“Our rooms are out in that,” Hutch says from behind me.
“Oh?” I answer as I turn to face him.
“What about everyone else?” I ask.
“This is my room!” Ava yells from above us.
Wait? How did this kid get upstairs already?
I look up and see Ava on a small balcony that overlooks the pool. There is a bistro table and two chairs on it. She waves at all of us like a damn queen.
Margie and Cornelia snicker, and Carly sighs. Bray comes out from behind Ava.
“This room has a little attached reading nook and the chair in there doubles as a single bed, so I guess we can share if need be,” Bray says with a shrug.
Suddenly, everyone is trudging inside.
“Us old ladies are claiming this suite on the first floor,” Margie says. She cranes her neck out from the hallway. “Al, you can have the other bedroom down here.”
Roxy and Gray walk upstairs, followed by Kasen, Piper, Cam, and Fletcher. They all seem to settle into their own suites.
“Our turn,” Hutch says as he pulls me by my hand and ventures toward the cottage.
“Oh no! I left my hair rollers at home,” Margie says loudly, her voice coming from a nearby window.
“Just wear a hat. It’s so humid here. You might as well just forget it,” Cornelia replies.
“But what about the men? I can’t meet men without my hair done,” Margie insists.
I giggle.
“Ladies, there’s a spa just across from our community. I’ll book you in there tomorrow,” Hutch says.
“You are such a dear,” Margie calls out.
“Come on, wanna be a football player. Let’s go see this guesthouse,” he says, and I let him pull me toward it. His thumb brushes the back of my hand as we walk. He’s busy looking ahead. Does he even realize he’s doing that? Can I handle being in a guesthouse alone with Hutch every night? I’m supposed to not have a crush on my best friend. This is about to get complicated.
CHAPTER TEN
Hutch
I swing open the door. The cottage has a large living room that opens onto its own private patio by the pool, facing the beach. There’s a kitchenette to the right. And a small half bath. Stairs lead up to two identical bathrooms with private toilets and sinks, and a shared tub and shower area.
“This should be interesting,” I hear Jocelyn mutter under her breath as she stares at the enormous hot tub and the even bigger shower with two rain showerheads and two large massaging showerheads.
I turn toward her. “Do you shower at night or in the morning?”
She gives me a pointed look. “Uh, both.”
“Well, OK, then. I’ll just shower after you. See, no big deal,” I declare as if I just solved all the conflicts in the world.
I walk into one of the identical rooms and set my bag down on the bed.
“Where should we go for—” I start, but am cut off by Jocelyn’s scream.
I run through the bathroom and into her bedroom. There’s a lizard on her bed. It’s tiny, but she stands in the corner on a chair.
“It’s just a harmless little lizard,” I state as I walk over and grab it. I hold it out toward her, and she shrinks away.
