Page 5

“The sun, soon,” Stella joked. “Seriously though, my staff would like to go home. So if you two could maybe take this somewhere else…”

Lydia glanced over her shoulder at the new arrival, and her eyes widened when she realized it was the pretty brunette Aspen and Zann had been talking to earlier, the one Eve had said was one of the owners of the resort. Though there was nothing but amusement in Stella’s tone—which, given some of the stories Zann had shared about hers and Aspen’s exploits with the Stirling twins, totally fit what she’d learned about her—Lydia still pitched sideways to grab her phone from her purse to check the time. “Is it really that late?”

“Eh.” Stella smiled and waved her off. “It’s only pushing eleven thirty, but we usually close at eleven during the week in the offseason like this.”

Lydia grimaced when her lock screen showed that Stella wasn’t exaggerating about how late it had gotten. “I am so sorry.”

“I’m not,” Zann quipped.

“No reason to be sorry,” Stella assured Lydia genially. She threw a playfully reproachful look at Zann. “And, of course you’re not.” She chuckled fondly when Zann just grinned and shrugged without a hint of apology. “Did you get your key and everything already, or do I need to go unlock the front desk to get you your shit?”

Zann stuck her tongue out at Stella. “I checked in and put my things in my room before I came down here, thank you very much.”

Lydia huffed a laugh at their banter as she reached for her shoes. Her toes protested immediately as she pulled her heels back on, but she soldiered through the discomfort as she grabbed her purse and pushed to her feet. She surveyed the patio to get a quick headcount of the people who’d been forced to stay late because of them, and pulled a corresponding number of fifties from her wallet. She didn’t usually carry cash, but had stopped at the ATM on the way to the airport so she’d be prepared for situations like this.

“Please give this, as well as my apologies to your staff,” Lydia said as she offered Stella the money.

Stella smiled and shook her head as she pushed the bills back toward her. “It’s really not necessary.”

“Still…” Lydia tried again to give her the money.

Stella wasn’t having it, however, as she folded her hands behind her back. “We were just cleaning up anyway, so you really didn’t make them stay any longer than they would have had to, otherwise.”

“Thank you, Stell,” Zann crooned.

Stella blew her a kiss. “I’ll see you guys at brunch.”

“Can’t wait,” Zann replied sincerely. She touched a light hand to Lydia’s hip and half-turned toward the exit with a playfully gallant and entirely suggestive, “After you.”

Lydia’s pulse stuttered as Zann’s touch lingered, pressing ever so lightly as if to guide her, and she nodded as she shouldered her purse. “Thank you.” Her eyes drifted over the balcony as she fell into step beside Zann, and she was reassured to see that Stella hadn’t been lying about the staff being inconvenienced as she watched them go quietly about the work of closing up for the night. She glanced at Zann as they made their way through the lobby. “What cottage are you in?”

Zann fished a keycard envelope from the back pocket of her jeans, and glanced at the front cover before holding it up like it was a winning lottery ticket. “Eighteen. How about you?”

“Sixteen, so just before yours,” Lydia shared. “I believe Kit and Jack were given seventeen, but they won’t be getting in until the morning.”

“Y’know, for someone who ‘doesn’t want any drama at her wedding’,” Zann chuckled, framing the words with air quotes, “Aspen sure has a way of courting trouble.”

Lydia laughed. “Eve and her were calling me and them the ‘troublemaking trio’ at her parents’ gala, the year before last.”

“Well, shit, now I’m feeling left out. Though, from what Aspen and Eve have said about that weekend,” Zann added as she pulled open the door and gestured for Lydia to go first, “I’m not particularly upset that I missed all that drama.”

“Yeah, it was something, all right,” Lydia confirmed as she stepped outside. Without the warmth of the fire they’d been sitting by, the air was almost uncomfortably cool, and she rubbed her hands over her arms as she looked around the mostly empty parking lot beside the main house. Eve had mentioned that Zann rode a motorcycle, but there were only cars and SUVs in the lot. “Did you drive down here?”

“Nah. I left my truck at my cottage and walked.” Zann ruffled her fingers through her hair in that way Lydia found absolutely enthralling as she glanced at the coastline. “Would’ve loved to’ve ridden my bike, but I needed too many clothes for the week to swing it.”

Lydia arched a brow as she appraised Zann’s long, strong legs and butter-soft black leather jacket. She’d look fucking incredible on a motorcycle. “That’s too bad…”

Zann hummed and turned to her with a smile. “Do you ride?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Lydia admitted as she started toward the walkway lined with small, outdoor lights bright enough to light the path and the lush foliage on either side of it that wound its way up the slope toward their cottages. “Though I’ve always wanted to learn.”

“I could totally teach you. I bet we could rent one in Santa Barbara…”

“I don’t think this is the week to acquire that particular skill,” Lydia said regretfully. “Alder was quite insistent that we create a structured itinerary of events leading up to the rehearsal on Friday night.”

“Of course Alder did,” Zann groaned, though there was no mistaking the fondness in her voice. “We could always sneak off?”

Lydia hummed noncommittally. She didn’t see it happening, but she’d learned enough about Zann over the last few hours to know that it’d be foolish to rule anything out. “Let me know if you figure out how to do that without tripping Alder’s Spidey-senses.”