Page 75 of Revival

Cortney follows with a one-word text:

Paradise

Five minutes pass as I study the image before I send one back.

In this photo, she sits alone on a beach lounger. She’s wearing a large woven sun hat, gazing out at the water with nothing but my favorite yellow bikini on. Her knee is cocked, and the wind blows a few loose tendrils of her dark hair across her peaceful face.

I write back:

Paradise

Cortney

I miss it

I stare and stare but no matter how hard I try, I can’t make that text say something else.

You,I want her text to say I missyou.

Before I say something we both regret, I pocket my phone.

Cortney may miss the breathtaking sunsets and the white sand beach, but the thing I miss most is her.

16

Cortney

With my waterbottle clutched in my hand, I shove the door open with my back and wave.

“It’s good to be back. See you Monday?”

My Pilates instructor, Ashley, returns my wave. “Same time, same place.”

I step out into the evening sun with a smile.

That class was very much needed. Though the way my muscles resisted at first, I can bet on being sore tomorrow and might even regret this.

After two lazy weeks on the beach, eating and drinking my heart’s desires, I’m very much ready to get back into my routine. It doesn’t help that I’ve spent the last two weeks in a funk. This return to reality after reconnecting with Spencer is hitting me hard. Harder than I could have imagined it would. Our time together was meant to be a fling, but I think my heart may have missed the memo.

A hot bath is calling my name, followed by binge-watching a new medical drama Whitney told me about.

I toss my stuff into my hot car, dropping onto the seat with one leg in and one leg out.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Juniper calls out from the curb.

“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath.

“I told you you’re not getting out of coming out with us.”

“Did you really stalk me to Pilates?” Squinting against the harsh light, I shield my eyes with my hand. The sun really brings out the red in her burgundy-colored hair.

“Since you left the vet clinic early, I didn’t have a choice, but Bridget was all too accommodating and took a peek at your calendar.”

“I told you I didn’t want to go.”

“You’ve been avoiding us for two weeks now. I know you have room for one cocktail. We both know you’ll sit on your couch with a glass of wine to relax tonight anyway.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

Out of all my sisters-in-law, I’m closest to Juniper. We had a friendship of sorts before she started dating my brother because Ollie and Lincoln were friends. Even though she’s younger than me by about ten years, we bonded over playdates with the boys and the fact neither of us had young kids. She’s also been around the longest, giving us more time to get to know one another. I was there when things went down with her dad, and she was the first person to pick me up off the floor after Sebastian.

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