At First Hate (Coastal Chronicles)

“Yeah. He was going to bring his girlfriend, but she couldn’t get the day after Thanksgiving off. So, it’s just us.”

“Interesting.”

“Anyway, it’ll be a good time, and if you don’t have plans, then you should come. Just bring a dish with you.”

He looked like he wanted to ask something else but then let it drop. I didn’t ask what he was thinking. I’d learned quickly that I didn’t always want to know what the answer was. Most of the time, it involved moving back out of the friend zone I’d squarely put him in. He might be trying to get out of it, but I wasn’t budging.

When Josie showed up a few days later, she nearly knocked me over with her enthusiasm. “Marley!”

I laughed and squeezed her tight. “Hey, Josie. I missed you.”

“I missed you too!” Josie pulled back to look me over. “So, tell me everything. Boys?”

“Nope. No boys. Mostly work.”

“Ugh, lame. Come to LA and have fun with me sometime,” she said with a hip check. “All work and no play makes Marley a dull girl.”

“I think you and Lila have enough boy troubles for the lot of us.”

Josie brushed her beautiful, supermodel black waves off her shoulder. “I am not having troubles. I’m in a perfectly great relationship right now.”

“With your costar,” I murmured under my breath.

“Hey! There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s why our chemistry is great!”

“If you say so.” I arched an eyebrow at her. “And where is the inimitable Martin Harper?”

She waved her hand in a distinctly Josie way. “Busy. We have plans for Christmas.” Her eyes twinkled with delight.

I was glad she was happy even if I thought dating her costar was a recipe for disaster. But once Josie got it in her head, that was that.

“Look who arrived,” Maddox said, coming out of my bedroom shirtless. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he tugged a T-shirt on.

Josie stood there, frozen for a second. Her eyes roaming my brother. There’d always been something between them, but I’d figured it was one-sided. Maddox’s obsession with my best friend had never been a secret, but Josie’s teasing and disinterest were also infamous. She didn’t look uninterested now.

“Hey, Maddox,” she said with a soft smile.

Maddox crossed his arms. My brother had clearly started working out. He’d left behind the skinny rocker look, thankfully. “The superstar has graced us with her presence.” There was venom in his voice.

Maddox hadn’t said anything when I told him Josie was coming, but I hadn’t thought anything about it. I glanced between them. Something had definitely gone down, and I didn’t want to be in the middle of it.

“Anyway!” I said loudly, breaking the tension. “I’m going to check on the turkey. People should be here shortly. Josie, you can dump your stuff in my room. We’ll figure out the sleeping situation later.”

“Sure,” she said and breezed past Maddox without a word.

Misty and I hustled the rest of the afternoon to get food ready. Maddox made Gran’s biscuit recipe. They smelled divine even if they weren’t exactly right. They were a taste of home, and that was what mattered. Misty thought it was strange that I was fussing about pecan pie and sweet tea. As if she didn’t know where I’d grown up.

Matt and Kyle showed up with Courtney, carrying green bean casserole, dressing, and mashed potatoes. The table was set and everything nearly done when our last guest knocked on the door. Misty nudged me with a pointed grin, and I left the kitchen to answer.

Derek stood there in a navy-blue suit coat and khakis, complete with a bow tie. His hazel eyes were almost amber in the light, and he smiled brightly for me with an aluminum foil–covered dish in his hands.

“Hey,” I said. I was glad that I’d changed into a dress a half hour ago, so I didn’t look quite like the mess I’d been all day.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” he said. “You look great.”

I flushed and then tried to swallow it all down. I didn’t care what Derek thought I looked like. I pulled the door wide and he walked inside. “Thanks. What did you bring?”

“I called Kathy, and she walked me through her baked mac and cheese.”

“Oh God, you’re a godsend. I was just complaining that we didn’t have any. Misty thought I was crazy.”

Derek settled the dish into the open space on the table. “Why?”

“Mac and cheese isn’t Thanksgiving fare.”

Josie, Maddox, Derek, and I all looked at her like she was out of her mind.

“Come to the South more often,” I said with a laugh.

Derek glanced at the table with a smirk. “Man, this looks just like home. The last two Thanksgivings, I suffered through Northern food. No biscuits or pecan pie or sweet tea.”

“I know what I’m doing, obviously,” I said.

Maddox stepped forward and shook Derek’s hand. “Hey, man.”