He blinked, dropped his arms, and took a step back, breaking the spell.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the ride,” he said, turning away to lead Magnolia back into a stall.
Disappointment filled her. She’d wanted to kiss him. She’d wanted him to kiss her.
She banished the ridiculous thought from her mind. It had been a silly moment, a blip she’d already forgotten.
“Did you?” she asked, not quite ready to say goodbye.
“Yes.”
“Well good, because…” She couldn’t admit she liked the ride so much that she’d consider doing it again. “I’m having a good time here.”
“It’s only Tuesday,” he countered, effectively ruining whatever vibe she thought they had going on a minute ago. She got the message: he had things to do now that didn’t include her.
“Lucky me!” She turned on her boot heels to take her leave. “I guess that means I’ll see you around, cowboy.” The reminder that they could bump into each other around the next corner ought to keep him on his toes.
She inwardly smiled all the way back to her room.
She found Andrew exactly where she’d left him earlier, sprawled on his stomach on top of the bedcovers in his boxers and a T-shirt. “Time to rise and shine,” she said, opening the shutters before lifting a yummy glazed doughnut out of the white paper bag she’d left on the counter of the kitchenette. She jumped onto the bed next to her best friend, earning a grumble. He’d sleep until noon if she let him.
“I have a problem,” she said.
That got his attention, and he opened his eyes to look at her. “Where’d you get the doughnut?”
“Since you’re shirking your doughnut duty this morning, I got it for myself.” Via a cowboy.
“Sorry. After you texted you were staying the night at Maverick’s, I hit up a wine bar in town with Liam and a few other people and crashed late.”
“It’s okay. Have fun?” she asked.
“Yeah. Be right back.” He rolled off the bed to use the bathroom. On the return, he noticed she’d brewed the in-room coffee and he made a beeline for a cup. “Bless you.” He brought two cups back to the bed with him, handing her one before he situated himself beside her, pushing his pillow upright and leaning against the headboard. “How was the dog thing?”
“Amazing. She had six puppies.”
“That’s cool.” He took a sip of his coffee. “So, what’s the problem this morning?” He glanced down her body. “I like that the boots are becoming a regular thing.”
She wiggled her feet. “Right? They’re way more comfortable than I would’ve guessed. So, back to my problem. Maverick is being weird and I don’t like it.”
“Define weird.”
“Open, then closed off. Sweet and not so sweet. Sexy and charming.”
Andrew raised his eyebrows in interest. “Tell me about the sexy and charming. That’s all I care about.”
She pushed him in the thigh.
“Kidding! Kind of. That man is one fine specimen, no matter what.”
“He was never like this in college. I don’t know how to beat this Maverick.”
“What are you trying to beat him at?”
“Everything.”
“Why? You aren’t in competition with him anymore. You’re a doctor about to start working at one of the country’s best ERs. You’ve accomplished everything you set out to do.”
Almost. She still hoped to hear from Dr. Weaver with the news they wanted her in Boston for a final interview. “You’re right. I don’t know why I’m carrying this silly rivalry with me.”
“My guess is it’s because you want to be around him.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You like him.”
“Not even a little.”
“You are a terrible liar, Kennedy Martin, and you know it.”
She put her coffee down on the bedside table and crossed her arms. “Okay, fine. I don’t want to like him.”
“Because…”
“Because he’s…” She huffed under the heavy load of emotions she hadn’t prepared for. She’d always planned, studied, mapped out her future so she could remain in control as much as possible. She didn’t need sticky notes or phone reminders or any other prompts. Everything was in her head, right where she liked it.
Maverick had been locked away in her past.
He wasn’t supposed to collide with her present without a heads-up.
Looking back, he was the only person who had ever truly challenged her. Who had made her work harder. Who had sparked a strong desire to succeed inside her.
“It’s hard to put into words,” she said, chickening out of saying anything incriminating.
“Let me do it for you, then.” Damn her best friend and his knowing her better than she knew herself. “Maverick is your equal, whether you want to admit it or not, and he always has been. You hated him because you were afraid of him.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“You were afraid he could break your heart.”
“That’s not true. I hated him because he pushed all my buttons. On purpose. And besides, he had plenty of attention from girls, and it never bothered me.”
Andrew narrowed his eyes at her. She tried to recall if they’d ever talked about Maverick in a romantic way. They hadn’t, because she didn’t think of him that way.
“For someone so smart, you can be so clueless when it comes to your own life.”
“I’m not—”
He waved his hand to stop her. “You’re also stubborn and have to figure everything out on your own, so I suggest you just let it go while we’re here and you try to talk to Reed.”
“Speaking of…” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “We need to get to the golf course. I’ll jump in the shower first.”
“Do we really have to crash this?”
“Yes.” She got to her feet and glanced at the wedding itinerary. “It’s for the guys only, so it’s the perfect chance for me to talk to Reed without Elle around.”
Andrew looked dubious. “And you won’t look out of place or anything.”
She pushed the mattress up and down to jostle him. “Don’t be hating on the plan now! We’ve got this.”