“Hey, Slater!”
He dropped his hand before turning and spotting their construction foreman, Reece, walking toward them. He wore a hard hat and was carrying his tablet, and didn’t look too happy to see them.
“Hey, Reece,” he said casually. “What brings you here on a Sunday?”
“Just needed to do a quick walkthrough to confirm what supplies we’ll need for tomorrow.” He turned and smiled at Evie. “Hi. I’m Reece Barrett.”
Evie shook his hand. “Evie Parker,” she said with a smile. “I’m Milo’s assistant. You and I have spoken on the phone several times.”
If Slater wasn’t mistaken, Reece’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah! Wow, it’s nice to finally put a face to the voice. It’s nice to meet you. Are you here just for a vacation or did you relocate here with Milo?”
“I’m just here until he gets his new office up and running. Then I’ll go back to Seattle and handle things there.”
Reece nodded. “So what do you think of Harbortown? Are you enjoying your stay? I hope your boss is letting you do a little sightseeing. I know it’s not as impressive as where you’re from, but there’s a certain charm to our little town. My folks own the ice cream shop, The Daily Scoop. Have you tried it?”
Slater wanted to roll his eyes. Was Reece seriously flirting with Evie right here in front of him?
“Slater and I went there yesterday, and it was so yummy!” she told him. “I definitely plan on going again. This week should be a little more of a normal schedule, so I may make that a place to go on my lunch break.”
“Well, maybe I’ll see you there sometime,” Reece said. “How long will you be here for?”
“Maybe another two to three weeks. It all depends on how things go. But I’m so glad that Slater brought me over to see all of this. I feel like I’ve been hearing about it for so long.”
“You guys shouldn’t be here without hard hats on,” he admonished, giving Slater a hard glare. “The place is locked and blocked off for a reason.”
“Yeah, sorry. I just thought we’d take a look from a distance, but once we got here, it was too impressive to stay away from.”
That seemed to appease Reece. “I get it, but…” His phone rang, and he gave them a quick apology. “I need to take this. I’ll lock up behind you. It was nice to meet you, Evie.”
“Same,” she told him before she looked at Slater.
“We should probably head back,” he said, a little too briskly. “Before anyone else yells at us for trespassing.”
She didn’t move right away, but then she smiled softly, making his pulse jump. “Yeah,” she said. “Probably.”
As they walked their bikes back up the gravel path, Slater tried very hard to focus on the mechanics of pedaling. On the wind. On literally anything else.
But all he could think about was the way she’d stood on that unfinished stage like she already belonged there.
And how badly he was starting to want to stand beside her.
Milo: Hey! We’re staying an extra night in the city. Sorry about the short notice.
Milo: Sleep in tomorrow and plan on going into the office sometime after lunch.
Milo: Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Evie had read the text over and over, and each time it left her feeling more unsettled.
Having all this time with Slater was wonderful, but things had definitely shifted and she could tell he was desperate to put some distance between them. After they’d returned the bikes, they went to dinner together, but as soon as they finished eating, he said he needed to do some work in the office and told her he’d see her tomorrow.
That was fine; she didn’t expect him to stop living just because she was there and everyone else was away for the weekend. She was perfectly capable of entertaining herself. It was board game night up in the lounge, so she decided to join a group for Scrabble.
After an hour, however, she caught a glimpse of Slater walking into the lounge and going over to the bar. He sat down and looked tense. He glanced around, and when he spotted her, all he did was arch one brow at her.
It was such an insignificant gesture and yet so damn sexy she almost groaned.
“Your turn, Evie,” someone said, and she was forced to put her attention back on the game.
