Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

“I did.” She grinned.

I stared at her in disbelief. “But that’s Aiden. The Aiden.” It wasn’t her first one-night stand; that part didn’t bother me. This had more to do with the complicated drama Aiden had dropped in our laps.

“I know who he is and now I know all about what he can do.” She giggled. “You told me he was good-looking, but I think you really downplayed it.”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t trying to grade his hotness.”

Mary Ellen pretended to fan herself. “I have never had a night like that.”

“Ok, ok. I don’t need details.” Imagining my best friend with Aiden was weird. Cole was going to flip.

“I think it’s serious.” She crossed the room to retrieve the cup of coffee I had for her.

“Serious? You just met him last night.” Granted sex had a way of escalating things, but this was crazy. It couldn’t be serious in less than twenty-four hours. Could it?

“I have this feeling about him.” She settled into the chair again. “We just had this immediate connection. Like we were supposed to meet. Isn’t that how it happened for you and Cole?”

“You know I was in love with him since I was in high school. Our connection didn’t happen until I could finally see him away from Ryan.”

I was annoyed she didn’t see the problem with this relationship. Aiden and Cole were not alike.

“You’re the one who invited Aiden to stay here. You know he’s not all that bad.”

My shoulders tensed. “I invited him so he wouldn’t tear the place down. I was hoping he would change his mind on the lawsuit and the demolition.” My plan had failed miserably. Mary Ellen knew the short Aiden history.

“We didn’t talk about any of that stuff,” she admitted.

“Of course you didn’t. He wasn’t interested in that.” My voice rose louder than I meant it to. Mary Ellen stared at me. “Sorry. I just wish you could see how awkward it’s going to be if you end up in a relationship with someone who is trying to sue my boyfriend and subsequently put me out of work. It’s a nightmare. You have to see that, Mary Ellen.”

She stood from the chair. “I don’t know what I think right now. I was hoping my best friend would be happy I found an amazing guy the same way she did. That’s what I wanted to see.”

She quietly closed the door behind her and walked to room twenty-four.

Mary Ellen turned down my lunch invitation. She said she wasn’t feeling well, but I knew it had nothing to do with her stomach and everything to do with our disagreement. Her flight to North Carolina was tomorrow night. I couldn’t let her leave like this. I tried to think of how I could patch things up on our last night together. Knowing she thought she had just met the love of her life, I realized she was going to want to spend her Saturday night with Aiden.

It was one o’clock in the afternoon, but I hadn’t had a single phone call at the Dunes. I decided to close the office. Cole was somewhere in the motel working on a room. I started at the end and checked each room until I found him replacing lightbulbs in a double room.

“There you are.” I smiled.

“Hey, darlin’.” He tossed the old bulb on the bed. “You closing up for the day? Where’s Mary Ellen? You two have plans today?”

I shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. “She’s not happy with me.”

“Really? Why?” He opened a new pack of bulbs and moved to the next lamp.

“She thinks she’s in love with Aiden.”

He stopped and looked at me. “What in the hell? Is she crazy or something?”

“No, but she’s crazy about him. They have some kind of connection.” I walked into the room and sat on the bed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“And she knows about the lawsuit? You told her everything about him?” Cole was acting calmer than I expected.

“Mmm-hmm. She thinks I should put that aside and be happy for her.”

“What do you think?” He eased himself on the bed across from me.

His question surprised me. “I told her it was a ridiculous idea. How can I be friends with someone who is dating the man who is trying to take everything away from you?” It sounded absurd.