“But what if…”
“Come on,” Axel said, nodding toward the lodge. “I think you need a little more time.” And as they continued to walk, they spotted Milo’s car.
“Hey!” he said, walking over to join them. “I got your text and was getting ready for lunch and figured I’d head over.”
Slater looked around. “Where’s Evie?”
“Oh, she ordered lunch from the pub, and then she really wanted to spend some time at the bookstore and grab some things for the flight home.”
That made him laugh softly. She was mildly obsessed with books, and they had joked about her needing an extra suitcase to bring home all the ones she’d purchased over the last month.
“Does anyone know what’s on the menu for lunch?” Milo asked. “Did Connor mention anything?”
“No idea. This was all last minute,” Slater murmured.
“Everything okay?” Milo asked. “You don’t normally ask for a meeting. Did you finally find where you’re moving to next?”
He and Axel exchanged glances before he said, “I’m not sure. That’s what I wanted to talk to everyone about.”
“Oh.”
Slater stopped again, and it took his friends a moment to notice. When they did, he focused on Milo. “Look, before we go inside and see everyone, I need to know that we’re okay. Like…all this with Evie and me…?”
Milo didn’t respond right away. He just studied Slater with an intensity that seemed a bit much for the situation. “I was mad as hell at you when I first found out,” he said lowly. “And it wasn’t because I thought you weren’t good enough for her; I just knew that you weren’t looking for anything serious. I’ve known Evie for a long time, and I’ve seen the way guys just treat her like she’s okay for now, you know? And I saw you doing the same thing.” He shrugged. “I felt like a protective older brother, and it pissed me off that one of my best friends was the one doing that to her.”
Well, shit. I walked right into that one.
Shifting slightly, Milo went on. “But the thing that made this different—other than her yelling at me that morning and basically telling me to mind my own business—was that I’ve never seen her this happy. Ever. I mean, Evie’s an upbeat person. She’s everyone’s personal hype girl. But I never saw her light up the way she does around you.” He sighed. “And I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that I’m saying that, considering she’s leaving tomorrow and you guys are going your separate ways.”
Slater went to talk, but Axel interrupted. “No offense, but we should take this inside. Connor and Walker are waiting, and I have a feeling we’re in for a long afternoon.”
“I need to be back at the office by three, so…” Milo quickly announced.
“Then we really need to get inside and talk this out. Let’s go.”
With little more than a nod, they all went inside and directly to the conference room. It felt weird to have literally no conversation, but it seemed like this sort of situation required everyone’s full attention.
They met Walker along the way, and when they reached the conference room, Connor was already putting platters of food on the table. Without looking up, he said, “On such short notice, I just put together a couple of the barbecue platters minus the corn on the cob.” He moved around the table as one of the staff put out plates and silverware, and another brought in a variety of drinks. Within minutes, it was down to the five of them.
“Everybody make your plates,” Axel told them. “Milo’s got to get back to the office.”
No one had to tell them twice, and in no time, they were all seated with heaping plates of food and drinks in front of them.
“I believe Slater has the floor,” Walker prompted.
He nearly choked on a forkful of brisket because he wasn’t prepared to just jump in like that. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Um…yeah, so…I just really need to bounce ideas off of you guys because you know me and how I think, and I can’t seem to make a decision on what comes next for me.”
“You go with Evie to Seattle,” Connor stated as if it were the obvious decision.
“Uh…”
Nodding, Connor continued. “We all know it’s what you want to do, but you don’t think you should. And honestly, Slater? You’re exhausting.”
“I’m exhausting?” he asked incredulously. “How do you figure that?”
“Because—just like Axel—it’s like you don’t think you’re worthy of being happy. Well, news flash, dude, you are.” He paused and glanced around. “Did they bring in some extra barbecue sauce? I think the ribs are a little dry.”
“Will you forget about the ribs!” Slater snapped.
