“So stay at my place! You know we haven’t decided what to do with it yet and it’s just been sitting vacant for months! This is perfect! Now you can stay and…”
Courtney held up a hand to stop her. “Scar, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t do it. I really…” She looked around the room and spotted one of the main reasons she was opting to move away. Forcing her attention back to Scarlett, she continued. “It’s just time for me to have a fresh start someplace that isn’t Magnolia Sound. I can’t do small town life anymore. I just can’t.”
Tears began to well up again in Scarlett’s eyes but Courtney wasn’t having it.
“And you cannot keep crying to get your way,” she said with a small laugh. Jumping to her feet, she looked down at her friend and grinned. “This is going to be a good thing for me and you should be happy! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab a glass of wine.”
Walking across the room, Courtney smiled and waved to people she knew but did her best to get to the bar as quickly as possible. Once there, she smiled at the bartender. “Moscato, please.” Once she had her glass in hand, she thanked him and walked out onto the back deck of the Magnolia on the Sound–the new B&B that Mason’s aunt owned. The house was over a hundred years old and recently renovated and it was quite possibly the most magnificent house she’d ever been in.
The weather was a little cool and she wished she had grabbed a sweater, but…it was peaceful outside and the perfect spot for a little quiet reflection.
Leaning on the railing, she looked out at the Sound as she sipped her wine. She’d never admit it to anyone, but she really loved it here. Not the B&B–although it was beautiful–but the small coastal town where she’d lived her whole life. She loved the beach and her friends and family, but…nothing was happening for her here. Not only was her job gone, but she hadn’t had a date in months and the men she did want to date–or rather, the man she wanted to date–was off limits.
And it sucked.
If it weren’t for the fact that the dentist she was working for had to retire immediately therefore leaving her unemployed, she probably wouldn’t have opted to move away. But considering the downward spiral her life was currently in, it seemed only logical to pick up and move someplace new and start over.
But yeah, the timing did suck.
She wanted to see Scarlett get married and luckily she was, but the thought of not being here when her best friend had her baby was a little harder to deal with. They had always talked about having their kids close together and hoping they’d be best friends too.
Hard to happen when no man has even attempted to touch me in almost six months…
That depressing thought had her taking a long drink of her wine and was thankful no one was there to witness her practically guzzling the whole thing down.
“Hey, Court.”
Or so she thought.
Turning, she saw Scarlett’s brother Kyle walking her way. He was super sweet, a total flirt, and completely harmless. There was zero attraction between the two of them and she considered him to be a good friend.
“Hey, yourself. Having fun?”
Standing beside her, he leaned against the railing as well and stared out at the beach. “I know this is just supposed to be a casual dinner after the whole wedding rehearsal, but I swear Mason’s mother has me feeling like I’m a kid trying to sneak a spot at the grownup table.” Chuckling, he shook his head. “You know my family’s not fancy like the Bishops. This just all feels a little weird. Why couldn’t we just have a cookout in the backyard at home or something?”
Turning her head, she looked at him and laughed. “Kyle, can you imagine the sophisticated Bishop family hanging out in your dad’s backyard? Come on!” Then she motioned toward the inside of the massive house. “And are you telling me you’re not enjoying the food here? The menu has been spectacular! I’m already planning on putting about a dozen crab cakes in my purse for later.”
“Classy,” he said, still laughing. They stood in companionable silence for several moments. “So I hear you’re moving to Raleigh.”
She nodded. “Yup.”
“Why so far?”
“It’s only three hours away.”
“You know my sister is freaking out over it though, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” she said sadly, her eyes never leaving the waves crashing on the shore. The sun was going down and it was her favorite time of day. “Once the baby’s born, she won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
But it wasn’t Kyle who spoke, but his older brother Dean.
As in…the man she wanted most in the world and couldn’t have.
Why did he have to come out here? I specifically came out here to escape!
Both Courtney and Kyle turned and looked at him and she did her best to appear calm and cool–and not at all like her heart was ready to beat right out of her chest at the sight of him.
Tall, shaggy dark hair, blue eyes, and dimples. Honestly, every time she was near him her ovaries sighed. It was so unfair that he was off-limits.
Smiling at her, Dean raised his beer as he commented, “It doesn’t matter how much time my sister spends with the baby, nothing can replace a best friend.”
And he was sweet too, damn him.
When he continued to stare at her expectantly, she realized she probably should respond. “Nah. I think between the baby, Mason, and everyone coming to see the baby, Scarlett’s going to be just fine. And it’s not like I’m moving to another country or anything, I’m only a few hours away.”
“Still not the same,” he said mildly before looking at his younger brother. “Can you believe our baby sister is getting married tomorrow?”
Kyle shrugged. “Considering she’s just about ready to give birth, I’m kind of happy she’s getting married tomorrow.” He winked at Courtney. “Am I right?”
“Look, I firmly believe in the institution of marriage,” she said evenly, “but it’s not like they had to get married. No one has to do that anymore.”
“Still,” Kyle replied, “I just think it’s the right thing to do.”
“What is this, 1950?” Dean asked with a small laugh.
“On that note, I’m going to get a refill,” she said, stepping away from the railing and raising her glass. “I’ll see you two later.” She sashayed away and got a brief whiff of Dean’s cologne–all fresh, clean, and masculine–and she wanted to rub up against him and just inhale deeply.
Yeah, it was definitely time for another drink.
Maybe two.
As she made her way back toward the bar, she caught a server walking by with those mini crab cakes she loved so much and grabbed a few. At the bar, she had her glass re-filled while she noshed and then caught another server who had a tray of chicken satay. So she grabbed some of them as well. She figured if she was going to slam back some cocktails, it would be smart to keep eating.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Dean walking back into the room with Kyle and sighed.
It wasn’t fair. She’d been crushing on him since she was fifteen and because he was six years older, it was completely inappropriate. Now? Not so much. But he was her best friend’s brother and as such, that meant Dean was completely off-limits. There had never been a conversation between her and Scarlett regarding this–mainly because she was too embarrassed to admit how she felt. For some reason, Courtney felt her friend wouldn’t have a big problem if she had crushed on Kyle or even Hunter because they were closer in age. Dean was…well…not only was there a bigger age-gap, but he was way more serious and level-headed than his brothers. He didn’t do casual relationships and for a long time, Courtney wasn’t looking for anything long-term.