So…it’s one of the main reasons he kept moving—less of a chance of getting tempted. Having stayed in Harbortown for this long was making him a bit lazy, or maybe it was comfortable. This was the longest he’d ever stayed anywhere as an adult but it was time to move on.
You know, after Evie leaves.
Because he had a feeling hanging out with her here at the resort could be a blast. She was possibly the last single—as in unattached—friend he had left. It could be fun to have someone to hang out with when all the couples were together.
As he strolled up to the lodge, he smiled because he had something to look forward to.
Or maybe…someone.
And that hadn’t happened since…well…never.
The wedding invitation felt like a ticking time bomb.
It had been sitting on Evie Parker’s desk for three days now, and she was still trying to work up the courage to ask her “boyfriend” Tucker if he would go with her.
Boyfriend was technically correct—they had been casually dating for over a month—but she wasn’t sure if that meant they were ready to go to a wedding together.
“Why am I overthinking this? Tucker’s the bride’s cousin, and the groom is my brother. We’re both going to be there no matter what, so…”
It made sense, but for some reason, formally asking him to be her date felt like a big deal.
Like…a really big deal.
Letting out a long breath, she forced herself to take a minute to calm down. It was Friday morning and she had a ton of stuff to do before her boss left town for another extended stay on the other side of the country. He had asked her to come with him—to help him get his satellite office set up—but she turned him down. Right now, her life was pretty copacetic, and she didn’t want to mess anything up.
Especially this relationship with Tucker.
Maybe with her working fewer hours, they could finally spend more time together and maybe even take things to the next level.
And she wasn’t just talking about the whole wedding date thing.
She meant physically.
They had done nothing more than kiss, and even though she was ready for more, she sensed that Tucker was taking things slow with her for a reason, like he was a respectful kind of guy who didn’t want to rush her.
“Special delivery for Evie Beanie.”
Turning in her chair, she smiled up at Slater. He was standing there looking as handsome as ever, one arm behind his back, the other holding out a cup from her favorite coffee shop and smiling his most charming smile.
“What’s up, Slater Gator?” she asked with amusement, even as she accepted the cup from his hands.
“Coffee for the coolest girl in Seattle,” he said with a wink before placing a muffin down on her desk.
“You are the sweetest. Thanks. And perfect timing. I was running late this morning and didn’t have time to stop and get my coffee fix.” She smiled. “You totally saved the day.”
“So…what I’m hearing is that I’m a hero.”
Evie couldn’t help but laugh. “If that’s what you want, sure. Hero.”
He posed like a superhero for a moment before sitting on the corner of her desk. “So, what’s this I hear you’re not coming back to Harbortown with us?”
“It’s just not a great time for me to go away. And I don’t think I’m really needed. Nora’s super organized like I am, and I think she can totally help Milo get his office up and running. Plus, my brother’s getting married next month. It’s a destination wedding in Costa Rica, and I’m going to be taking off extra time for that. There’s going to be all kinds of pre-wedding family stuff, so…”
He nodded. “Got it. I just thought it would have been cool for you to finally come and see the resort. You’ve been listening to me, Milo, and Nora talk about it for so damn long I figured you’d just want to see it for yourself.”
“I do,” she assured him. “And someday I will. I promise.”
All he did was smile at her. And Slater had a great smile. And laugh. And…everything. He was kind of the total package where men were concerned. But she had learned fairly soon after meeting him that he wasn’t the kind of guy you dated. He was the guy you could either have a fling with or the guy who was going to be an awesome friend. That was it—only two choices. So, she’d accepted being his friend.
