Evie nearly jumped out of her skin when she walked into Axel and Maisie’s suite two nights later, and everyone cheerfully greeted her that way.
“Oh, my goodness…” Hand over her heart and a little breathless, she smiled. “That’s a bold way to welcome someone.”
“We’re so glad you’re here!” Lexi said as she hugged her. “Come on in. We’ve got a ton of yummy stuff to eat tonight.”
“What can I get you to drink?” Harlow asked after she hugged her. “Wine? Cosmopolitan? Watermelon margarita? Strawberry daiquiri? Or…water, iced tea, or soda?”
“Wow, that is quite the selection. What are we eating?”
“Everything,” Lexi said. “Connor prepared a ton of every kind of food imaginable. God, I love that man.”
“Um…”
Harlow grinned. “Yeah, it’s a lot of food—we’ve got spaghetti carbonara, meatballs, a giant barbecue platter with brisket, ribs, and chicken, sliders, street tacos, and some seafood risotto.”
“Oh, wow…that’s…”
“Then there are dumplings, chicken satay, chips and guac, and a charcuterie board,” Harlow said.
“So, um…yeah. A lot of food.”
As if on cue, Connor came strolling out of the kitchen. He kissed Lexi before saying goodbye to everyone. “Enjoy your dinner, ladies! The guys and I are going into town to the pub for burgers, beer, and maybe a couple of games of darts. Let me know if you want to do dessert by the fire pit!”
“I’ll text you,” Lexi said, waving and blushing as she and Connor shared a very heated look.
It took a moment before Evie could focus on Harlow again. “And how many of us are eating?”
“Me, you, Lexi, Maisie, Nora, and Kelsey.”
For a moment, she had to think. “And Kelsey is…”
“Oh, she’s one of the original friends who used to vacation here at the resort when she was growing up. She and her husband, Jayce, are the real reason the resort got brought back to life.”
“That’s amazing! I remember Milo mentioning her, but he didn’t say she was here visiting.”
Just then, Lexi walked back over and introduced her to Kelsey. “Evie, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Evie. She’s Milo’s assistant from Seattle, and she’s currently dating Slater.”
Kelsey gasped even as she smiled broadly. “Wow! Hi! It is so nice to meet you! Did you move here with Milo and Nora, or are you just here temporarily?”
“Just temporarily,” she replied, and then noticed that Maisie and Nora were now standing there, and she felt like she was in the middle of an interrogation.
“And Slater, huh?” Kelsey added. “That’s interesting. I don’t think any of us have ever seen him serious with anyone.”
“They’re adorable,” Maisie said before looking at Evie. “Did you decide on a drink? I’ve got a pitcher of daiquiris all ready.”
“I’ll take one,” she said nervously. “So, um…where’s the food? I kind of ate a light lunch because I heard Connor was cooking for us tonight.”
Fortunately, that broke everyone up, and for the next few minutes, they were all walking around the massive dining table where the buffet was set up. It seemed crazy for there to be this much food for six people, but it all smelled so good that she didn’t care; she simply helped herself to a little of everything before finding a seat at the second dining table that had been set up for them to eat at.
There were multiple conversations going on at the same time: How was Lexi feeling and how was her pregnancy going? How long were Jayce and Kelsey staying for? How was work going on Walker and Harlow’s new resort? Was Maisie really going to decorate a supermodel’s townhouse in Manhattan? Were Nora and Milo going to buy a house here in Harbortown or continue to live in their cabin?
And then…
“So what’s going to happen with you and Slater when you head back to Seattle, Evie?”
It was a perfectly fine question.
She just wished she had a perfectly fine answer.
