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“Goddamn, woman,” Jack whined. “Why are you hitting me, and not Kit?”

“Because I can reach you,” Zann retorted.

Lydia held up her hands in a yeah, I really don’t want to know kind of way and turned to Alder. “Anything you want to add before we cut this circus loose?”

Alder, who was clearly already over their bullshit, waved them off with a resigned, “Nope. Get out of here.”

“I’ll go find that golf cart,” Aspen told Michael. She threw a playfully mocking look at Kit and added, “If your wittle wegs are tired and you need a ride, too, hang out here, and I’ll get you, too.”

Kit flipped Aspen off, but the rest of her response was interrupted when Shannon wandered over and asked her, “Walk up with me?”

Aspen gaped at them, her expression slipping toward horrified when Kit smiled charmingly at Shannon and said, “Absolutely!”

Oh boy, Zann thought as Shannon smiled at Kit and took her arm.

“But…” Aspen blinked after them. “I thought she was straight.”

Zann hummed and slapped her on the back. “You say that like it means anything when Kit’s involved.”

“I told Eve the same thing,” Lydia shared as she joined them.

“Yeah, women are like spaghetti around her,” Jack added as all of their gazes drifted to Kit and Shannon’s retreating backs. Though they weren’t touching, they were walking suspiciously close together, and Zann had a feeling that Shannon’s assumed heterosexuality wasn’t going to survive the week. She just hoped that, should it happen, it’d be without drama so she wouldn’t have to handle it like she’d promised Aspen.

“Spaghetti?” Aspen asked.

“Straight until they get wet,” Lydia supplied.

“Oh my god,” Aspen half-laughed, half-groaned. “That’s so bad, dude.”

“Pretty accurate, though,” Zann mused, to nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of the group. “Anyway…” She looked at Lydia. “You ready?”

Lydia nodded. “When you are.”

Zann smiled at her and then, because Kit had pretty much ditched him, asked, “Jack? You want to walk up with us?”

“Nah. Thanks, though.” He waved off the invitation. “I’ll hang out with Michael while Aspen looks for those wheels.”

“All right. Then we’ll see you guys in a bit,” Zann said, placing a light hand on the small of Lydia’s back as they started for the path that led to their cottages. She let her hand fall away after a few steps, and smiled when, after a few more, Lydia caught it and twined their fingers together.

The day had been fun, but being with such a large group meant that there was never a dull moment, and Zann sighed at the calm that enveloped them as they made their way along the palm-lined path. At first, she had questioned the couple of hours of downtime that Lydia and Alder had factored into the day before dinner—surely they could have found something to do in Santa Barbara to kill that time—but now she saw the merit of it. The break was just enough for them to recharge without sacrificing any of the time Aspen and Eve wanted to spend with their friends.

“I knew that this group would be a lot, but damn,” Lydia murmured, the amusement in her tone tinged with fatigue, as they turned onto the street for their cottages.

Zann squeezed her hand. “I don’t think Bonnie is going to survive.”

“I had the same thought,” Lydia sniggered. “But, I dunno, maybe this’ll be the week she comes out of her shell. Not gonna lie, I was curious how Shannon would deal with it all, but at least she seems to be handling the chaos.”

“Yeah, but when do you think she’ll really start handling the chaos?”

“If by chaos, you mean Kit…”

“Oh, I absolutely mean Kit.”

“Considering the way she asked Kit to walk with her…if she isn’t ‘handling’ her by tomorrow night, I’ll be shocked.”

Zann hummed. That seemed about right. They stopped at the end of the walkway to Lydia’s cottage. “I just hope they show up to dinner on time,” she said as she released Lydia’s hand to grab her waist and pull her close.

“We’ll send Jack and Michael after them if they aren’t. Let them be traumatized by whatever they find.”