“Hey, man, any day away from work is the perfect day,” Phil said, sitting on top of the cooler.

“How’s business?”

“Same old thing.” He shrugged. “Steady work, so I can’t really complain. I hear you’re renovating Dove’s Nest.”

“Yep. Luckily I was able to talk Sarah Lewis into not immediately demolishing it.”

“Sarah Lewis?” Phil asked with a note of interest in his voice. His buddy had once had a crush on Sarah in junior high. Unfortunately, Sarah hadn’t returned the interest. Or she’d been oblivious to it. Or she’d had a crush on him, the way Carolyn had suspected. Did she still? “She’s back in town?” Phil asked.

Back in town and unexpectedly messing with his emotions this time around. “She inherited the place from Dove.”

Phil’s eyebrows rose above his sunglasses. “Odd choice.”

Wes shrugged. “I don’t know. I had originally thought so, too, but I’m starting to think Dove knew exactly what she was doing leaving it to Sarah. She’s upgrading it to be competitive in the tourism market, and now she’s planning to stick around a few more weeks to host a reopening event.”

A development he hadn’t at all expected. Her announcement that day was one he didn’t exactly hate. Marissa was ecstatic, but he’d almost been hoping she’d be leaving soon so he could shake off this unexpected attraction to her and get on with life.

Yet, some part of him was happy she was sticking around a bit longer, even if he was determined not to act on his attraction. “For someone outside her comfort zone, she’s kinda killing it,” he said.

“Uh-oh,” Phil said, studying him, one hand shielding the sunlight from his eyes.

“What?”

“Something going on there?”

His buddy had always been perceptive. “Nah…she’s just an old friend.” One with delicious lips and a rocking body. He took a swig of beer. “And Marissa’s really taken to her…the whole computer technology thing has bonded them, I guess.” He paused. “She’s actually spending the weekend there with Sarah,” he said as casually as possible.

But Phil’s warning, knowing look had him even more uneasy. “Be careful, buddy.”

Be careful…Why did it feel like that warning was coming a little too late?

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Empty ice cream bowls, pop cans, and bags of Doritos littered the desk in the den between their laptops, and they hadn’t changed out of their pajamas all day. If she was being completely honest, it had been one of the best days Sarah had had in a long time.