Axel chuckled but immediately stopped when Connor turned and glared at him. “I can’t help it, dude. It’s kind of funny. Even after all these years, she’s determined not to talk to you. Remember the summer after the two of you broke up? That was just awkward.”
“Yeah, well…I knew we could never just be friends. There was too much emotional baggage. Just seeing her that summer hurt,” he admitted. “And honestly, I think it’s going to be the same when she gets here. Just knowing she’s struggling fills me with guilt.”
“Connor, come on,” Walker said as they walked through the doorway and through to the kitchen. “It’s ancient history. We were kids back then. You’re not responsible for what happened in her life since.”
“Aren’t I? If I stood up for us and we kept dating, we all know I wanted to marry her. And if we got married, she certainly wouldn’t be having to live in a friend’s tiny cabin and working a job with the last person she wants to see.” Shaking his head, he walked right over to the massive walk-in refrigerator and began pulling out ingredients for Eggs Benedict with crab meat.
When he stepped out and put everything down on the stainless-steel workstation, both Axel and Walker looked at him like he were crazy.
“What? You said you wanted the Eggs Benedict, so that’s what I’m making. Go and grab Slater, Harlow, and Maisie if they’re around. We might as well come up with a strategy so I don’t traumatize Lexi more than she already is.”
“Wow, that’s…thanks, Connor,” Walker said solemnly. “And not just for the breakfast, but for being so understanding.”
“Like I said, I feel responsible for the position she’s in. The least I can do is stay out of her way and make things a little easier for her. And I promise to do whatever you all think is best.”
His friends each pulled out their phones and started texting everyone while Connor got started on breakfast. He had a full schedule this week, but now he was going to have to figure out a way to keep himself from breaking the promise he just made.
“Welcome to the Lakeview Harbor Resort!” Kelsey announced as they drove through the resort gates. “Wait until you see all the work that’s been done. It’s so much better than it ever was, and yet it feels exactly the same. It’s incredible.”
Lexi let out a soft sigh as she nodded because she wasn’t sure what to say. It was still a bit surreal that she was actually here and preparing to move onto the resort property. It didn’t matter what excuse or argument she gave for why this wouldn’t work, Kelsey, Jayce, and Walker had found a solution.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, this was an amazing opportunity for her and Jonah. It was a chance for a fresh start.
And if it weren’t for the fact that Connor Winslowe was part of the team, it would almost be perfect.
She’d spent the last two weeks mentally preparing herself to see him, but she knew no matter how she thought she would react, there wasn’t a guarantee that that was how it would happen.
As long as I don’t act like I still have a schoolgirl crush on him, everything should be fine.
But in all her planning, she did a little online sleuthing and found recent pictures of him and…well…it was going to take every ounce of strength not to have an adult woman crush on him. Connor had always been handsome, but the grown-up version of him was damn near drool worthy.
It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he have aged poorly? Why wasn’t he bald? Or put on weight? Why did he still have to look so good?
Kelsey parked the SUV and turned to smile at her. Jayce had followed in the moving van—not that they were bringing much—while she, Kelsey, and Jonah drove in her SUV.
“Are you ready for this?”
“No,” she replied with a nervous laugh. But when she looked around, she knew they couldn’t stay in the car forever.
Reaching over, Kelsey gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “This is going to be a good thing. I promise.”
“If you say so.”
“Come on. Let’s get out and stretch. I know I’m ready to,” Kelsey stated as she climbed from the vehicle.
Lexi looked in the backseat and saw that Jonah was sound asleep. She hated to wake him, but if she couldn’t hide out in the car, neither could he. But as she opened the passenger door and breathed in the fresh air, it felt like…like some of the tension she’d been carrying around for years was finally starting to ebb.
Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.
You know, except for the whole Connor thing.
Slowly, she made her way around the car and stared at the row of cabins in front of her. “Are these the ones you’re all using?” she asked.
“Sort of. Walker, Axel, Connor, Milo, and Slater each have a cabin here, and there are three that are reserved for Walker’s family. That covers this cluster right here. When you follow that path around the bend, that’s where ours is.”
“Oh.”
“I originally thought about asking for the cabin my family always rented when I was growing up, but Jayce and I talked about it and we wanted one to make new memories in. Plus, this is kind of the owners’ section. No guests stay in these. At least, that’s what I was told.”
