Heat flooded her cheeks, and she stammered for a moment. “Well, when you talk like that, anything can sound sexual!” she argued. “That is not how I meant it.”
“I know,” he said quickly. Too quickly. “I know.” But his eyes had darkened just a little. And he was standing much closer than necessary.
She lifted her chin, trying to recover. “I was being helpful.”
“You were,” he agreed, voice low. “Very helpful.”
The air between them shifted, going from light and playful to charged and dangerous in the smallest way.
She swallowed. “So…do you want me to clean it or not?”
He held her gaze a beat too long.
“Evie,” he said carefully, “if you get anywhere near my bike right now, I’m not responsible for my thoughts.”
Her breath hitched, and her eyes went wide. “Good to know,” she said, clearly aiming for breezy and missing by a mile.
He handed her the rag anyway, but he didn’t step back.
They were playing a dangerous game, but he had no idea who was in control or if anyone was at this point. All he knew was they were both playing with fire and seemed more than okay with it.
When she accidentally bumped him with her hip, he finally moved. And he knew he needed to end the day without being too obvious. Pulling out his phone, his first thought was to find out when everyone was coming back.
Slater: Hey! Hope you guys are having a blast in Manhattan. Will you be back for dinner? Should Evie and I wait?
Please be on your way back…please be on your way back…
Milo: Hey! Don’t wait on us for dinner. We decided to stay another night and just head back in the morning. Maisie got us tickets to a Broadway show.
Nora: I’m so excited about it! I’ve never seen one before! It’s going to be so much fun!
“Great,” he mumbled. “They’re all having a great time and I’m in hell.”
“All finished!” Evie said, wiping her hands on her jeans. “Are you ready?”
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he nodded. “Yup.” He walked over and picked up the helmets he had found that were new in their boxes and opened them, handing one to Evie. Silently, they geared up and climbed onto their bikes. “I’ll lead. The path is paved the entire way, so it will be easy to maneuver.”
“Sounds good! Lead the way!”
He took off quickly, and the distance was short enough that they could have walked it, but this felt better. Plus, he was burning off some of his restless energy.
The amphitheater came into view just past the tree line, and the path turned to gravel and widened as the land dipped gently toward the lake.
Slater coasted to a stop first, bracing one foot on the ground as Evie rolled up beside him. “There it is,” he said, aiming for casual. “Milo’s latest obsession.” He unlocked the chain that kept the construction area blocked off from resort guests and motioned for her to go ahead of him.
Evie didn’t answer. She’d already swung off her bike and started walking, helmet still on, staring in wonder.
The amphitheater rose from the hillside like it had been carved straight into it—wide, curved rows of pale concrete sweeping down toward a broad wooden stage. The stage deck was in place, but unfinished, raw wood catching the late-afternoon light. The metal framework climbed behind it, where lighting rigs would eventually hang. Scaffolding hugged one side. Stacks of lumber and pallets of stone sat neatly off to the perimeter, waiting their turn.
It wasn’t polished. Rebar still jutted up in sections where railings would go. Extension cords snaked across the gravel. Mud clung stubbornly to the edges from the early spring thaw.
But it was undeniably impressive.
Beside him, Evie slowly removed her helmet. “Oh my God,” she breathed.
Slater swallowed hard at her awed tone. He expected polite interest or a supportive assistant’s nod, but not this.
She stepped forward without hesitation, walking down one of the unfinished concrete tiers as if she’d been here a hundred times before. Her fingers skimmed lightly along the curve of the seating, like she was feeling the scale of it.
