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Vivienne greeted my two friends. “Hi, Bodhi. Hi, Liam.”
They both gave her a courtesy nod.
Before the situation could get more uncomfortable, Bodhi interrupted, pointing towards the couch. “Look, there’s some space over there by the fire. Let’s sit.” He looked at Vivienne. “See you later, Viv.”
She waved, and we moved toward the seating area. Bodhi made his way to the bar and mixed up some creative cocktails, which he handed to Zoey and Liam, since I already had a drink.
“Thanks.” Zoey took a sip, letting out a relaxed sigh. “Wow, Bodhi, this is delicious,” she said with wide eyes.
“Thanks,” Bodhi replied, and then he took a seat.
Trevor approached with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I stood and gave him a quick half-hug before he took a seat on an open chair.
“Bodhi, Liam,” he said in greeting. They lifted their drinks to say hello. We had all hung out on several occasions, along with Eric, so the guys already knew each other.
“Who’s this?” Trevor asked, wanting an introduction to Zoey.
“I’m Zoey,” she said, not waiting for me to introduce her.
“Trevor,” he replied.
I took a sip of my beer, watching Trevor closely, well aware of his reputation with women. “She’s Eric Baker’s younger sister.”
“Ah! Didn’t know Eric had such a hot sister. Been hiding her away, have you?”
The casual comment hit me like a punch in the gut. The protective instincts roared to life. Zoey was mine—at least for the next few weeks—and while I couldn’t very well mark my territory right there, I couldn’t let that comment slide.
“Easy, Trevor,” I warned with a light yet firm tone, clapping him on the back in a faux-friendly gesture. “Zoey’s Eric’s little sister. That should be enough of a deterrent.”
Trevor raised his hands in mock surrender. “Just making an observation,” he replied, but there was a knowing glint in his eyes.
Zoey, for her part, handled it with grace. “Well, I’ve been around, just not in the same circles, I guess,” she replied, her voice steady, though I could detect a slight edge. “In fact, these three are my brother’s best friends, and I haven’t seen them in ten years.”
Bodhi, sensing the growing tension and always being the peacemaker, added, “So, Trevor, heard you’ve gotten into diving. Tell me about that.” He smoothly steered the conversation away, and I shot him a grateful look.
Zoey leaned into me slightly, her fingers lightly brushing my hand—a small yet intimate gesture. I glanced down, catching her eyes, and it was clear she had some questions about what just transpired.
While we chatted, I noticed the other girls inching closer to Bodhi and Liam, casting flirtatious glances their way. I could tell Zoey was trying to play it cool, but the slight clenching of her jaw and the narrowing of her eyes betrayed her annoyance.
A tall woman in her mid-twenties with raven-black hair cascading down in waves, wearing a fitted red dress, sidled up to Liam, her fingers lightly grazing his arm.
“Hey, Liam, right? I’m Isabella,” she cooed, her voice dripping with sultriness. “We met last month at Trevor’s barbecue.”
Liam scooted over a couple of inches, putting space between him and the woman.
He smiled back to be polite, but there was a hint of restraint in his voice. “Hey, Isabella. Yes, I remember. How’ve you been?”
She tilted her head, pushing a stray strand behind her ear. “I’ve been good! We just got here today, but we are going to go skiing tomorrow,” she said. “You guys should join us.”
“Maybe,” Liam replied. “We haven’t made plans for tomorrow yet. Just taking things day by day.”
I watched their conversation intently. How were we going to navigate this? This thing with Zoey was so new that we definitely weren’t ready to share anything about our unconventional relationship.
And besides, Nate and Trevor knew Eric. There was a real possibility that word could get back to him. Word got around fast when you were in the same social circles.
“Do you want to go and grab a drink with me?” Isabella asked.
Liam avoided eye contact, but tried to keep the conversation light. “Sorry, I’m seeing someone.”
