A Lot Like Home

Why that irritated her even further, she couldn’t say. Yes, actually, she could. It was because of the very unwelcome tug at her core, the place that should be doing the can-can over Damian, but no. Her treacherous insides had no taste when it came to men, obviously, if they preferred a rough-and-tumble sailor.

Of course, Caleb had beautiful eyes too. And he also had things like principle and determination on his resume. Nice arms. A better-than-average sense of balance and command of his body. He’d gone out of his way to be sure he wasn’t stepping on Damian’s toes when she’d invited him to the springs.

But he stirred her up. Too much. They were sworn enemies at this point.

“Hard at work, I see,” she called to him, but he only grinned.

“Shh. I’m about to take these jokers to the cleaners,” he said and jerked his chin at his friends, who were also sitting at the table. Which she’d just realized because her attention had been wholly consumed by the stubble-faced thorn in her side.

Someone else came up on her other side, and she glanced over to see the petite frame of Cassidy Calloway.

“Hey, Cassidy.”

“Hey, Havana.” Cassidy tore her gaze from the game in progress long enough to engulf her in a hug without hesitation, and it was such an unusual greeting from a Superstition Springs resident that she hugged her old friend back.

“I meant to tell you the other day. You look amazing.”

Cassidy’s cheekbones had gained some definition, and sun streaks had lightened her long brown hair over the years. She’d always been pretty, but the teenager Havana remembered had grown into her looks.

“Thanks.” Cassidy smiled, but her attention was clearly on the table where Caleb had apparently won the game of whatever they were playing, judging by the way he was crowing about it. “Can’t complain about the lack of excitement around here anymore, that’s for sure. That’s a boatload of gorgeous right there.”

“If you like arrogant men who’ve never met a razor, sure,” she muttered.

Cassidy glanced at her askance. “I was talking about the dark-haired one. Isaiah. I met him a few minutes ago when Serenity proudly presented all of them to those of us who hightailed it over here to get in on the action. He’s dreamy. Who were you talking about?”

“Never mind.”

Before she could change the subject to something that had absolutely nothing to do with the five strangers who had generated so much buzz, Aria sighed dramatically as she moved in on Havana’s other side, her hand on her chest as she too watched the card game in progress.

“You can have the dark-haired one. I’ll take Tristan,” she announced as if they’d been doing a school yard pick, divvying up the former SEALs based on first come, first served.

“Which one is he again?” Havana asked, struggling to remember the one who had introduced himself as such. That earned a scowl from Aria.

“The tall blond. How do you not know that? Didn’t you take Caleb out to the springs yesterday?”

“Oooh, you did?” Cassidy’s interest in the game vanished as she zeroed in on Havana’s face, clearly hoping for juicy gossip. Everyone knew you went to the springs with guys you liked. “Do tell.”

Havana shook her head. Of course some blabbermouth had spread that news around, probably with far more editorial than was warranted. “Nothing to tell.”

“Short answers means there’s plenty to tell,” Aria said wryly, her gaze back on the blond man sitting to Caleb’s right, who was laughing at something one of the others had said. “I thought you were unusually quiet last night when we were going to bed. I figured you were just tired. What did you guys talk about?”

There was far too much suggestion in Aria’s voice for what had been an innocuous discussion about their hopes and dreams, the factors that had led them to this place and what the future held. Normal soul-bearing kind of stuff. It had been borderline intimate, which had ended abruptly when he threw a challenge in her face instead of continuing the truce she’d thought they’d fallen into.

“In case you hens have forgotten, I’m engaged.” Why did she always have to remind everyone of that?

“Easy to forget when he’s never around,” Aria countered with an exaggerated glance behind Havana. “For a couple who plans to spend the rest of their lives together, you seem to not want to actually be in the same room very often.”

Ugh. Of course she should have brought Damian with her to the diner. Rookie mistake. She was so bad at being fake engaged. But he’d had some calls to make, and she hadn’t thought twice about waving goodbye when he dropped her off at the hotel to head back to La Grange.

“We’re busy. Plenty of work to do on the resort. This is a not a vacation,” she explained hastily, and holy cow, could they change the subject already? With a hand to Cassidy’s arm, she asked brightly, “What are you doing these days?”

“Teaching. Or I should say I’m hoping to. Tallhorse took me on as a kind of apprentice or intern, I guess. Next week, I’m supposed to do my first class by myself.” The other woman laughed self-consciously, her attention finally yanked away from the dark-haired boatload of dreamy at the table. “I’m more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

“I’m sure you’ll be great.”

Cassidy was the same age as Ember, and they’d been pretty fast friends. From what Havana remembered, Cassidy had been the calm, rational one of the duo. Of course, a lot could have changed in eight years.

Caleb threw down a card, and half the people watching cheered what must have been a good play. He stuck both his index fingers in the air in an obnoxious show of victory. The other four men tossed their cards aside in apparent disgust.