Emerett Has Never Been in Love (Love Austen 1)

“You were a little harsh about him.”

Knight’s gaze laser-focused on West. “Is that right?” he bit off.

“I mean, look how thoughtful he is.”

Knight made a non-committal sound in his throat and returned to his newspaper. Perhaps he was reflecting? Realizing he’d been hasty in his judgment?

West slung himself opposite Lake, on Knight’s other side. “What are you two up to?”

Knight answered curtly, “Reading.”

Lake stifled his amusement. Not quite over his prejudice, then. “Knight’s a reader. He’s encouraging me to pick up a few books too.”

West grinned. “What books?”

“The old ones.”

“Classics,” Knight murmured.

“Exactly, those. I’m most of the way through Moby Dick.”

West’s brows shot up. “What do you think?”

“The title is misleading.” West blinked, Knight cleared his throat, and Lake continued, “I know more about whales than I ever thought I would.”

“Want a confession?” West said playfully, and Lake leaned in to hear more. “At school I only read the Cliff’s notes.”

“You absolute rebel.”

“A prerequisite to join the club.”

Knight’s phone beeped. He checked it and smiled. “Josh.”

“Josh?” A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed West’s face.

Lake queried, “Do you remember him?”

“We bumped into each other a fair bit. Friendly guy. Smart.”

Knight looked up from his phone. “He’s inviting us to his place for cake.”

Lake’s chair screeched as he hurried to pull out his phone.

He was invited this time.

Taylor called from behind the couch, waving his phone around. “West, you too. Josh said anyone can tag along.”

Lake stared at his invite. Did he want to go? What if Josh spent the whole afternoon flirting with Knight?

“So, we’re all off to Josh’s, then?” West asked, looking eager.

Lake sighed. “I suppose I’ll come.”

“Of course you’ll come,” Knight said. “There’s cake.”

Lake stood reluctantly. “I’ll be needing a lot of it.”

Lake kept stride alongside an eager West the entire way to Josh’s, jumping from subject to subject, and it was eerie how well they meshed for having only just met.

West didn’t seem as fickle or flighty as Knight had suggested. He seemed genuine, kind, and level-headed.

Until he started using his camera as a mirror outside Josh’s place, fussing with his hair and asking if anyone had ChapStick. “Two top buttons open, or just one?”

Lake—put off by the sudden display of vanity—retreated to a quietly observing Knight, vowing never to act like that himself, and if he should, would Knight please clap him over the back of the head.

“Gladly.”

Lake smirked. “I’d offer the same, but I’ve rarely seen you indulge in your looks. You’re naturally attractive, so I guess you don’t need to fuss. Not that I can imagine you fussing regardless. You don’t care about what anyone thinks.”

“Is that right?”

“I like that you don’t try hard. That you’re okay being one of the less handsome people in a room.”

“I hardly know what to say.”

“You’re welcome.”

Josh’s parents greeted them at the door on their way out, motioning them into the house, and they moved into the large polished-marble kitchen. A dozen other guests gathered around the island, including Cameron, who broke away and made for Lake and Knight. “Quite the cake, isn’t it?” Cameron whispered.

Perched on an elegant stand was a three-tiered wedding cake with frosted roses and real strawberries. Atop, two male figures embraced.

Cameron sighed. “It arrived this afternoon. No note or mention who it was from, just instructions to deliver to Josh. He was shocked.”

Someone knocked a plate of cake off the table and icing mushed against the tiled floor. Cameron’s lips flattened. “That was my bit. Shouldn’t have left it so close to the edge.”

Disheartened, he slumped off to clean it.

Lake should probably help him, but that would inevitably lead to talking about their days. He could handle hearing about Cameron’s awesome, productive, world-changing day at the office, but not on the heels of selling his cottage. Still raw from the afternoon, he might be triggered by anything.

“I’ll go,” Knight murmured.

Lake watched him walk over, grateful and touched by his unwavering kindness.

His eye caught on West lounging—a little uncertainly—in the doorway.

Lake sagged against the other side of the frame. “So. Big cake, huh?”

“Huge. I heard it was a gift.”

“Pretty romantic one.”

“Yes.”

“I wonder who sent it to him. Whoever they are, they’re clearly from around here. That cake has Cody’s Bakery written all over it, and Cody’s hasn’t set up an online presence yet.”

“You sound like that would be odd.”

Lake shrugged. “Josh hasn’t been back long. If I wasn’t so sure that was a Cody’s cake, I’d have thought it was from a secret admirer from England.”

“Hmm, perhaps he met someone recently?”

Lake frowned, glancing at their handsome, happy host serving cake to his friends. “Someone he just met sending him a wedding cake would be weird. He seems too at ease for that. I suspect he knows exactly who sent it.” Lake swallowed. “Someone he knows well, that lives around here.”

Lake’s gaze panned over the crowd to Knight and Cameron holding paper plates of cake. Each layer of the gift had been cut into, the top a succulent-looking chocolate, the middle, densely pink with berries, and the bottom a more modest vanilla. “I’m grabbing myself a piece. Want one?”