Chapter 21 Sarah #2
And I liked her. I really did. This cousin once removed of mine, direct, observant, and slightly dangerous to my sense of self-control, was growing on me fast.
“We’ll see,” I said lightly. Total lie.
Part of me felt unhinged and rebellious, like the version of me who played it safe had been shoved into a broom closet and told to sit quietly while the rest of me contemplated doing something wildly out of character.
Why shouldn’t I ask Dust-guy out?
Maybe he was waiting for me to make the first move. Maybe he didn’t know how to approach it without crossing some imaginary professional line. After all, I technically had hired him to evaluate the inn. Maybe he thought it would be inappropriate.
Which was funny, considering we’d already blown past inappropriate somewhere around the kissing-in-the-den mark.
I glanced across the lawn again, my heart doing that annoying hopeful thing. Maybe for once, I didn’t have to wait to be chosen.
Maybe I could choose.
“Well,” said Lola breezily as she swept over to us, already tugging Mark along by an extra-long pearl necklace like she’d just won him at an upscale carnival, “I’m off to have lots of sex on a boat.”
Ah. Here we go.
The grin on Mark’s face said he was not only on board with that plan but had already mentally rearranged the sails to accommodate it.
“Slut,” came Dottie’s voice from somewhere behind us, loud and affectionate.
Lola didn’t even flinch. Her smile widened proudly. “Dream big, Dottie.” She turned her attention to me, her eyes sparkling. “Have you ever had sex on a boat, Sarah?”
I immediately inhaled wrong and choked on my own spit. “What? Uh… no. I don’t think so.” I paused. Is that something people forget?
Becca dissolved into giggles beside me, one hand over her mouth, the other clutching her wine. “Well,” Lola continued thoughtfully, “if you time the rocking of the boat just right, you barely have to do any work. Physics handles the rest.”
Mark’s hand slid to her lower back, his smile turning downright feral. “I’m very good with physics.”
Lola purred. “I knew I liked you.”
I made a face. “I feel like I should cover my ears.”
“Nonsense,” said Lola. “This is educational, darling.” She leaned in closer, stage-whispering. “Plus, the ocean breeze? Excellent motivation.”
Becca wheezed. “I’m never getting that image out of my head.”
“Good,” said Lola cheerfully. “That’s how memories are made.”
Becca wiped at her eyes. “I can’t believe this is my life.”
Lola grinned at all of us, clearly enjoying every second. “Stick around, ladies. I like an audience. Keeps things interesting.”
I stared at her. “You’re impossible.”
“Yet,” she said sweetly, looping the pearls back around her neck, “here we all are.”
Mark leaned in and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh, low and pleased.
I shook my head. “I will never look at boats the same way again.”
Becca snorted. “You say that now.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I mean it. Boats are officially charged environments.”
Becca cleared her throat. “Look who’s coming over,” she whispered to me.
Dust-guy was heading straight toward us, his hands in his pockets and posture easy like he wasn’t about to ruin my emotional equilibrium in broad daylight.
The redhead trailed behind him, her fingers clamped around his arm again and her mouth pulled into a tight little line like she’d just bitten into something sour and decided to blame me for it.
Ooh. She was mad.
And not the dignified, silent-disapproval mad either. This was the territorial, I paid for this mad.
Great.
My spine went rigid. Every muscle in my body snapped to attention like we were under threat of attack. I suddenly became acutely aware of where I was standing, how I was standing, what my face was doing, and whether my hair looked like it had given up on life.
“Hey, New York,” said Dust-guy, calmly.
“Hi,” I replied, aiming for casual but landing somewhere near brittle.
Sabrina stepped closer, her grip tightening like she was afraid I might tackle him and drag him into the hydrangeas. Her eyes flicked over me, sharp and assessing, like she was mentally tallying flaws.
Good luck with that, lady. I’m a gold mine.
Dust-guy shifted slightly, angling his body so he was facing me more than her. That tiny movement did absolutely nothing to help my pulse.
“I won’t keep you,” he said. “I just wanted to say something before I go.”
“Right,” I said. “You’re the Handy Man for the Day.” I laughed, the sound high-pitched and forced. I sounded unhinged.
Brilliant response. Truly eloquent.
“I’m heading out after… this,” he continued, gesturing vaguely behind him, like the entire auction-and-date situation was a mild inconvenience instead of a full-blown circus. “Don’t know when I’ll be back.”
My chest tightened, like something had been cinched a notch too far. “That’s…” I stopped myself and restarted. “Okay.” I could feel Becca’s gaze on me. Hell, even Lola and Mark were all staring, but I couldn’t look at them.
Sabrina huffed loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Dust-guy reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded card. Held it out to me. “If you need help with the inn,” he said, “call this guy. Name’s Tom. Good work. Reliable. Won’t screw you over.”
The card felt heavier than it should’ve when I took it. I hated that my hand shook. “Thanks,” I said. My voice held, miraculously.
He nodded once and hesitated, just a beat too long. “I didn’t want to leave you without options,” he added.
“Right,” I answered, my tongue suddenly feeling too big and awkward in my mouth.
Because that meant he’d thought about me. About the inn. About what I’d need after he was gone. Just not about staying.
“I appreciate it,” I said, folding the card carefully, like if I creased it wrong, I might snap in half.
Around us, the party hummed. Glasses clinked. Someone laughed too loudly. And I could feel it, the watching. Eyes flicking over. People sensing something was happening and leaning in with their curiosity.
The redhead’s nails dug into Dust-guy’s arm. “We should go,” she said sharply.
Dust-guy glanced at her and then back at me. “Take care of yourself,” he said.
I smiled. It probably looked real. I’d had years of practice. “You too.”
He nodded again and then let Sabrina steer him away, her heels digging into the grass like she was staking a claim with every step.
I watched them go, watched the space where he’d been linger just a second longer than it should have.
Becca didn’t say anything. She just slid her arm through mine, solid and steady. And I was grateful for that.
“Well,” I said, feeling like a fool and like I’d just walked into a glass door I was convinced was open. It had happened before. “That was… interesting.”
She squeezed my arm. “You okay?”
I looked down at the card in my hand. Tom. Contractor. Backup plan.
“Yeah,” I said. Total lie.
Across the lawn, Dust-guy didn’t look back as he walked away and finally disappeared around the side of the inn with the redhead.
And for the first time since this whole ridiculous weekend had started, the party noise felt very, very far away.