Turn Over

“Definitely. The front room is crammed with wedding stuff, but I’d love for you to come over one night. Do you watch Hiatus or Zombie Island?”

“My DVR is overwhelmed with both.”

“Awesome. Grey barely tolerates them. It would be fun to have someone watch them with me. TV night this week?”

“I’m in. I can bring the wine.”

I could see the beginnings of a small flame as we walked closer. The sand was still warm between my toes. If I dug deep enough with my heel I would graze over a cool patch. There was a small circle of people scattered next to a line of coolers.

“I’ll introduce you to everyone. By the time you leave here you’ll know half of South Padre.”

“I need to meet people.” I said it with more sadness than I intended.

“Come on, drinks first.” She tugged me toward the cooler.

Within seconds I had a red cu

p in my hand and was sipping Eden’s favorite drink.

“Ok, you have to meet Pick and Connor. Pick is married, but Connor is single. Again.” She whispered the last word.

“All right.”

I didn’t come to the bonfire to meet guys. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Mason had wrecked my interest in dating for a while. When I fell asleep I could still smell his skin, feel the warmth under my hands, shiver from the look in his eyes. He wasn’t easy to forget no matter how much I wanted to stop missing him.

“Carolina, who is this?” A lanky guy, with round eyes and a high forehead stepped toward us.

“Connor, this is Sydney. She just moved here.”

“Nice to meet you. Are you one of Eden’s friends from back home?” He tipped the corner of his Stetson. I realized I was meeting an authentic Texas boy.

“No, we only met last week.”

“Who do we have here?” A guy almost a head shorter than Conner slung an arm around the cowboy’s shoulder.

“Pick, meet Sydney.”

I smiled at him. He was cute and athletic, but if I had my stories straight, this was the guy Eden said was married. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to our little part of heaven.”

He tipped his hat. I was starting to think there was a kind of guy I had been missing out on. The hat trick was nice.

I couldn’t help but blush. They were sweet. “Thanks. Glad I could make it tonight.”

“Have either of you seen Grey?” Eden scanned their faces. “He said he would be here before me working on the fire.”

“Oh yeah,” Connor offered. “He should be back in a sec. He and Mason went to bring another cooler of ice. No one brought ice.” Connor started laughing. It quickly turned to a snort.

Eden looked at me. It was probably written on my face. I was analyzing my escape routes. There was no way I was staying if Mason was on his way back here.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would be here. He usually stays home and does work.”

I handed my cup to her. “It’s ok. He’s family and he lives here. I’ll just go before things get awkward.”

“Good lord,” Connor slapped the top of his head. “What is it with pretty girls and Lachlan boys?”

I looked at him, not sure I understood what he referenced, only picking up on his frustration.

“Thanks, Eden. Really. Maybe another time when he’s out of town?” I suggested.