Chapter 23
Everly
Stretching like a cat, I yawn and blink against the light streaming in.
I forgot to close the blinds last night.
LAST NIGHT! I pitch forward, sitting up, and swing my head back and forth around my room.
My empty room. I zero in on the piece of paper on my nightstand—the note Lilly left on the bar last night.
Except it’s Julian’s handwriting on the backside of her note.
Snuck out before guests woke up. Best. Night. Sleep. Ever. J
“Knock, knock.” The singsong voice filters down the hall.
I jump from the sheets and yank clothes from dresser drawers. I rip Julian’s shirt off my head and toss it on the bed before I spread the duvet over the mattress. I tell myself that I’m not hiding evidence. I’m an adult. I do what I want.
As I pull the tank top down over my head and squirm my arms through the armholes, my door cracks open and Tatum pokes her head through the opening. “You awake, sleeping beauty?”
“Just. What are you guys doing here so early?”
“Perfect sets rollin’ in right in your backyard. Don’t worry. We brought breakfast.” She starts to retreat but stops and studies me for a moment.
I turn my back on her under the guise of getting my swimsuit out of my drawer. “Guess I’ll need to change then.”
“Okay.” Her response is slow, pondering. Then she adds, “Bagel or donut hole?”
“It feels like a why choose kinda morning.” I strip off the tank and my thong as she closes the door with a hmph. I don the swimsuit I snag off the top of the pile, blue—like his eyes. I snag my romper from yesterday off the floor and step into it as I step into the hall.
The guest bedroom door opens and Seth walks out shirtless, yawning and scratching his chest. His dark hair stands up in wild tufts. He turns a lazy smile on me and drops his arm on my shoulders.
“What’s good, beautiful?”
“Waves are hitting apparently. Get dressed. Wake them up. Also, we’ve got company.”
“And breakfast,” Lennon calls from the kitchen.
“Sick. Okay, five minutes.” Seth does an about-face and walks back into the guest room. True to his word, he’s in the kitchen in five minutes, Noah and Lilly trailing behind him, sleepy but awake and dressed to surf.
“Tatum, Lennon, this is Lilly, Noah and Seth.”
“Feels like we already know you,” Lennon gushes. “So cool to finally meet you guys face-to-face. Ready to hit the beach? It’s cookin’ right now.”
“Bet,” Noah replies, popping another donut hole in his mouth.
“Who wants coffee?” Tatum starts passing out cardboard cups.
Everyone’s hands shoot in the air.
“They’re black because I didn’t know what you liked, so you have to doctor them yourselves. Except yours, Ever.”
“Vanilla Cold Foam?” I reach my hand out.
“Of course.” She passes the drink to me.
Before we hit the beach, I text Allie to make sure she doesn’t need any help.
Allie: That’s what party planners are for. Have fun. Be ready by noon.
Me: Cool. Thanks.
Waiting for our set, Tatum floats next to me. I saw it on her face this morning just like I do now. My stay of execution is over. Here comes the grill. “You look different. Did you see him?”
I can’t keep the smile off my face. “Yeah, last night on the beach.”
“Anyone that makes you smile like that deserves a seat at the table or at least a conversation.”
“That’s the problem. We can’t seem to keep our hands off each other long enough to have a conversation.”
“Good problem to have, no? We should all be so lucky.”
“Yeah, that’s fair. But we do have to talk. We can’t just pick up after seven months like nothing happened.”
“By the look on your face, you already did that.”
I fling water at her and stretch out on my board to begin paddling. “Saved by the set,” I call as I paddle faster to catch the wave.