Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

by Lacey Silks

  Thank goodness sound carried well over water. I wouldn’t have missed their cute argument for the world.

  “Now leave, because I’m sure my girls are freezing in that water.”

  “I don’t get it. Why skinny dip?” he asked.

  “It’s the same reason why you guys fart in the fire. Go figure that one out.”

  “I love you, you crazy woman.”

  “I know. I love you too.”

  “I’ll let you go for tonight. But tomorrow, you’re mine!”

  “Grrr!” Daisy made a wild animal sound and hooked her fingers into a claw shape, scraping the air.

  He slapped Daisy on her ass before disappearing into the woods with Andrew.

  “And don’t you dare peek from there! I’ll know if you do,” Daisy yelled toward them. Once she was certain the beach was clear, she turned our way. “Okay, ladies! It’s safe to come out now.”

  I paddled with Molly toward the shore. “Thanks, Daisy. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  “You would have turned into wrinkly old prunes,” she laughed.

  We got dressed and added more wood to the fire. Soon the flames rose high enough to keep a constant warmth floating around us. As I sat there, following the orange sparks up into the night sky, I wondered how many more gatherings like this one we would have before the summer’s end. Little did I know, this would be the last one for the three of us.

  Dear Nick,

  It may seem odd, but I want to talk about sex. It’s on my mind all the time, and I think it’s because Daisy can’t stop talking about all the sex she’s having with Carter. Daisy’s beginning to remind me of a female rabbit in spring. She and Carter are going at it like two monkeys, and I feel like I’m missing out on all the good stuff with you. I mean, we had sex, but I don’t really know what you like, and I want to know. I don’t know what I like, either, but I want to learn about it with you. If I told you the things Daisy does with Carter, you wouldn’t believe me. And she said that she kept the best parts to herself. Daisy doesn’t know it, but Carter’s going to propose to her. Please keep this between us, although by the time you get this letter, they’ll already be engaged. I’m going to town tomorrow to help him pick out the ring. It’s exciting. I wish you were here.

  I hope you don’t think it’s weird of me to write about the sex stuff. Probably better than me telling you about the cakes I’ve been decorating with your mom. I’m getting better at them too. In fact, I can’t wait to go to your mom’s bakery each morning so that I can try something new. Which brings me to another discussion I wish we could have had on one of our rooftops. I’m not going to college. I can’t see myself there and the only place I’m truly comfortable is the bakery. Are you disappointed? I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos about baking, and your mom has been a great asset as well. I can’t wait for you to taste my blueberry muffins. They’re to die for. Last weekend, I flew with your mom to San Antonio to create and decorate a special cake, and under her supervision I did it all! I baked, assembled, and decorated my very first special order for an exclusive client. Can you believe it? Little me? And the best part was that they loved it. I must say that it was beautiful. I’m attaching a photograph with the letter.

  Miss you more than I did yesterday.

  Love always,

  Joelle

  Chapter 13

  My Dearest Joelle,

  I would never be disappointed in you, and honestly, I never saw you as a teacher anyway, so I can’t wait to try your blubbery muffins, and much more. I’ll support you in whatever you choose, my love. Always.

  So, you’ve been decorating cakes? Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I want to see every single one. The one you sent me is a masterpiece. Please take more pictures. I want to see every single one of your creations.

  I can’t tell you what I’m feeling when I read your letters. I wish I was there on that rooftop with you, talking about our future, which of course includes the sex part. What do I like? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure that anything involving your body would be more and better than I get through my dreams at night. Yes, I dream about you every night. I wake up hard, thinking about our night together. Do me a favor? Tonight, after you shower, put on your sexiest underwear and a t-shirt, climb in your bed, and touch yourself. I want you to feel what I felt when I touched you. I want you thinking about me and how my hand is on my cock when I think about you. Now I’m getting hard while writing this letter and I wish I had time for a quick shower myself so I could jerk off to the beautiful image I have in my mind of your naked body. You are my everything, Joelle. Counting down the days.

  Yours always,

  Nick

  P.S. I hope you’re keeping these letters hidden.

  The day of the fundraiser I paced up and down the bakery, biting my fingernails. Last week, Carter had taken me on a secret trip to the city where I helped him pick out an engagement ring. Marge was just as excited as I was. She would be the one decorating the cupcake and setting the ring into the cream on top. I still couldn’t believe they were going to get married. But from what Carter told me, they both didn’t want to wait long.

  “Hey, when you know it’s right, what’s the point of stalling?” he said, once we had the diamond ring in a bag. It was a perfect cushion cut that I knew Daisy would love. Nothing big, but just right.

  Daisy and Molly were both starting college next week, so today was bittersweet. It would be our last outing together before everyone left town for school.

  I tapped my foot on the porch, whose wooden planks echoed from my cowboy boots. Carter was picking me up in ten minutes. I had the cupcake ready in a box, and he was going to hide it in his trunk before we got Daisy. My yellow strapless dress fluttered in the wind, and I pulled the denim jacket close around me. Although it was still summer, the winds had shifted, and this evening the air felt cooler than earlier in the day. Marge came outside, smoothing her hands over her bare arms.

  “Feels more like fall. Look at those colors.” She pointed to the setting sun. The bright oranges and pinks were like from a painting.

  “It does. They’re saying we have a chance of thunderstorms later on.”

  “You be careful, sweetheart. There could be an unexpected tornado coming with this storm.”

  Although we’d never had a tornado in town, there were a few warnings every once in a while.

  “I will. Are you guys closing yet?”

  “Soon, honey. We’ll definitely drop by later in the evening.” Marge and my father would be joining us after they closed the stores and finished prepping for the next day.

  “Marge, do you think I’d be a good pastry baker?”

  “Well, your skills are almost as good as Nick’s, and the cake you baked this week was a true work of art. Don’t tell my son, but I don’t think he would have been able to pull off that last minute change.”

  I still couldn’t believe how much had happened that week. A private jet, a ginormous ballroom party, and a cake that was the center of it all, which I’d baked all on my own. If time flew by for me at this rate, I’d be back in Nick’s arms sooner than I thought.

  “That’s impossible. Nick is amazing.”

  “So are you. You have a talent for art. Remember when you guys made a portrait of our houses from different shades of rock?”

  “Yeah, but we were only kids.”

  “Doesn’t matter. They were beautiful. You have a talent that comes from the heart, and that cannot be learned or taught by anyone. Remember, I’ve seen your work firsthand and would have no objections if you wanted to bake or decorate for me permanently. So yes, I do think you’ll make an amazing pastry chef.”

  “Thank you. My father said something similar.”

  “If you ask me, I’d say you were born to bake, honey.”

  “Really?” I hadn’t realized up until now just how much her approval meant to me, and I smiled. Part of me felt like I’d always be here, in this little town, so now I
wasn’t sure why I’d ever thought I could move away to go to college. Deep inside, I’d known that I’d remain tied to Hope Bay, where I was born, grew up, and fell in love.

  “Yes. Really.”

  Carter’s truck pulled up to the house along with another strong gust of wind.

  “Be safe!” Marge waved. Far in the distance, a good dozen miles or so beyond the town limits, the clouds were a dark green color, bordering on black, puffing gray mist through the few breaks of their perfect structure.

  “Looks like it’s going to be a wild night.” Carter opened my door and I slipped in. We opened the cupcake box lid and Carter placed the ring we picked out for Daisy right in the middle.

  “She’s going to love it.” I sighed, secretly wondering what my engagement to Nick would one day look like.

  “You think she’ll say yes?” Carter’s voice vibrated with nerves.

  “I hope so, otherwise it’s a waste of a perfectly good cupcake.”

  “Hey, that’s what you’re worried about? A cupcake?” He turned on the ignition and backed the car out of the driveway.

  “Carter, I’m not worried about anything – which means that yes, I think she’ll say yes.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “Well, then you’ll have an extra ring to wear.”

  “Shit!”

  “Carter, I’m kidding. Now concentrate on the road. The wind is getting stronger.”

  On the way to the barn, we picked up Daisy, Molly, and Andrew. Everyone was watching the bank of clouds outside approaching our town. It was almost surreal. I remembered seeing a movie, Independence Day, and the puff of cloud that pushed through the atmosphere when the ship approached — that’s what the storm ahead looked like: an invasion.

  “Heard anything from Nick?” Molly asked, as Carter parked on the designated grass by the barn.

  “He says the training is hard and he misses me.”

  “Don’t worry. A year will pass so fast you won’t even know it.”

  “Yeah, but what about afterwards? He could be deployed for even longer.”

  “I wouldn’t think that much in advance. Life has a funny way of making difficult choices for you. I mean, look at my parents. They divorced when I was just a baby, only to find each other again when I went to high school. You’ve known Nick your entire life, and he’ll be back. You two will grow stronger and appreciate each other that much more. In the meantime, have some fun. Get to know the you that you didn’t know existed. And more importantly, dance like there’s no tomorrow.” Molly smiled, pulling on the handle to open the door.

  “Thanks, Molly.” I hugged my friend before we headed inside.

  Music blasted through the barn; a local band was set up on the stage. Around us, red, orange, and yellow decorations filled the hall. Fresh flowers were propped in vases on each table, and white lights were strung around the perimeter and along the high beams above. Everyone was laughing, cheering, and dancing. The local firefighters had parked their fire truck halfway through the main barn door and, wearing their uniforms, were serving food from the hot containers their wives and other volunteers had prepared. At the end of the table, near the pies, cookies, and desserts, I noticed Marge’s fire engine cake that she’d donated, and smiled.

  Soon enough, while rain poured outside, the party was in full swing, and no one cared that the wind was picking up and giant drops had started to hammer against the rooftop.

  I was seated at a table with both Daisy and Molly. Carter was standing by the fire truck, talking to his father, Captain Clark, and then to Daisy’s father. They shook hands and patted each other’s backs in a way that men have perfected through evolution.

  Molly and Daisy had taken on the mission to make me forget about Nick and cracked jokes one after another. It worked. I’d been laughing so hard that my stomach muscles were beginning to hurt, and I was sure I’d get a few permanent wrinkles.

  “Good evening, ladies.” I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me and turned. A tall, handsome man stood with his head held high, a petite raven-haired girl under his arm. They both wore a pair of cowboy boots, hats, bandanas around their necks, and khaki pants complete with leather chaps and shiny belt buckles. And it wasn’t fake leather, either; I could smell its velvety aroma waft around us. Whoever had invited them to our fundraiser might have exaggerated our country clothing theme, but I loved it. The couple had class and carried their own atmosphere of I can blend in anywhere with them.

  “Well, you’re not from around here, are you?” Daisy scanned the fit new arrival from the bottom up as if he were the main course, completely ignoring the arm candy at his side. Carter would have to put that engagement ring on her finger before she ran away with this hunk. “Going to a Country Convention?”

  “Daisy, don’t be rude. Hi, I’m Joelle. This is Daisy and Molly,” I said, introducing my friends.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He kept his back straight and bowed his head respectfully. “Fortunately we missed the invitation to the Convention, so tonight we’re privileged to spend time with you beautiful ladies. My name is Bennett Claremont, and this is Juliet Small.”

  Swoon. Mr. Claremont definitely had a way with words.

  “We’re acquaintances of Maxwell Clark,” he added in a proud and commanding tone.

  Carter’s older brother? I didn’t know that Max knew anyone out of town, let alone someone with a personality that easily filled the barn. And may I add handsome? Yes, he was definitely easy on the eyes; hence the stunning date standing beside him, who looked familiar, and I wondered whether we’d met before. He carried himself with poise, like a businessman. No one in our town had manicured hands or an expensive watch. Yet despite the obvious wealth, I found the couple approachable.

  “Maxwell mentioned a fundraiser and, well, what’s better than a good cause?”

  This was the first time I’d heard anyone refer to Carter’s brother, a firefighter like his father, by his full name.

  “Thank you for joining us, and welcome to Hope Bay,” I said.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Juliet extended her hand to each of us, her gray eyes captivating me. I had a feeling she was someone I could easily be friends with.

  “Are you guys staying long? Because if you are, we can show you around town,” Molly offered.

  “Thank you, but no. I’m just catching up with Maxwell. We went to college together.”

  The band began a new song.

  “Bennett, I love this song.” Juliet looked up adoringly at Bennett, and I got shivers over my arms. I’d always looked at Nick the same way.

  “Well, it would be a shame to let a good song pass, wouldn’t it? Ladies” – he bowed his head again – “Enjoy your evening.”

  Their walk to the center of the dance floor appeared synchronized. He twirled Juliet before showing off a polished, near-perfect two-step. Not in a bad way. Heck, if I could dance that well, I would.

  “Look at those moves.” I felt my mouth drop open. I was sure that at this point everyone’s attention was on the new couple mastering the dance. Juliet was light on her feet, and Bennett couldn’t peel his gaze away from her.

  I sighed, wishing Nick were here. This year away from him would be the longest of my life.

  “That right there is top-dollar dance school.” Daisy nodded, approving of their moves. Or perhaps she was just checking out Bennett’s tight behind. Those chaps were so fitted I wondered how he was able to move like that.

  “Come on, let’s join them!” Molly pushed away from the table.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice to get another whiff of that expensively delicious perfume Juliet was wearing.” Daisy hopped off her chair.

  Thunder sounded outside, and I jumped, along with a few others in the room. I saw a bright flash of lightning between the barn walls, and when the ladies at the table beside ours turned toward the door, I knew that I wasn’t the only one beginning to get concerned about the storm. This place was old, and I was
afraid that a stronger wind would one day blow down the building. The barn was one of three in town that had been standing unoccupied for decades; another of them stood a field length behind our bakery.

  I danced with the girls at first, then with Carter and Andrew and a few others before we formed a circle and, along with Bennett and Juliet, trotted to the center and back as if we’d practiced the steps for hours. At one point, the music quieted and Carter stepped in the middle of us all, with a plate and a cupcake on top. The ring was so nicely set in Marge’s frosting that you could only see its center in the middle — that is, if you knew it was there.

  “What is he doing?” Daisy bumped my arm.

  “I don’t know.” I bit my lip, hoping that my friend would stop looking right in my eyes. If she didn’t, I’d spill Carter’s secret before he got down on one knee.

  He reached out for Daisy, who pranced to the middle. The music stopped, and everyone’s attention fell on the couple. I saw Daisy notice the diamond center of the buttercream daisy flower that Marge had crafted. She covered her mouth with her hand just as Carter knelt on one knee.

  “Daisy Anne Fraser, I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re the breath that fills my lungs and the pulse in my veins that keeps me alive. Will you do me the honor and be my wife? Will you marry me?”

  Everyone was quiet. Tears streaked down Daisy’s face, and I wiped the wet corners of my eyes.

  “Yes. I’ll marry you!”

  The cheers were so loud that they overpowered the rain and thunder outside. Daisy took rounds of congratulations, including mine. She wore the diamond on her finger with pride, showing it off to everyone at the hall. Carter gave me a thumbs-up from across the room by the stage, and instead of returning the gesture, I ran toward him and jumped into his arms, hugging him.

  “I’m so happy for you two.”

  “Thanks, Jo. I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”

  Something roared in the distance and shivers covered my arms. The sound of an oncoming train filled the barn, somewhat confusing me. It got louder and louder, and by the time I realized we were in danger, full chaos ensued.