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Joyce grinned. “Thanks so much, Mr. Willows.”

Preston gripped Ethan’s shoulder as he gestured out to the partygoers. “Bars open, food’s everywhere! We should be heading out to my dock at Mercer Island here shortly!” He paused and looked at Ethan, leaning in close. “Ward, weren’t you supposed to have a date or something?” His breath reeked of whiskey.

Thanks for the reminder…

“Uh, no, something came up.”

Preston shrugged. “Fuck em’. It’s gonna be a hell of a night!” He wrapped his arms around their shoulders and pulled them in close. Too close. “Listen, again, I really appreciate your discretion as you’ve had to deal with everything that happened with Jake.” He gave them both a sidelong glance. His voice dropped lower. “Your commitment to the company is valued, alright?”

Ethan’s stomach sank. He’d had about enough Preston Willows for the afternoon. The only thing Preston was a good example of was the type of man Ethan aspired never to be.

Releasing his arm, Preston threw his hands in the air, spilling the rest of his drink onto the deck. “Let’s fucking party!”

Cheers erupted around them, and Ethan could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Maybe if I jumped off the side right now I could just swim bac⁠—

“Excuse me!” a voice called from the docks below them. “Sorry, I’m late. Do you mind?”

Ethan couldn’t see who it was, but he watched one of the crew members head down to the end of the gangway.

At least I wasn’t the only one running late.

Joyce turned to him and said, “I’m gonna’ get a drink, honey. Ya’ want anything?”

Yeah, a lobotomy. Oh, and if you could find my possibly magical not-girlfriend, that would be great.

Ethan smiled weakly and nodded. “Sure, thanks. Whatever you’re having.”

Joyce nodded and hobbled off, disappearing into the sea of people.

Leaning against the railing, Ethan stared blankly out at the water. The sunset was blazing on the horizon, bleeding out onto the surface of the Sound. The marina was beautiful, filled with sailboats and the Seattle skyline in the distance.

Evie would have loved this view, he thought.

His hands gripped the railing till his knuckles went white. Pressing his eyes shut, he released a deep exhale and pretended he was anywhere but here.

There was nothing he could do at this moment that would get him any closer to figuring out what was going on with Evie. It would just have to wait. Tonight was for fake smiles and powering through. Tomorrow is when the real search would begin.

One foot in front of the other.

Joyce hobbled back, somehow managing not to spill either of the two glasses or the tray of something Ethan couldn't identify. She handed him a glass of something bubbly and smiled as she raised her glass to his. “To survivin’ the night.”

Ethan smiled and clinked his glass to hers, nodding softly. “To surviving,” he echoed weakly.

Preston’s voice boomed across the deck behind them. “Looks like we’ve got one more boys!”

Ethan turned, his gaze snagging like a stray thread.

A woman rose from the gangway, making her way onto the deck. She was absolutely stunning. Her long, honey-blond hair flowed in the wind behind her. A sleek black dress fluttered around her like smoke. Her heels clicked against the deck in a sharp staccato as she made her way toward the center.

She walked with an unwavering confidence, practically gliding across the deck with her head held high. Clearly, one of the more revered guests, by the way everyone seemed to be gawking at her.

Preston almost stumbled over himself to get to her. As he approached her, tiny beads of sweat formed across his forehead, a hungry look in his eyes.

Jesus, this guy is relentless.

The woman smiled apologetically as she held out her hand, as if she were royalty expecting a proper greeting. Something about it seemed so familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.