“Anyway, I’ll be out tomorrow after I pack up.” Zoey kept her voice bright, her expression neutral as she gestured once more with the tub of cookies. “And I really appreciate you guys letting me stay here so long.”
Noah’s lips twisted guiltily to the side, and he shot Elisa a look. “Of course. Anytime.”
Elisa offered a sheepish smile. “Good night, Zoey.”
“Good night, guys.” She hustled to her room.
Hopefully Linc was up for one more surprise.
* * *
He was a horrible person.
Linc scrubbed his hand over his face, his bristled jaw like sandpaper under his palm as he fought a yawn. He finished tugging his T-shirt over his head as he stumbled across the living room, toward the kitchen, squinting at the early morning sun glaring off the deck through the front door window. Only six thirty on Saturday morning, and he couldn’t sleep for tossing in guilt over Zoey.
He opened the fridge and stood staring at the contents, the chilled air wafting across his bare feet. A jug of milk and several packages of defrosted chicken stared back, next to a bowl of fresh salsa and a carton of eggs. His stomach growled, but he wasn’t in the mood for an omelet. Right now, anything he consumed would just churn with his guilt.
Zoey was obviously struggling—in vain—to branch out from her tried-and-true beignets for this catering venture of hers, and he’d spent much of the night debating on his decision to keep her off his boat. After all, it’d be easy money for her, and Anthonyhadbeen calling in a lot lately. She’d be a help playing guide, and the tourists seemed to like her.
But Linc remembered the way he couldn’t keep his focus on the water, his eyes off her smile and her tanned shoulders and well—obviously, he couldn’t afford the distraction she posed.
Maybe that wasreallywhy he felt like a horrible person—for having all these not-so-friend-like thoughts about his best friend.
He shut the fridge door with a thump. Maybe there was another way he could help Zoey out. Not that he had the funds to spare, until his own side hustle started booming. Besides, Zoey would never let him pay her bills.
Knock, knock, knock.
He frowned as he started for the front door, temper rising. Who in the world would be on his property this time of morning? Couldn’t they read theno trespassingsigns? He growled, mood tanking even further, and wrenched the knob. “This better be?—”
“An emergency?” Zoey smiled hopefully at him through the screened door, wearing jeans and a Care Bear graphic tee. A suitcase stood beside her on the wooden porch, a pillow resting on top.
Oh. Something jumped in his gut, something he didn’t want to examine too closely. And his mood lifted.
He opened the door, hinges creaking, and fought to keep his voice level, his face straight. “Guess you got banned to the stables after all. No more room in the inn?”
“Something like that.” She attempted to wrestle her purple suitcase, nearly as big as her, inside the door.
“For crying out loud. Let me, before you hurt yourself.” Linc nudged her out of the way and easily hefted the giant bag to the living room.
The screen door shut behind Zoey with a smack. “Guess this makes me Goldilocks, now.”
“Searching for the right bed?”Aye. That sounded way different when he said it out loud. He quickly moved to the kitchen. Coffee. They both needed coffee. He started punching buttons on the machine he’d used a hundred times before and suddenly couldn’t remember how to operate.
“For crying out loud.” Zoey mocked him, elbowing him out of the way and taking over. “Let me, before you hurt yourself.”
“Cute.” Still, he sank onto one of the kitchen bar stools, propped his feet on the rung, and let her. “So. What happened?”
“No biggie.” She opened the red container of Folgers. “The inn got booked up.”
What? “Noah kicked you out?” Linc scowled, started to stand. Noah was a good guy, one of the few people Linc would call a real friend, but this seemed?—
“No.” Zoey dumped the filter full of yesterday’s coffee grounds into the trash can under the sink. “But I can’t stay knowing that. Everyone has worked so hard to get tourism going again around here, and Noah almost lost the inn once. I can’t be the reason his business suffers.”
He grunted. “That’s noble of you.” Which was Zoey—always putting others first. He watched as she bustled around, like she already lived there, pulling out two mugs and using bottled water for the coffee pot. The picture was homey, cozy…downright dangerous.
“Is your offer still good?” She paused, mugs in hand, shooting him a look full of restrained hope.
Something stirred, something inside him he hadn’t felt since Kirsten. Hadn’twantedto feel. Because look what that had gotten him? Betrayal. Sleepless nights.
