But tonight wasn’t about her. And it really wasn’t about Eric. It was about a family who could use some hope. She would focus on them, and she’d be fine.

“Louisa!”

She turned and found McKenzie Palmer standing on the deck overlooking the private beach Louisa and her team had just finished decorating.

“Wow, what an amazing job you’ve done here.”

Louisa forced a smile. She hadn’t wanted to invite McKenzie, but Ally talked her into it because “if McKenzie blogs about The Good Life, that will book us for the rest of the summer.”

Leave it to Ally to make perfect business sense.

She tried to remember that now. “Hi, McKenzie.”

“I was so excited to hear y’all were doing this for poor Jackson Wirth. Cody said you two saw him this week? How is he?” Her eyelashes fluttered.

Cody said? “You talked to Cody?”

Stop it, Louisa. Your jealousy is showing.

“Oh, darling, I’ll talk to that man every chance I get.” She flashed a smile.

Shameless.

“Didn’t you two grow up together? Do you have any pointers for me? Anything I should know?”

Louisa’s heart raced and her palms turned cold. The image of Cody and McKenzie cozied up in his one chair invaded her mind even though she had no idea what that one chair looked like. She was not going to discuss him with this blogger.

If McKenzie wanted Cody, she’d have to find her own way over the giant wall he’d built around himself. Louisa certainly wasn’t going to draw her a map. Not that Louisa would know where to begin, sadly.

“Will you be coming to the auction tonight?” Louisa turned her attention to the flowers at the center of the nearest table.

McKenzie’s smile widened into a wry grin. “Are you kidding me? All those Coasties decked out in uniform? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Great.” Louisa was fairly certain her tone communicated a lack of enthusiasm, but then she never had been able to fake much of anything.

“See you later.” McKenzie sauntered off, leaving Louisa feeling frumpy and a little less excited than she’d been feeling ten minutes ago. She’d rather gouge her eyeballs out with a fork than watch McKenzie flirt with Cody all night.

She shoved the thought aside and walked across the deck and through the restaurant, waved to the manager, who’d been a godsend in ironing out the details, then headed out front toward her Vespa.

She’d almost made a clean break when she heard laughter coming from the parking lot. She turned just in time to see McKenzie’s epic hair flip. The woman was parked right next to Louisa’s scooter and at her side was (of course) Cody Boggs. He’d said he might stop by, but she’d expected him an hour ago.