuck a glance at Wes, who was in the driver’s seat slowly backing the boat away from the dock. He eased the throttle forward, the boat gliding further into the lake.

The crisp blue water sparkled and rippled in the sun’s golden rays. The wind picked up as the boat went faster, and the fresh breeze felt incredible on a hot day. There were dozens of other boats out on the water already, and I figured the lake would get even busier as the day went on.

It had only been a matter of minutes of us being out on the water, but I already saw Wes relax. His shoulders eased, and what looked like a hint of a smile was gracing his face. I liked seeing him in his element.

“Ladies,” Cooper greeted, sitting down next to Lily. He ran a hand through his messy dark-blond hair. “Jules, you look absolutely beautiful, as always.”

I turned my attention to him, a laugh escaping me. “Thanks, Cooper,” I said at the same time Eliza reached over and threw a piece of popcorn at her brother.

“Stop flirting with our friend,” she scolded, before turning to me. “Well, unless you’re okay with it. I guess I always forget most women want Cooper flirting with them.” Eliza shuddered, immediately taking a sip of alcohol.

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable or anything,” I assured. “Besides, Cooper and I are friends, right?” I asked him, and he nodded in agreement.

There was no denying Cooper was a handsome guy. But I found myself comparing him to Wes. His build was similar to Wesley’s in that they were both muscular and had that rugged appeal. His hair was lighter than Wesley’s, and his face was clean shaven most of the time.

What was it about Wesley that had me feeling more? The guy didn’t even want to be friends with me.

“Hell yeah we’re friends. Anyone who lets me talk their ear off about the various trails we have around here is immediately a friend. I’m so glad I got the day off today. I can’t remember a year when we didn’t spend the Fourth out on the water.”

“The four of us plus Jade have been doing this ever since we were little.” Lily filled me in.

“My parents would take us out, we’d grill lunch, hang out on the boat, get a swim in.

It was always the perfect day. Then we’d head back to my parents’ house and have dinner with Marnie, Cooper and Eliza’s grandma.

Things have changed a little over the years, but we’ve tried to keep the tradition going with whoever is in town for the weekend.

I’d say this year worked out great, especially with you here, Jules. ”

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this included.

I knew a fair amount of people in my life in Chicago between my coworkers, apartment neighbors, and casual friends, but I didn’t have many people I could truly count on, besides my brother.

I hadn’t gotten any texts asking how I was doing or where I was spending the summer.

The people I thought I had in my life in Chicago either didn’t notice I was gone or didn’t care—neither of which felt good.

And while I’d been excited for today with Eliza, Lily, Cooper, and Wes, I’d also been nervous.

These four were close—they’d spent their whole lives together.

It was tough sometimes to be the new person trying to catch up with the various years of memories or follow along with stories.

Eliza and Lily were best friends, and a part of me wondered if I’d feel out of place hanging out with them.

But it wasn’t like that at all. I was welcomed right away. I felt like I could be myself.

As we laughed at another one of Cooper’s jokes, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d found my people. I wanted to soak up all the time I had with them before summer ended.

My eyes were glued to Wesley as he walked through the shallow lake water with Cooper.

Wes found us a spot near a sandbar to anchor down. Lots of other people had the same idea. While some people stayed on the boat, others were swimming or walking in the water to cool off.

The guys took a break to hop in the water, while Lily, Eliza, and I stayed on the boat. We’d moved over to the shaded seating area and were each a few seltzers in.

Wes was shirtless, the planes of his muscular chest on full display. And I wasn’t the only one looking. Every woman out on the water was looking at Wesley Richards, and he didn’t even realize it. His back was toned, likely from a combination of working out at the gym and manual labor.

“Jules?”

I heard my name, but it wasn’t until Lily reached over and nudged my knee that I turned to her. “Huh?”

“What happened earlier today? I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Lily frowned, sympathy in her expression. She had such a big heart, and I loved her for it. She was always looking out for those in her life.

Paradise Love hadn’t come up today, apart from when Eliza and I were at the front of the boat and I filled her in on what had happened before summer started.

I didn’t mind Lily asking about it now, and I was glad it was just the girls as I talked about it.

I was finally making some progress with Wesley, and I didn’t think talking about the reality show I was on would help my cause.

I wasn’t embarrassed about going on the show.

It was what happened afterward that made me want to crawl in a hole.

“There was another article.” I sighed, bringing my knees up to my chest. “Tony did an interview with Reality Weekly saying the audio was taken out of context and that I knew his intentions all along.” I rolled my eyes.

“He even said he was trying to spare my feelings and do both of us a favor by the way he ended things.”

Eliza’s jaw dropped. “What an entitled, selfish asshole.”

“I’m so sorry you have to go through this, Jules,” Lily added. “I’m glad you didn’t stay home, though, because now we can keep you company and keep your mind off of it.”

“We have your back no matter what,” Eliza assured me. “The people in your life who know you know the truth.”

“I’m so glad to be spending the day with you both. It’s exactly what I needed. Wes said being out on the water would make me feel better, and I guess he was right. I’m honestly still surprised he was the one who invited me and the one who checked on me.”

“Eliza and I were getting ready to head over, but he insisted he be the one to stop by the cabin.” Lily stood, adjusting her bikini top and slipping out of her shorts.

“Oh, he did?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual and my expression neutral.

In reality, I picked apart every word of that sentence, focusing on how Wes had insisted .

It would’ve been easy for him to step back and allow Eliza and Lily to check on me.

But he insisted on being the one to stop by.

I obviously didn’t know what was going through his mind—I rarely did—but I knew Wes did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. The thought of him being worried about me filled my stomach with butterflies.

“Yeah, he was so stubborn and annoying about it. Drives me nuts when he gets that way. It’s his way or the highway, so Eliza and I stayed back.” Lily rolled her eyes.

Eliza looked at me with a smirk. If she noticed me overthinking the exchange, she didn’t say anything.

“Should we get into the water for a little?” Lily asked.

“Yes, please,” Eliza said with a grin, finishing her seltzer. “I need to cool off from this heat, and I think Jules does, too,” she teased with a wink.

The water might help with cooling off from the heat, but I didn’t think there was a way to calm the brewing curiosity I had for Wes.