Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Cool. Thanks again.”
She says goodbye to Riley, and we shuffle through an awkward hug that still gets my blood rushing like I haven’t touched a woman in months. Something about the smell of sunscreen and her flowery shampoo makes me all stupid, and I can’t walk straight. The haze lingers as we walk off in different directions.
Riley and I make it five yards away before something stops me. A nagging sense of money left on the table. This was the longest conversation Gen and I have had in weeks, and I’m just letting her leave? What the hell is wrong with me?
“Give me a sec,” I tell Riley. Then I dart off, jogging after Genevieve. “Hey. Fred. Wait up.”
She stops, turning to face me. “What’s up?”
I let out a hurried breath. “No bullshit, I took what you said seriously. I’m getting my act together.”
A groove digs into her forehead. “Is that what this Big Brothers thing is all about?”
“Sort of. I’m reformed,” I say earnestly. “And I can prove it to you.”
“How’s that?”
“I intend to court you.”
Gen bites back a laugh, looking away. “Evan.”
“I mean it. I’m going to court you. All gentlemanly and shit.”
“Is this your latest creative attempt to get me naked?”
I haven’t heard a no yet, so I take it as a good sign. “If we do this, sex is off the table. I’m going to prove to you I’ve changed. Woo you the old-fashioned way.”
“Woo me,” she echoes.
“Woo you,” I confirm.
Twisting her lips as she studies me, Gen considers my offer. Every second she’s silent, I know the idea is finding root in her brain. Because she wants me to give her an excuse, to make it okay to say yes. I know her. Better, I know us. There’s no world in which she can stay away from me. No more than I can tolerate distance from her. Truth is, we’ve never had any resistance to each other, no chance of severing the immutable connection that always pulls us back together. And because I can’t lie to her, she knows when I’m sincere.
“You should know,” Gen says, “you wouldn’t be my only suitor.”
I narrow my eyes. “Baby cop?”
She chides me with a grimace. “Harrison asked me out on another date, and I said yes. You’ve got some competition.”
We have very different concepts of competition, but sure, whatever. If she needs a guy to make me jealous, either as some form of punishment or just to keep things interesting, that’s fine by me. It’ll make winning all the more satisfying. Because this guy’s already been knocked out. He just hasn’t hit the ground yet.
I flash the cocky lopsided grin that I know drives her wild. “Bring it, baby.”
CHAPTER 18
GENEVIEVE
I’m not sure how it happened. A couple months ago, I was certain coming back to the Bay was a temporary situation. Confident that things would eventually level off with Dad, the house, and the business—he’d find someone to replace me, and everyone would move on from Mom’s death. Now, it seems every day I stick around, I’m digging my toes in deeper. Despite my best efforts, my instincts keep me rooted home, and my life in Charleston is slowly becoming blurred with distance.
I wake up to the faint aroma of coffee and the muffled sounds of Billy and Craig arguing over something downstairs. There’s a shower running in the hall bathroom, and I hear Jay singing what sounds like a Katy Perry song.
I roll over in bed and strain to make out the words. Oh, that is definitely Katy Perry. I make a mental note to tease him mercilessly at breakfast. Jay crashed here last night after Kellan kicked him out of their apartment because he had a hot date. Who knows where Shane slept. That boy is a walking disaster.
I won’t lie. It’s good to be home.
On the nightstand, my phone buzzes with an incoming text.
Evan: Morning, Fred.
I’d like to say Evan is irrelevant to the roots that are taking hold and tethering me to this town. But since agreeing a few days ago to give him another chance, I’ve felt nothing but pure relief. My shoulders suddenly feel lighter and unburdened from the effort of avoiding him. I hadn’t realized how much it’d hurt, staying away from him.
Me: Morning.
Evan: Good luck.
The phone rings before I can ponder the meaning of his text.
Wrinkling my forehead, I swipe the screen to answer the call. “Hello?”
“Genevieve? Hey. It’s Mackenzie Cabot. Cooper’s girlfriend.”
My brain snaps to attention. “Oh. Hi. How’s it going?”
“Evan told me you were interested in working at the hotel. He gave me some details about your experience, but I figured we should meet in person and have an official interview. How’d you like to come by and talk about the manager position? See if it’s something you’d be up for.”