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Piper smiled. Laura’s party was promising to be quite a night. “I know. It’ll be great.”
She selected a sandwich from the case and put it on the counter, then eyed the doughnuts.
April smiled at her. “Sorry for being nosey, but are you seeing Smoke’s brother?”
She shook her head rapidly. “No. Why?”
“Sorry. I just wondered. I mean, you were both here last weekend, and now he’s back this weekend. I thought you were, but … Sorry, I’m just being nosey. And you look like you’d make a great couple.”
“No. He’s a nice guy, but …”
“But what? You don’t like him?”
Piper shrugged. “I do, but I don’t know.”
“You can’t say he doesn’t like you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” She smiled. “And you’re the maid of honor, and he’s the best man next weekend. I bet you get together.”
Piper made a face. She didn’t know what to say.
“You want to, don’t you?”
April was so sweet. They didn’t know each other, but it didn’t feel like she was being nosey, just that she cared and was being encouraging. Everyone seemed to be like that here. “Okay. I admit it. I like him. But it’s a weird situation. He doesn’t live here. I just moved here. We’re part of the wedding. Maybe you’re right. Maybe something will happen next weekend, but if it does, it’ll just be a one-night kind of thing.”
April raised an eyebrow. “Are you a one-nighter kind of girl?”
Piper laughed. “I’m not. I’m not an anything kind of girl these days, but that’s all that could happen with me and Cameron.”
“Well, even if it is, I say, make the most of it.”
“I guess. Anyway,” she pointed at the glazed doughnuts. “Can I take one of those?”
April popped it into a bag for her.
Once she’d paid, Piper smiled. “It was nice talking to you.”
“You too. Here.” April scribbled her number on a piece of paper and handed it over. “I know what it’s like to be new here and not know many people yet. Give me a call anytime.”
“Thanks.”
“In fact, once you get settled, give me a call about going for lunch or something?”
“I will. I’d like that.”
Piper smiled to herself as she left the bakery. April was nice. She knew she’d run into her and all of Laura’s other friends around town, but it was nice to think they’d make plans to hang out too.
She looked down at the bag with her lunch in it. Now she had to decide where she was going to eat it. If she went back to the resort, she’d no doubt run into everyone, unless she scurried up to her room and she really didn’t want to sit in there to eat. Instead, she followed the old road that led out by the river, where she and Cameron had walked last weekend. When she reached the bench she remembered, she sat down to enjoy the sunshine and the view while she ate. This was the first chance she’d had to just sit and be. It was good. She smiled as reality caught up with her. She’d just made a major life change. She’d made a career move, finally left the town where she’d lived her whole life. This was big. And she was doing great. She shouldn’t be concerning herself over whether or not some guy was interested in her. A guy was a tiny part of the big picture, and it wasn’t a part she’d ever spent much time worrying about. Maybe she and Cameron would get together next weekend—maybe they wouldn’t. If they did, it’d be a fun evening, and that was all. It’d be no different than taking a boat out or going horseback riding—it’d be an enjoyable few hours, but would have no bearing on the rest of her life. She smiled and took a bite of her sandwich. Looking at it like that felt better. Just because he was nice and good-looking and fun and everything else he might be, that didn’t mean anything. She needed to stop blowing it out of proportion. She should try to forget all about him until next weekend—until Laura and Smoke’s wedding. In the meantime, she had a new job to start and a new life to settle into.
Chapter Six
Cameron chuckled to himself while he waited for Cole to come back. He thought this kind of thing only happened in movies. It was Cole’s wedding day—just a few hours before they were supposed to be at the chapel—and the two of them were sitting stranded at the airport in Vegas.
Cole had been right to be wary of holding his stag party the night before the wedding. Though, to be fair, they weren’t stuck here because of any crazy Vegas party antics. They’d only come here this morning to drop a guy off. The party had started out here in Vegas, but no one was really into it, and when Laura had called Smoke and asked if he and the guys wanted to go and join her party, they’d all flown to LA and had a great night with the girls at Oscar Davenport’s new nightclub. Everyone else had headed back to Summer Lake either last night or this morning, but Cameron and Cole had come here to drop off the pilot who’d flown one of the planes to LA for them. That was when things had gone off track. They’d gotten here no problem, but when they were ready to take off again, there was a problem with the plane. Cole said it’d take a mechanic to fix it—and of course, there wasn’t one of those around.
Cole was calling around to see what he could figure out, but it wasn’t looking hopeful. Cameron smiled at him when he came back, then looked at his watch. “Are you sure you don’t want to ask Piper to come?”
“No.”
“No, you’re not sure, or no, you don’t want to?”
