Wilby looks at me, eyes wide. “I love her. Do you think she could adopt me?”
I nod. “See? This is why I came here. Your soul is about to get a big ol’ hug, too.”
“I get it now,” he confirms as he follows her inside.
We sit at Birdie’s kitchen table with scones on our plates and coffee. Wilby eats as if he’s never been fed before, and he’s so happy.
Birdie puts another scone on his plate. “Where are you staying, sugar?”
“At the Seaside Bed and Breakfast,” he says. “Although, I can’t check in until later.”
“Oh, good! Silvie can show you around,” Birdie says.
“This,” he says between bites, “is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Birdie pats his cheek. “You know you can come visit me anytime you want, Wilby.”
He nods and jokes, “I live here now. Wherever the boss goes, I go.”
And thank God. Because I’ve missed my best friend.
Wilby and I have a lot to catch up on workwise, so we pack a beach bag and head over to the beach. We might as well catch up by having cocktails and lounging at the beach.
We set up our chairs and towels not far from Cocktails & Chaos, and I glance over, wondering if Cal is working.
When I don’t see him, I deflate, shoulders slumping. I chew on my bottom lip, wondering where he could be.
I tie my sarong a little tighter around my waist. I’m wearing my green bikini since it’s still the best option I own. Wilby sets up our chairs facing the water and smiles with that smug confidence he has in all his city-boy audacity.
He looks unfairly good shirtless. Annoyingly fit.
“My goodness, Wilby. You’re like a chiseled Greek god.”
He has ripped arms, a six-pack, and a tan that should not exist on a man who lives under office lighting. Sunglasses perch on his nose, and I grin when I see he has sandals on his feet. Not flip flops, but still, sandals.
He grins, “Hey, I blame you. You dragged me on all of those runs and workouts for your wedding body prep.”
My chest tightens and my stomach sinks. I say nothing, shifting uncomfortably and glancing down at my honey-toned thighs, not missing those grueling workouts.
He sighs and says, “Sorry, Silverlyn. I shouldn’t have brought up the wedding.”
“It’s fine. I’m over it. I mean...pretty much over it. I haven’t gone back and faced it all, yet. But I have no feelings for Tyler anymore. In fact, I don’t even think about him. I will never let another man know my soul like that. Because it crushed me in ways I didn’t think were possible.”
“I’ve missed you,” he says as he glances over at me. “You look really great. Strong.”
“It’s the daily yoga,” I admit.
He grins. “Youare doing yoga? This I would like to see.”
“Good. Because I’ll be dragging you there with me. Birdie got me hooked on it and then she abandoned me. So, I go by myself in the mornings most sunrises.”
He shrugs. “I’m down for yoga on the beach at sunrise. Soundsamazing.”
Our chairs are close enough to Chaos that I can hear music drifting down from the bar and smell fried food and fruity drinks in the air. Wilby leans back in his chair and immediately shifts into shop talk.
“Okay,” he says. “Do you want it straight or filtered?”
I love that Wilby always gets me.
