Lucy tilted her head. “Tell her.”
I hesitated, then gestured vaguely. “Parade float. No vehicle. Deadline tomorrow.”
Charlotte’s eyebrows lifted, but she did not look alarmed. “That does sound… exciting.”
“That is one word for it,” I said with a grimace.
“I do not have a truck,” she said before I could even wonder. “But I do have sympathy.”
“I will take it,” I said.
We lingered longer than we should have, the warmth of the café and the normalcy of it all easing something tight in my chest. Eventually, reality nudged us back out the door.
The drive back to the inn felt colder, the lights harsher, and the deadline heavier. I checked my phone again out of habit. More messages. More suggestions. A few earnest offers that were, unfortunately, located several states away.
When the inn came back into view, my stomach dipped.
Lucy noticed. “If he looks at you funny, I am biting him.”
“That will escalate things,” I said.
“Only briefly,” she replied.
Inside, the lobby was full. Voices overlapped. Someone laughed loudly. And right near the center of it all stood Collin, posture alert, eyes already scanning.
Dex appeared near the staircase, coat half on, clearly on his way out. Lucy spotted him and, without hesitation, crossed the room.
She grabbed him by the front of his coat and kissed him.
It was not subtle.
It was not brief.
It was very clearly meant to be witnessed.
I froze mid-step.
Dex made a startled noise before recovering quickly, one hand coming up to her waist out of reflex more than intention. Lucy pulled back just enough to grin at him.
“Hi,” she said.
Dex blinked.“Hi.”
Lucy turned her head just enough for me to see Collin watching them, his expression shifting through several emotions in rapid succession. Surprise. Calculation. Reassessment.
Then his gaze slid to me.
Speculative.
I did not think, I reacted.
I turned and fled up the stairs, my heart pounding as if I had actually committed a crime instead of a strategic retreat. I didn’t stop until I reached the landing, pressing a hand to my chest and breathing hard.
I waited a full minute before peeking back down.
Collin was still downstairs. Lucy was talking animatedly to Dex, who looked amused and faintly bewildered. Collin’s attention flicked between them and then, once more, toward the staircase.
I ducked back out of sight.
