“No, but it just works with my name.I was also a bit of a bulldozer on the basketball court, so they decided to call me Ox.We don’t really get to choose our nicknames, right?”
My cousin nodded.
That’s when I realized that Lennox and I were still holding hands.I cleared my throat and quickly pulled my hand free, cringing again at just how sweaty my palm was.I wiped my hand on my overalls.But then embarrassment hit me hard and made my cheeks burn.Did he think I was wiping my hand because ofhishand.“I … uh, the sweat,” I stammered.“I don’t think your hand is gross.”
His chuckle was way too raspy for someone that young.“It’s all good.”
We reached the storage cupboard where two dads were taking the chairs from the rest of us and properly stacking them.Everyone handed over their chairs, and then we were free.And I also lost sight of Lennox.
My heart deflated a little, and my temperature dropped.
“Ready to go?”Gabrielle asked, finding me in the crowd.
I nodded, and like penguins in a rookery finding their chicks, Danica and Raina managed to locate us in the buzzing hive of involved parents.
The McEvoy brothers were right behind us, and the nine of us crossed the parking lot, chatting about our joint project.
Last year, a beloved island elder passed away.He had no family, no heir.So he left his land—a beautiful chunk right on the water—to the Council to determine who would receive it.So the Council asked for proposals to be submitted.There were a lot of interested parties—us included.And after several months, it was narrowed down to five.
Then, Raina and Jagger went from hating each other to fucking each other, and we all decided that since our interests in Bonn Remmen’s land aligned, we should combine our proposals and make a pitch for the land together.
So we did.
And we won.
Now, we were in the planning phase and getting ready to level some ground and map out just where we’d put the cabins, the event pavilion, and the garden for the hops the McEvoys wanted to grow for their brewery.
Now that the weather was better, warmer, and the nights were getting longer, we could really start getting underway with everything.
“I’ll come over with Marco after I drop these gals off,” Raina said to Jagger before lifting up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his hairy cheek.
He squeezed her butt, then flashed us all a big smile.
We climbed into Raina’s SUV, and as soon as the doors all closed, all three of my cousins hit me with the same questions: How old do you think the principal is?Do you think he’s married?And was I ready to be the next Vino Vixen to find my happily ever after?
CHAPTER TWO
Lennox
Thesunhadofficiallysunk behind the horizon by the time I pulled my cobalt-blue Ford Ranger into the driveway.The sky was a wild array of purples, blues, and indigos.
I loved twilight.
It wasn’t the easiest time of day to drive in, and often the muted tones played with my eyes, but it was still a magical time.When the creatures of the day said goodnight and laid their heads to rest, and the nocturnal beings stretched and opened their eyes, ready to adventure out in the darkness.
I considered myself a night owl, since I felt most awake around eleven at night.But my life, my child, my job, and my mental health kept me from sleeping in beyond six.
I turned off the ignition and the headlights, and opened the door, inhaling deeply to pull in that fresh sea air mixed with all the sweet pollen in the floating around on the cool breeze.
The hoot of an owl in the nearby woods made me smile.
I waited for the sound of the front door to burst open.
But it didn’t.
Hmm.
“Mabes?”I called out, making my way up the round, white stepping stones through the grass to our front porch.
