“Okay.” Julie decided she’d shoot the level six rapids of their plans instead of trying to swim upstream and ripped open the box to find a sexy summer dress. “Ah, you bought something for yourself and gave it to me?”
“No, silly.” Wind pulled out the dress—well, Julie thought it was a dress, but maybe it was a shirt. She leaned into the box and sifted through the tissue paper.
“What are you looking for?” Kat raised a brow at her.
“The rest of the material.”
Bri burst into laughter. “This gives new meaning to the term hot mama.”
They doubled over, sounding like a bunch of dolphins in heat—Julie didn’t know exactly what that sounded like, but she imagined it sounded like this. “Seriously, you don’t expect me to wear that someday.”
“Nope. Of course not,” Wind said, twirling around the room as if to make the dress dance. “Tonight, silly.”
“To Cassie’s?” Julie pushed the box out of her way and headed for the door. “No way. No how.”
Trace intercepted before Julie could reach the door. “I’ll even wear a dress.”
“What?” That stopped Julie’s escape. “Tonight?”
“No, I actually can’t make it tonight. I have to finish up with the gator relocation, including paperwork and taking the guys to a nearby dive bar as a thanks for their help. But on the night of your big birthday bash. That’s when I’ll wear a dress.”
“Oh, Cracker Jacks and all that is holy, now you’ve got to wear that tonight. How could you refuse a chance to see Tomboy Trace in a dress?” Wind turned to Trace. “That doesn’t mean a skort, right?”
“Nope. I’ll wear a dress.” Trace released her grip from around Julie’s arms.
Julie eyed the dress and then Bri. “I can’t.”
“Try it on.” Bri stood up and took the dress from Wind, holding it to Julie’s shoulders. “Oh, yeah, if this doesn’t get Trevor drooling like a hound dog, I don’t know what will.”
“Thanks for the visual. Fine. I’ll try it on, but I won’t promise to wear it.”
Houdini stood on his hind legs and chirped.
“Great, not you, too.” She stripped off her shirt and shorts and shoved the dress over her head, tugging it down to a presentable length. Only, Kat came up behind her and yanked it higher and adjusted the straps.
She turned to gasp. Houdini covered his eyes and bowed his head as if he couldn’t look at her.
“No way. No how.” Julie tucked her fingers under the hem to pull the dress over her head and away from her body.
“Wait.” Bri stilled Julie’s movement. “Mom, look.” She turned Julie to face the mirror, and to her shock, she didn’t look like a beach bimbo. Yes, the dress was tighter and shorter than she’d normally wear, but it had a sophistication to it that screamed Kat had had a say in its purchase.
Julie took a step toward the mirror, turning side to side. The dress pushed her average-sized breasts into a thirty-year-old position. The straps weren’t overly tight over her shoulders because it fit so well around her chest, so it didn’t cut into her skin to cause the back fat flap. The color was unique—not silver, not blue, more whale shark than dolphin but with a hint of a deep ocean hue. “I will confess one thing. You and Wind are an unstoppable team when it comes to clothes shopping. This is sophistication with sass.” She turned to look at them both. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”
Wind didn’t say anything. She only blinked at Julie as if this was the most shocking news she’d heard in her life.
“Wow, I think you stunned Wind silent.” Trace waved her hand at Wind as if to pull her from a daydream. “Never thought that was possible.”
Wind shot into Julie’s arms and held her like a preserver in a life storm. “I’ve missed you so much, too.”
Kat swiped at her eyes but kept her distance. “Yeah, same here.”
Had her perfect friends who’d had fulfilling, amazing lives actually thought about her and her quaint existence over the years? “I didn’t know you ever thought about me.”
Wind pushed her to arm’s length. “Are you kidding? How many times did I try to come back after Joe passed? Only to be told you didn’t need me.”
“I thought you were being nice, but you had a life in New York. You don’t belong here in the sleepy town of Summer Island.”
Wind pushed Julie’s hair away from her face. “Oh girl, my place has always been here. If not in body, then in soul. My life has never been full without the three of you.”
Looking into Wind’s gaze, Julie believed her words. It wasn’t theatrical or attention-seeking. Her tone was honest and pure.
“I had no idea. I’ve always thought my little life here was a letdown to all of you. I never wanted to hold any of you back.”
“Hon, I’d trade all of it for the happiness you found.” Kat joined them and opened the circle hug to Trace, who summoned Bri in with them.
“See, Mom, I told you that your friends didn’t forget about you, because you’re unforgettable.”
Trace tilted her head toward Julie’s body. “Especially in that dress.”
“I can’t wear this,” Julie protested, but when the four of them turned her to face herself in the mirror once again, she had to see that she wasn’t the old, widow hag she’d thought but still a vibrant woman with years left to live.
“Hair and makeup next,” Wind announced, grabbing her ridiculously large duffel of tools and dropping it with a clatter onto the small desk.
Before Julie could protest, she was forced into the chair. After a minute of her friends surrounding her, it didn’t matter what she wore. Even if they hadn’t picked out the perfect dress, even if they had chosen a potato sack, she would wear it with pride. Because in that moment, she
