“Working hard or hardly working?” I tease as I slide into the bench seat beside her. Dee’s gaze collides with mine, and she releases a tired sigh. Slipping her reading glasses off her nose, she takes a moment to fold them up and places them on the document she was in the process of filling out. “I told myself I’d take a couple of days off to recover from the madness of tourist season, and Ireally hadn’t planned on coming in today. But then Maggie calls in a frenzy, telling me there’s an issue with our supplier, so here I am, doing my best to ignore the growing line of customers and fixing shit to keep things running smoothly. Promise you’ll slap some sense into me if you see me tying on an apron. Goddamn that bleeding heart of mine.”
I bark out a laugh and regard my best friend while a plan begins to form in my mind.
“I’ll do you one better,” I say, and Dee’s eyes light up with interest as she leans in. “How about I go and place my order while you finish whatever you need to do to free yourself up. Then you’re coming with me to spend the rest of the day at my place. We could go for a swim, slurp margaritas, slap some burgers on the grill for dinner, and end the day roasting s’mores around the bonfire? To be honest, I could use a break from playing carpenter, myself, and we haven’t hung out in a while. I miss you.” The stress lines around her ocean eyes soften, and a longing expression takes over her features at the mention of some much-needed R and R.
“You know what? That sounds delightful. Give me twenty minutes, and I should be good to go.”
“Perfect,” I say, grinning widely as I slide out of the booth. “It’ll be a while for them to get my order ready, anyway. I promised the guys I’d bring back coffee and treats.”
Dee arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “The guys?”
“Dave, Cole, and his very attractive, very much single friend, Maddox, who took me by surprise this morning when he answered Cole’s door in nothing but a pair of unbuttoned jeans. The sight of all that smooth, golden skin and rippling muscle was almost too much for such an early hour. I’m telling you, I almost drooled.”
Dee nibbles on the end of her pen as she stares up at me with an almost dazed expression, most likely imagining the scene in vivid detail. She blinks a few times in rapid succession before a look of sheer determination comes over her face.
“Make it ten,” she tells me in a tone that has me joining the end of the line with a feeling of accomplishment and a knowing smirk.
twenty-two
Cole
Ihave just enough time to shower and dress before a loud knock sounds through the cabin, and Maddox pulls the door wide, revealing Charlie and her friend. The former is holding a tray of coffee with a blinding smile, while Dee hovers behind her, carrying a large paper bag and a knapsack.
The stunning café owner is wearing tight skinny jeans and a pale blue shirt that matches the color of her eyes perfectly, making them stand out even more than they already do. Her chin-length black hair frames her pixy face, and Maddox is looking at her like he wants to eat her for breakfast, confirming my suspicion that she’s exactly his type. Charlie peers around Maddox’s large frame, and her emerald irises glow with warmth as they collide with mine.
“Breakfast delivery service,” she sings in that signature raspy voice that always makes my cock perk up a little. It’s like he already recognizes the woman capable of producing such a sinful sound and knows exactly how much pleasure she can coax out of us. “Dee and I are taking our food down to the beach. It’s too beautiful a day to be cooped up inside, and there’s a nice breeze coming off the lake. You guys should join us.”
“Indeed, we should,” Maddox drawls, eyeing Dee up and down like a snack. I give his packed duffel a cursory glance.
“I thought you were leaving?” I point out, amusement plain in my voice. Maddox throws me a warning glare over his shoulder.
“I was. But that was before I knew spending the day sitting at the beach in the company of not one, but two beautiful women was an option. You know I’m a go with the flow kinda guy.”
I snort, and Maddox narrows his eyes at me, before he reaches for the paper bag Dee clutches to her chest.
“Here, let me take this off your hands. I haven’t had a chance to scope out the place, so if you want to lead the way, I’ll follow you. Cole, grab a couple of camping chairs, would ya?”
“Do I look like a damn mule to you?”
Maddox rolls his eyes at my biting tone and leans down toward the tiny woman, muttering something that sounds a lot like, “Don’t mind him. He just started his period.”
When Dee gives him a delighted giggle, Maddox’s entire face lights up, and the two of them start heading toward the man-made trail leading to the lakeshore.
“I had a feeling these two would hit it off,” Charlie says, flashing me a tentative smile, like she’s testing the waters after our night together.
“Funny you should say that, because so did I. The second I saw her, I thought about how much Maddox would like her.” I shove my feet into my boots, not bothering with the laces, and snatch my sunglasses off the side table to protect my eyes. Pushing past Charlie, I close the door behind us and grab a couple of dusty chairs from the far corner of the porch, before tucking them under my arm. “You girls need some?”
“That’s alright. Dee’s got a beach blanket in her backpack,” she tells me as we begin the trek ourselves.
“Maddox seems like a nice guy,” she states, glancing at me while she keeps a steady pace.
“He is. Bit of a pain and a huge meddler. But it’s good to have him around.”
“You didn’t know he was coming?”
“Nah. Idiot snuck into the cabin in the middle of the night. Let’s just say I was a little on edge after the shit you told me about yourex, so when I heard movement in the living room, I almost blew his head off. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
“Seems a little unusual to show up out of the blue. Is there a reason he didn’t call ahead?”
