“You’re here!” Emery jumped to her feet in her green bikini and slipped her feet into flip-flops. “Did you bring bathing suits?”
“Sure did.” Gavin set his backpack on the deck.
“Good. Let’s get you guys drinks.” Emery ushered them to the wet bar and said, “What’ll it be?”
“I’ll have whatever you guys are having,” Harper said.
“Gavin?” Emery asked.
“A beer is cool, thanks.”
Ethan came around the side of the deck, followed by Drake, Dean, and an athletic-looking brown-haired guy Gavin didn’t recognize.
“Oh my God,” Harper said, panic-stricken and low, under her breath. She buried her face in Gavin’s shirt. “That’s the guy! What’s he doing here?”
“Ethan?” Gavin asked.
“No!” She moved behind him as the girls gathered around.
“What’s wrong?” Serena asked.
“That guy!” Harper whispered harshly. “He’s the one I yelled at on the plane. Why is he here?”
“Trey?” Serena, Emery, and Desiree all said at once.
“Shh!” Harper said. She looked like she was going to be sick. Gavin reached for her, but she stepped back, as if she wished she could disappear.
“Ethan’s new business partner?” Emery asked. “Trey?”
“That’s me,” the other guy said, raising both hands with a friendly grin.
Trey’s gaze landed on Harper at the same moment Ethan pulled Gavin into a manly embrace and said, “Gavin! My man!”
Harper peered out from within the circle of her friends, her face sheet white. Trey stopped cold, staring at Harper, and she shrank further behind the girls.
Trey squinted, and then his eyes widened. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed with a hearty laugh. “Heartbreak? Is that you?”
Heartbreak? What the hell is that all about?
“Good to see you, man,” Gavin said to Ethan and quickly went to Harper’s side. He wanted to rescue her, to say something so she didn’t have to, but he knew she needed to see she could handle anything, so he put his hand on her lower back, offering her his steady, silent, support.
“Plane girl.” Trey shook his head. “Man, oh man. I never thought I’d see you again.”
Harper swallowed hard, forcing a strained smile that made Gavin’s heart hurt.
“Hi.” She stood up a little straighter, looking Trey in the eyes as she said, “It’s Harper, actually, and I’m sorry for yelling at you on the plane.”
Her resilience overtook her urge to hide, and Gavin couldn’t have been prouder.
“You’re not the first to do that,” Trey said. He glanced at Gavin, and then his amused eyes found Harper again. “Looks like you’re off your man hiatus. Does that mean you’re writing again, too?”
“Yes,” she said more confidently. “This is my boyfriend, Gavin Wheeler. Gavin, this is the guy I chewed out on the plane.”
“Trey Ryder.” He extended his hand, and Gavin shook it. “You have quite a girlfriend.”
“Yes, I do,” he said proudly. “I hear she gave you an earful.”
Trey cocked a grin. “You could say that. I figure any woman who could shut me down that fast has a lot to say.”
“I can’t believe you chewed out Ethan’s partner,” Emery exclaimed.
“Know what’s funny? Trey is Drew Ryder’s brother,” Serena said. “Drew’s an architect. Gavin and I worked with him in Boston, and their sister is Isabel—Izzy—from the book club.”
Harper made a frustrated sound. “Great, I’ve embarrassed myself with six degrees of separation? How was I supposed to know who he was? He never said he was with Ethan’s company. He was just a guy who was unlucky enough to sit next to me on a really bad day.”
“Harper,” Ethan said with a kind tone, “the streaming arm of the company, which Trey runs, is a new endeavor. Even if he’d said he heads up Reelflix, you probably wouldn’t have put it together with my Movietime channel. For what it’s worth, Trey said nice things about the feisty girl on the plane who was probably a damn good writer, but if writing doesn’t work out, should go into acting.”
“God…” Harper sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m really not a jerk in my everyday life.”
Trey waved his hand like it was no big deal. “Save the apologies and tell me about what you’re writing.”
“She’s got an amazing script, a romantic comedy,” Gavin raved. “It’s golden.”
“Gavin,” Harper complained, blushing again.
He hugged her against his side, turning away from the others as he said, “This is an opportunity you deserve. Own it, babe. Turn me on with your confidence.”
She blinked up at him with trepidation in her eyes, and in the space of a few heart-pounding seconds, her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, and her eyes narrowed in determination. She turned toward Trey and said, “Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you about the chaotic and hilarious life of my heroine.”
As they walked away from the group, the girls scurried over to Gavin, whispering and giggling about Harper going off on Trey and how they hoped something good would come of it. Was Gavin the only one who realized something already had? The Harper he’d met in Romance was back in full force, and she was magnificent.
Chapter Nineteen
HARPER FELT SICK again, and not because Ethan’s yacht was cruising out to sea. She’d given Trey her best pitch, which she’d been mulling over for the past couple of weeks. She could hardly believe that a little more than a month ago she’d sat beside this man so disappointed in herself she’d hated the world, and she’d spewed that hate like vomit in his direction. She had no idea why he hadn’t told her to bug off then, or why he’d bothered listening to her pitch now. Although he hadn’t cracked a smile the whole time she’d been talking. He was probably trying to figure out how to turn her down without making the crazy lady flip out.
He pulled a pair of dark sunglasses from the pocket of his expensive-looking short-sleeve navy shirt and put them on as he leaned back on the luxurious sofa and casually stretched one arm across the back of the cushion. With his brown hair blowing in the wind, he looked like he belonged on a yacht. She refused to let him incite doubt that would drag her down. She believed in her work, and even if he hated it, she still thought it was good.
“I’d like to read the first few pages,” he said evenly.
Hope swelled inside her, even though she was pretty sure he was still just being kind so as not to make waves and ruin everyone’s evening. “Okay. I’ll email them to you tomorrow.”
“Why wait? I’m sure you have your work on the cloud or Dropbox. Pull it up on your phone. Let me take a read.”
“Now?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to be turned down now. It was a gorgeous evening, and she was with Gavin and all her friends. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, not a judging game.
“Once I get back to my office I’ll be bogged down trying to catch up. Go on, pull it up on your phone.”