“He’s cute,” I said to Ashlyn, wondering about the story there.
She smirked.“Sage has had a thing for him forever.Wellington is either completely oblivious or has no idea how to take her.”
“Why doesn’t she ask him out?”
“For all her bravado, Sage is still unsure about men.With her job, she says she never knows if someone wants her or the version they see on TV.”
“That’s got to be tough.”
Ashlyn nodded.“Yeah.But maybe she’ll woman up and tell him she thinks he’s hot.”
I snorted.“I hope so.There are clearly plenty of women who agree with her.”There were more than a few women with their breasts on display as they leaned over the bar to get the attention of the sexy bartender.
“I’ve never heard of him going home with anyone from the bar.He’s the owner, and his daughter was our server.”
“Really?He doesn’t look old enough.”I wasn’t close enough to see him well, but he had dark blond hair and a few days’ worth of a beard, making him look part surfer.He was tall and smiled kindly at all the customers, his gaze never dropping from their faces.
Ashlyn nodded.“He’s in his later forties, I think.”
“It’s crazy how ten years older than us doesn’t seem like that much now, but in college it would have been a huge gap.”
“So true.Rob’s eight years older than me.”She scrunched up her face.“And we’re not dating anymore.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her to my side.Zuri and Sage made their way to us, carrying four shots each.They nodded to an empty high-top table, and we pivoted to meet there.
“Wellington opened a tab for us.He’s going to add all our drinks to it no matter who goes up there,” Sage said.
“Yes, Wellington was so sweet,” Zuri teased Sage.
Sage’s cheeks darkened a bit, and she pressed her lips together to fight her smile.“Leave me alone.”
“He’s cute,” I told her.“You should ask him out.”
Sage shook her head, her humor falling away.“If he was interested, he would ask me out.Everyone knows I like him.”
“Maybe not him,” I argued.
She shrugged and tipped back her first shot, drowning out the conversation.
I could tell she wasn’t interested in being encouraged anymore, so I let it drop.“This place is stunning.”
“It is.Best bar in town, and best view,” Zuri said.“I tell all my clients they have to come here.”
“I love that.Where else do you tell people to go?”
Zuri dove into her spiel and made sure I knew all the best places to go while I was exploring on my own.A few of them I’d already been to, but many of the places were new to me.
The four of us had our second shots, then I begged off since I was driving us back to Ashlyn’s house.Zuri did the same, and the two of us laughed at Sage and Ashlyn as they giggled their way through two more rounds of drinks.
We hugged Zuri in the parking lot and said goodnight.She asked if I was okay getting the other two inside alone, and I assured her we’d be fine.Thankfully, they could both walk.Ashlyn carried herself to bed immediately, and Sage crashed on the couch.
I smiled as I crawled into bed.I was going to enjoy life in Amethyst Bay.Just as soon as I found a job.
Sage was stillasleep on the couch when I walked out of my room early the next morning.Just in case she woke up while I was outside, I chose the chair closest to Josh’s house, one that wouldn’t be seen from inside unless you were really trying.
Josh walked outside not long after I did, and the look on his face said he was hoping for another good morning.He kissed me and set my coffee down, lingering for a minute before he took his seat.“Hi.”
“Hi,” I said.
