Now this chapter is an remake of 2016's Chapter 2: Shopping for Bathing Suits. Some is the same, some has been updated with new stuff. Enjoy this update, folks. I have more chapters coming soon.
The group of seven women were laughing and enjoying themselves as they made their way around Arlington's Fashion Centre Mall while the guys along with their children were back at Booth and Brennan's preparing for a Saturday afternoon cookout. They lugged bags from Sephora, Ann Taylor, and other stores where they splurged on summer clothes and other items for themselves. When they visited Intimissimi, each purchased an intimate item in which to surprise their significant other.
They chatted amongst themselves, not noticing that Angela stopped at Nordstrom. Each stopped with Daisy being the last one. Looking back, they saw their friend standing there, so Cam took the lead. "Angela, did you want to look at Nordstrom? We've already bought out Macy's and other stores, but I don't mind."
"We've purchased different things but each of us avoided one section in Macy's and the other stores." Angela replied, looking at each of her friends. "You all know which one."
"Don't remind me…" Daisy moaned.
"Shit…" Andie cursed.
"Did I forget to do that earlier?" Genny said unconvincingly.
"I hate this part of summer…" Jessica groaned.
"God, this gets worse every year…" Cam replied while rolling her eyes.
A confused Brennan looked at the other women before turning to her friend. "Angela, I'm not understanding what you mean. We've bought capris, dresses, new shoes, plus new intimate wear for future sexual occasions—"
Angela put her hand on Brennan's shoulder. "I'm talking about bathing suits, Sweetie."
The forensic anthropologist could only respond with an, "Oh…"
There was an uncomfortable silence as the noise of the mall took over. However, it wasn't long until the excuses took over while everyone dug into their purses and pockets.
"I need to remind Oliver to pick up the fresh fruit and berries for Dr. B's salad and to be on his best behavior until we get there." Daisy dug through her purse looking for her phone. "Oh, and I should tell him to wear his sun hat since he burns so easily."
Jessica unlocked her Samsung S10. "I need to call Aubrey and check on him and Rachael. He was also eyeing Andie's potato salad before we left and I need to remind him not to eat all of it again."
"Hunter and the kids will eat nothing but ice cream and junk food if I don't check in with them." Genny already had the phone at her ear.
"Crap, forgot to ask Wendell for his size to get him swim trunks." Andie muttered as she pulled up her phone as to type a text message.
Brennan pulled her phone from her back pocket. "I should call Booth to remind him not to threaten to shoot Dr. Wells again should his obnoxious demeanor annoy him."
"Arastoo and the boys just…need me to check on them." Cam stammered. "They may need sunscreen if they're outside."
Angela rolled her eyes, stuck her fingers in her mouth, and let out a whistle that attracted other shoppers. When satisfied that she got everyone's attention, she smiled.
"Ladies, our men are just fine. Our children are with them and I'm sure they're fine…or at least not mutilated or hurt too much. Now, this is something that must be done by all of us, so we may as well do it together and get it over with."
Daisy gulped before speaking. "But—"
Angela touched the anthropologist's shoulder. "Daisy, we can do this. We're strong women."
"Ladies, Angela is right. This has to be done and we can do it." Brennan turned to her friend with trepidation. "I…I'm ready."
Angela could see the hesitation but held off any comments. "Okay, Jessica let's start with you. What's your excuse? Don't tell me you don't have time last week you said you're almost done with your dissertation for Brennan."
The redhead sighed before lifting her shirt to look at the remaining stretch marks from her pregnancy as well as the faint vertical scar that peeked out of her low-rise denim capris. "Well, you know…things have changed and…"
"Jessica, you were bragging last week about how you and Aubrey started making good use of Rachael's 'nap time'." The artist said with quotation marks. "Your husband is always checking out your ass and you've lost just about all your pregnancy weight. Aubrey obviously doesn't care about your stretch marks or your C-section scar. Besides, you're lucky that you got the nice Caesarean with the hidden scar."
"Nice Caesarean?" Jessica asked as she unconsciously rubbed the area, recalling the not very pleasant epidural, the pain while she recuperated after giving birth. "Interesting way of looking at it."
"Jessica Warren, you know exactly what I mean." Angela gave her the eye. "I saw that very naughty nightie you brought earlier today, and it doesn't leave much to the imagination. Now, give me your next excuse."
Jessica sighed. "I see your point. Things have settled differently since I gave birth, but Aubrey says I'm even more beautiful than ever…and he does like me in bikinis. All right, I'm in."
Angela turned to her boss. "Cam? Isn't Booth and Brennan watching the boys in August while you and Arastoo go to Greece for your wedding anniversary?"
The pathologist knew where Angela was going. "We are going to Greece, but—"
"There are a lot of beautiful beaches there, Cam…and I'm sure Arastoo would love to see you in a bathing suit that showed off your figure…"
Cam groaned. "Arastoo would love me in a gunny sack. However, I'm almost 47 years old. Thanks to gravity, things are different on me than when I was 27. Besides, we're not just going to the beach…there are ruins and museums…"
"Okay, I know you two are not staying in your room the entire time…maybe the first day but come on lady. Yeah, things are different on you at 47. I turned 41 a few months ago and I know things are different on me. Things have changed on Brennan, too. Daisy, Jessica, Andie, Genny…they're different, too."
Cam crossed her arms. "Angela, you're all gung-ho on growing old. Why on earth is that? Why are you not insecure about your body like the rest of us?"
"My body changed after having my kids and yes, it sucked, but I had to accept that shit happens. It helped that Hodgins told me how beautiful I was and he liked those last few pounds I couldn't lose." Angela shrugged before walking up to her friend. "Come on, Cam…don't torture your husband by wearing a maxi dress on the beach…"
The pathologist looked up and sighed. "Fine…fine…I'll do it."
"Good…" Angela turned to Andie, who merely nodded her head affirmatively. "Smart woman."
"I know better than to argue. Besides, Wendell has said to me the less I wear the better." Andie replied to everyone's chuckles.
"Of course, he would." Angela replied before turning to Genny. "Genny Shaw, you're an Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI. Surely buying a suit doesn't scare you…"
"It doesn't scare me." The petite woman chuckled nervously. "I've taken down men twice my size and I've been shot at by suspects. Why would I be scared about bathing suit shopping?"
"You're tough, lady but you're also a woman. You've got a great body, Gen. Show it off for Hunter, girl. He checks you out when he thinks no one is looking."
"Genny you told me during our babies play date last week that you and Hunter were taking the kids to the Outer Banks for Labor Day weekend." Jessica chimed in. "I'm sure he would love to see you in a bikini."
"Yeah, if we're not careful we'll have another baby in nine months." Genny retorted to everyone's chuckles. "However, if I can take down a suspect who shoots at me and my husband, I can buy a damn bathing suit. I'm in. Daisy?"
"Um…well…" Daisy thought about how she was more curvaceous after giving birth to Lance, but there were negatives, like her butt. "I don't…well…you know what? Screw my baby thighs…let's go shopping!"
"Good girl! All right let's go all. Brennan, I'm sure you'll get the sexiest one of all for Booth…" Angela saw her friend looking doubtful. "Bren, what's wrong?"
The anthropologist hesitated before speaking up. "My health regimen of the last seven months has allowed me to lose 17 of the pounds I was unable to lose after giving birth to Hank but I'm still 13 pounds away from my final goal. Booth says my body is sexier than ever, but…"
Angela put her hands on her friend's shoulder. "Sweetie, I've seen the way Booth watches you when you enter a room. He doesn't see those extra 13 pounds, just you. Aren't you the one who said you two have sex an average of three to four days a week, two kids and all?"
"I am, but—"
"Bren…treat yourself. Let the big guy see you looking hot at the beach. Come on…maybe you'll find someplace to get a quickie in."
"Oh, we've done that already in my office…and his. As we've learned with having a 9-year-old and a 4-year-old, you take the opportunities you can."
"Same with us. Rachael is now crawling, and she'll get into everything and anything, so we're always on alert." Jessica flashed a mischievous smile. "We've sometimes got a pop in by using that closet behind Angela's office or his office at lunch. Limbo's storage closet is pretty fun, too."
Daisy nodded. "Tell me about it. Lance always seems to wake up when we've tried after we put him to bed, so it's usually either at Oliver's apartment or we did use this basement storage room at the Jeffersonian on his lunch hour once."
"While we don't have kids, Wendell and I have taken advantage of his truck in the parking garage during his lunch breaks." Andie chuckled.
Genny chuckled. "Hunter and I found an old storage closet in the basement of the SEC headquarters that's fun."
Angela nodded. "Hodgins and I have found a lot of fun things to do in his wheelchair. We occasionally do this thing now in the Ookey Room where—"
"Wait, are all of you having sex at the Jeffersonian? During work hours?" Cam exclaimed. "You do know that there's security cameras, right?"
"Yes." Brennan replied. "Cam, have you and Dr. Vaziri never had a quick sexual intercourse experience at the lab?"
Cam thought about what to say before deciding nothing was best. "Pleading the Fifth on that."
Everyone laughed before Angela broke up the chuckle fest. "All right ladies. Let's go help each other buy great bathing suits…then treat ourselves with a drink at Founding Fathers before heading back to the men and kids and a cookout."
Grabbing their stuff, the seven ladies marched into Nordstrom's, ready to do battle.
