Cassidy smiled, relieved to see an amused expression on Laura’s face rather than annoyed. As she added ice to the blender, she glanced over at the pool. Claudia was indeed in a tiny—skimpy—bikini. As thin as she was, it wasn’t at all flattering on her. Claudia’s gaze was on Laura and Cassidy followed it. Laura looked healthy and vibrant, her tan natural, her hair color natural. And despite the situation, she sported a rather easy smile on her face. Claudia, on the other hand, looked anything but healthy—listless and frail. Her hair had been dyed so many times, it appeared dull and lifeless. The smile on her face was forced, and Cassidy imagined she was a bit perturbed by Laura’s presence. As she looked at the two of them she wondered what she’d ever seen in Claudia.

Nothing, really. She was a friend of Erica’s—that’s how they’d met. And like most of the women she went out with, she knew after the first date that there was nothing there. There shouldn’t have been a second date. There certainly shouldn’t have been a fourth and fifth. But at the time, it was easier to continue than to stop. But Claudia was starting to talk long-term, and Cassidy had finally broken things off. Claudia had been hurt; she’d said as much. Not so hurt, though, that she wasn’t willing to come for the weekend uninvited…and offer to share a bed.

“You need some help?”

Cassidy hadn’t even seen Erica come over. She shook her head. “No. Sorry. Lost in thought.”

“I hope you’re not mad about Claudia being here.”

She shrugged. “As long as she realizes that she’s not sleeping in my bed tonight.”

“Well, I figured you were on good enough terms with her since she’d been invited to your pool party.” Erica leaned closer and smiled. “I thought you might even want to give it another try. It would be fun to hang out with you two again.”

Cassidy put the lid on the blender. “No, Erica. It’s not happening.” She turned the blender on, stopping any further conversation. Mad? No, she wasn’t really mad that Claudia was there. Actually, she wished none of them were there. She wanted to be with Laura. She didn’t want to have to make small talk with them and entertain them…she just wanted to be with Laura. She wanted to play with Laura and tease with Laura and laugh with Laura and be with Laura.

She poured the margarita mix into three glasses, then put the pitcher in the fridge. Erica took two of the glasses.

“Just three?”

“Laura will have beer,” she said, perhaps a bit presumptuously. But she looked over and Laura was already taking two out of the ice bucket and putting them in koozies.