But this was even better. Or worse, depending on how you looked at it. At least with the sharks, he’d have a distraction from the girl who was determined to remain single. But with salsa lessons, they’d spend more time together. Close. Touching.
“Yes, definitely,” he told her, swallowing. He was in so much trouble.
“And we get to name the turtle?” Eliana asked.
“You do. Do you already have a name picked out?”
“Asher does. And since he saved me from falling, I think he should get to name her.” She nudged her hip against his. “So what’ll it be?”
“Miss Havisham,” he said.
It took a beat for her to connect the dots, and when she turned to him with wide eyes and an outraged expression, he could hardly hold back his grin.
“No.”
“You said I got to name her. And I know you like naming turtles after single people in literature.”
Looking like she was trying to hold back a laugh, she leveled him with a stern expression. “Miss Havisham was crazy.”
“I like her. She’s interesting.”
“Oh my gosh.” She ran her hands over her face, and tiny snort escaped, making him feel very satisfied. “I can’t believe you right now.”
“So … Miss Havisham?” Nancy said, furrowing her blond brow.
Asher nodded. “It’s a good name,” he insisted to Eliana. “You should post about her on your social media.”
“Stop.” Eliana laughed and pushed at his shoulder playfully. Was it normal to crave every touch? “Fine. You win. Miss Havisham.”
“Alright. If you insist.” Nancy wrote it down and then picked up her megaphone, nearly blasting out their ears as she yelled her thanks for a wonderful day.
Eliana and Asher moved out of the sound blast, still laughing. Eliana raised her fingers to Asher’s mouth to touch his smile. He stilled completely, except for the blood rushing through his body like a high-speed train.
“You’re different today. Happier.” She brought her hand down as if just realizing she’d touched his lips. He missed the soft touch as soon as it was gone. “I like this smile.”
“It was a fun day.” His voice sounded like he had rocks in his throat. “I’m glad you were here.”
And it was in that moment, as she looked up at him with pure laughter and happiness in her eyes, that he realized he had two big problems. The first, finding out if his grandpa’s box had been taken and someone was revealing the secrets. And second, he’d completely fallen for a woman who was so off-the-market, the market might as well not exist.
Chapter 19
“She'll go and fall in love, and there's an end of peace and fun, and cozy times together.” —Louisa May Alcott
Forthefirsttime,words inHappily Singlewere coming easily. She didn’t even need to peek through the kitchen blinds every ten seconds or have a snack every other page to keep her going. The words flowed.
Maybe it was because the chapter she was writing was so easy for her to write about. Friendship. Part of being happily single was making sure you had good friends. Having good friends was an essential part of life, no matter your relationship status.
When she’d been married to Corbin, she’d let her friends drift away, something she regretted. She valued her friendships—the old ones, her influencer friends, her family who were her best friends, and her new friends.
Like Asher.
She had so much fun playing the games last week with him. He wasn’t afraid to tease her, but in the end, she sensed he wanted to win just as much as she had.
Her gaze drifted to where he sat on the living room floor, going through boxes like a man on a mission. The tear of tape, the pulling back of the cardboard, and the sound of a lifetime of belongings thunking to the floor were the soundtrack to this writing session. She knew how difficult it was for him to do this, and her chest expanded at the thought of him facing something so hard.
Meeting Asher and becoming friends with him was one of the best things to come out of this trip. And not just because it gave her a quiet place to work, write, and continue making content.
He was a distraction, but in a good way. The kind of way that made her just a little bit happier, especially when she recalled curling into his warm, hard-as-a-rock chest. Maybe her other friends didn’t distract her inquitethe same way, but she refused to overthink it. She and Asher had that elusive friendship click, like two interlocking pieces snapping together just right, and with all the stress of planning the wedding and writing this book, she needed that.
