Epilogue Lila #3
“Also, line 98 has a provision for added influx of visitors,” Devlin, always the bottom-line type, adds. I check and yes, there is a projection there for increased strain on the infrastructure.
I switch back because I haven’t finished my text to Delia. Right. How about I try something like this and see where it gets me. ‘Hey, you’re all so hot, I’d happily hook up with any one of you. How about you talk it over and decide. Whichever of you wants me, come and get me?’
I hit the send button with more force than I intend. I’m secretly hoping she can feel that tap to know how ridiculous she’s being.
Just then, all three of the men’s phones chime at the same time.
The breath leaves my body and all the blood drains from my face. I look down at my phone, though I don’t want to see.
I didn’t send it to Delia.
I sent it to the group chat.
Looking back up is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been so horny all night I don’t have enough blood left in my face to blush and my heart has stopped mid-beat. The guys are comparing their phones and huddled together in a tight knot, occasionally glancing up at me.
For my part, I want to crawl under the table. Maybe spend the rest of my life there.
Tanya is still talking about her citations and history—who knows because I’m not listening anymore. Not when the hunks are over there whispering to each other.
There’s no way in hell I’m going to sit here under their scrutiny all night.
I bang my gavel. “Enough. Unless anyone has anything new to contribute, this meeting is adjourned.”
I give a hard look around the room, daring anyone to say anything further.
Tanya pouts. The guys… well, I’m not looking at them. The few bored members of the community who’ve shown up for their own agendas are more than ready to pack it in. Tanya’s concerns were the last thing on the schedule for the night.
Dang but I’m thankful that I have enough authority to end things. I declare the meeting over, wait for someone to second it, and I’m out of there.
Literally. I’m halfway to the door before the sound of the gavel coming down clears the air.
No way in hell am I waiting around. I need to go home, pack, and leave the country. Hopefully, before one of the guys catches up with me.
The only problem? The door out is on the other side of the room.
All three of the men rise with me. I see them making a beeline for me out of the corner of my eye. I can make it out by ducking and running, but there is something decidedly in my way: Tanya.
“I asked for leniency,” she says, getting in my face just short of the doorway, “but all you did was issue citations. Because of you, my latest deal went sour, and I wasn’t able to get the houses.
Need I remind you that place on Baker Street is still standing empty when there is a need to house our tourists.
That’s a substantial windfall for the town. ”
“It’s not personal.” I choke the words out because I can feel people surrounding me. I’m being buffeted by others trying to get out. Apparently, I’m not the only one in a hurry today.
The guys… I see them coming right at me.
Then to my shock, they leave.
Great. Now they think I’m a slut. I mean, would it have killed them to feign at least a little interest before blowing me off?
I think I’ll become a nun.
And yes, I get the irony. Sure, I was trying to escape, but that’s back when I thought I still had a chance.
I sigh and give Tanya a hard look. “Just… take care of what you already have and then look at creating new problems. Think of it this way. We made it easy for you. All those citations give you a perfect to-do list.”
I shouldn’t have said it, but emotionally I’m a bit too raw to deal with her right now. If I could lock myself in my car and maybe drive into the ocean, I would consider the night an improvement.
I push past her as she’s still sputtering. I know my words are going to come back and haunt me, but I have bigger humiliation to deal with at the moment. I run as fast as heels will allow me to the exit and hold my head down as I make for my car.
I don’t actually look where I’m going until I see a pair of expensive shoes in front of me. I stare at them, transfixed when a pair of boots and then a pair of boat shoes all join in a line between me and my car.
I look up into the rugged and grinning faces of the very men I’d been trying to hide from. Given that I was just hating them for blowing me off, I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel about them anymore.
Threatened. I might try threatened…
Devlin Armitage, in his suit, is the essence of business and sobriety. He’s also a gourmet chef who can work absolute magic in any kitchen.
Then, there’s Aidan Raybourne. Aidan is that surfer dude who might have been Aquaman in a parallel universe and caters to the whale-watching, sea-going crowd.
Finally, there’s Miguel Reyes who stands with military precision. He provides security to the town’s stores and attractions—a tall order for a tourist town.
They couldn’t be more different. Together, they are everything a woman could possibly want in a guy… and they have money besides.
Me? As the head of Verbena Bay, California’s Chamber of Commerce, my authority and influence ended when I declared the meeting over. Now I’m just staring up and up and up at three men who make me feel like I’m about three feet tall.
“What…”
I have to remind myself that these are my brother’s best friends. The fact that Simon is out of town for an extended time doesn’t help. “What do you want?”
It’s Miguel who answers. He’s usually the quiet one, the one that lets the others talk. “Well,” he glances at the others and back at me, “it looks as though we’re all heading to your place.”
I take a good look in their eyes. All of them.
My god, they’re serious.