“Thanks,Leo,” Meredith sneered.
“Yeah, I never liked him,” Colton added.
“Usually I’m in the right headspace to churn out the happiest of happily ever afters,” I continued. “But what Leo did to me... it broke me.”
We all jealously eyed a family walking out of Goldberg’s digging into their bagels.
“And Kai fixed you, like that?” Colton snapped his fingers.
“Hardly.” Meredith laughed, since she was well acquainted with my ongoing struggle. “But he has thepotentialto.”
“Exactly.” I nodded. “He’s like my embodiment of hope. After feeling absolutely devastated, all of a sudden my heart woke up when I saw him.”
“Cue the prolific writing?” Colton asked.
I gave him a wry smile. “That’s what I’m banking on.”
Colton winced. “Damn. That’s a lot of pressure on a regular-ass guy. What if he turns out to be shitty?”
Meredith gave me a pointed look.
“I’m not considering that an option.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me and let out a low whistle.
“I mean, it’s looking pretty darn positive.” Meredith slid her arm around my shoulder as we moved closer to the door. “And now I totally support you being a loser and working today. Based on what just happened, the words are going tofallout of you.”
Two hours later I was discovering just how wrong she was.
I had everything on my side: a full belly, an absolutely stunning poolside setting beneath a cloudless sky, with bay breezes blowing in, and the promise of something magical once the sun set.
Nothingwas working for me. My finger was basically camped out above the backspace key. I was desperate to give Austin and Abby some quality time, not only because of the ticking clock but also because I loved the two of them together. They deserved an HEA, but before I could get there, I needed to put a baby in Abby so they could break apart over the unexpected pregnancy, then come together.
The problem was, they needed to have sex in order to make the damn baby.
I fell back in the chair and hugged my knees. Kai wasrightthere, closer than he’d ever been, which should’ve ignited all sorts of sexy possibilities inside of me. We’d flirted, with witnesses! Or he’d flirted, and I’d received it frozen and wide-eyed. But still, it felt like we were on our way tosomething.
So why was I still stuck?
I glanced over at the sunny-yellow notebook next to my laptop. As I was falling asleep, I’d come up with a solution to my alicorn-taming problem that created an opportunity to introduce a new ally character. She was the perfect catalyst for a reveal a few chapters later, and I’d already taken notes to fully figure her out. It was fine for her to hang out in the wings, named, fully formed, and ready to take part in some fun and games, until it was safe for me to open up myArchermanuscript. Which, given my rate of Austin output, was never.
But tonight, everything was going to change. Kai and I were at chapter one of our very own HEA. The fluttery, delicious unknown that started every great romance. We’d begin the evening as acquaintances, and if I had my way, we’d end it half dressed.
I frowned as I thought through the actual logistics of the night ahead. A drunken holiday rager wasn’t exactly a great launching pad for sexy-yet-tender moments. But maybe he’d be the type to appreciate escaping the madness for some beverages under the moonlight?
Who knew what he was into? The fact was, Kai was a stranger to me. A hot-as-hell stranger, but still, an unknown outside of his pickleball prowess. There was a gigantic chancethat I was pinning my work output on a fantasy version of him. For all I knew, he could hate dogs, be rude to service workers, and think the Earth is flat.
I glanced at my pitiful word count. All I could do was bank on my gut being right and hope that my fading creative spark would eventually become a bonfire.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I think someone forgot to tell them that the Hamptons white party is o-v-e-r,” Meredith whispered to me as she nodded toward a cluster of girls in white dresses.
Meredith was in a pale blue short set that showed off her perfect stomach, which was essentially a calling card for her work. I’d opted to be anti-theme in a yellow print dress I’d gotten a couple of years ago. We’d both wisely opted for sneakers given it was an outdoor party.
“I prefer all white to the screaming eagle patriotism.” I shifted my eyes toward a shirtless guy wearing a red, white, and blue top hat and a flag tied around his neck. I sighed. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Colton had already disappeared to do shots with his work friends, leaving me and Meredith to plot our battle strategy.
