The slow lane wasn’t for everyone.
“You like her.” His sister pinned him with her silver-blue stare. Looking at her eyes was like looking into a mirror.
“Thanks, Sherlock.” He huffed. “I wouldn’t date her if I didn’t like her.”
“You know what I mean.” Zoey took a sip of her champagne. “I know how you work, okay? The cooler you try to play it, the more invested you are.”
The downside of being close to his sister was that there was no pulling the wool over her eyes. He did like Lily. A lot.
Too much.
And Zoey was looking a little too closely for comfort. After she’d gotten together with Mack, it was like she’d made it her personal mission to see Sean settled and coupled up. It had been twelve long months of her randomly bringing her girlfriends to his bar, and to the beach when she knew he’d be surfing.
“Do you feel guilty because you’re all coupled up and I’m not?” he asked.
“No.” Her multicoloured hair gleamed in the firelight as she moved her head back and forth. “Maybe a little.”
“You do not need to apologise for living your life. You’re a grown woman and I’m so bloody proud of how you’ve turned out.”
“Really?” Her eyes went a little watery.
“Really.” Their childhood had been rough, but his sister attacked every day with enthusiasm, positivity and a strong work-ethic. Heck, if more people were like her, the world would be a better place. “I wish everyone could have the drive and passion in them that you do.”
“I want you to have passion, too.” Her eyes shone with sincerity.
The comment, while well-intended, stung a little. Zoey didn’t ask him if he had passion… because she already knew the answer. He was coasting. Riding the easy waves. Staying out of trouble.
Passion didn’t factor into his life.
“I’m passionate about being close to my family. Well, you and Dad, anyway.”
“But you deserve more than that. I mean, how can you have a relationship over Skype?”
“There’s a lot you can do on Skype, you know.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Ew! I do not want to know about that.” Zoey made a gagging face. “Your sullied internet history is your business, not mine.”
With his little sister grossed out enough that she wouldn’t ask any more intrusive or uncomfortable questions—a trick he’d used more than once over the years—she left him standing by the fire to wedge herself between the two men on the couch. To her left sat Mack, and on the other side was the groom-to-be, Jasper.
Seeing his friends get along like a house on fire meant the world to him. Growing up, Sean had two best mates, and they were about as opposite as you could get. Jasper had been moody and a little rebellious, owing to a rough home life caused by his criminal father. He was creative and had always been an emotional soul, deep down. Mack, on the other hand, was straight as a pin. A stickler for the rules, who was always reliable and acted as a moral compass for those around him.
Sean had liked them for their differences, but it was those very differences that had caused friction in their school days. Now, with Jasper back in Patterson’s Bluff, the three of them had formed a tight bond and could often be found swinging a cricket bat on the beach or barbequing up a storm in one of their backyards.
It made his heart very full—corny as that sounded—and was also part of the reason he loved his hometown.
“And then,” Mack was saying, “instead of keeping an eye on the blasted thing, she screamed and ran outside so the snake had a chance to hide.”
“Rookie move.” Ethan, who was standing next to the couch, shook his head. Monroe was tucked into his side, looking mildly horrified and probably reassessing her desire to visit Australia.
“Not this story again.” Zoey rolled her eyes. “Do you have to tell literally everyone we meet?”
“It’s a good one.” Mack chuckled. “You squealed like a little girl.”
“Excuse me, I was legitimately terrified.” Zoey folded her arms across her chest. “Sorry we can’t all be Steve bloody Irwin, wrangling deadly animals with our bare hands.”
Sean snorted. His little sister was one tough cookie… unless it came to anything without legs. Snakes, worms, slugs—she hated them all.
“Took me forty minutes of crawling on my hands and knees, checking every nook and cranny in the place while hoping it didn’t spring out of nowhere and take my nose off.” Mack shot Zoey a smug look. He loved winding her up. “Found the bastard hiding out in the spare bedroom, behind a beanbag.”
Zoey shuddered. “That used to be my favourite reading spot. Now I can’t look at it without imagining that danger noodle hiding back there.”
“Danger noodle?” Jasper roared with laughter. “That’s amazing. I motion that all snakes now be referred to as danger noodles.”
Grinning, Mack flung an arm around Zoey’s shoulders and pulled her in close for a kiss. She pretended to resist for a second, but then gave in. It was still a little weird for him to see them openly affectionate, given they’d all been friends ever since Zoey was a kid.
But hey, if there was any kind of guy he’d want to take care of his little sister, it was Mack.
“Let’s file this entire conversation under the label: reasons I left Australia,” Ethan chimed in. “Best thing about the snow here is that it drives all the creepy crawlies away.”
“Hmm, want to move somewhere cold?” Zoey looked at Mack, amusement dancing in her eyes.
“You would die without year-round beach access,” he scoffed.
“It’s true,” Zoey admitted.
As the chatter continued, Sean found his eyes drifting toward Lily. Was Zoey right? Did he want more passion in his life? For years now, he’d tried to appreciate the slower pace of a job that didn’t challenge him and romantic entanglements that didn’t have strings or promises. Easy was good. Easy was the goal.
Easy is boring.
A little echo of discontent rippled through him, like a pond’s surface disturbed by a skipping stone. Boredom was better than rejection. Or worse, failure.
Lily laughed, and the sound was liquid and magical. Her champagne flute was empty, so she held it up, moving the crystal back and forth before heading out of the room.
Sean followed her. It was almost as if his limbs moved of their own volition, like his body was disconnected from his brain. He should be concerned with what trouble he might stir up by acting a little too well in this charade.
But, in that moment, he wasn’t concerned at all.
10
Lily walked into the inn’s kitchen in search of more champagne. The catering staff had cleaned the area after the rehearsal dinner and had gone home about an hour ago. But since the Aussies were happy to party on, they’d left bottles of wine sitting open on the counter. One large sink was filled with ice to keep the white wine, champagne, and beers cold.
Surprisingly, Lily had a great time. Without the weight and attention of the breakup hanging over her like a gloomy, black cloud, she felt relaxed. Of course, there were questions about her “relationship” with Sean, but people seemed genuinely excited for her.