Raisel’s POV
It’s the last week of July, and summer is hitting all the right spots. Sun on my skin, the salty ocean breeze, cocktails, bikinis, and beach vibes—I’ve missed this.
Hazel leans back in her rickety wooden chair at the shack on Oak Street Beach, her sunglasses perched low on her nose. “Oh, damn, girl. It’s been forever since we’ve taken a vacation together.”
“I just tagged along,” I reply, swirling my cocktail. “It was your idea, and… you were right. We both needed this.”
Hazel gives me that look. The one that says she’s onto me. “Yeah, but what really made you come? Rai, you don’t just drop work out of the blue. You texted me about tagging along to Paris, and next thing I knew, I was booking a flight to Chicago because you needed this trip.”
I let out a heavy sigh, my gaze
