She accepts my deflection. “Sexy, right?”
“I believe celibacy has been given notice,” KT says.
“Oh, I’m not ready to go there again. Bodhi left a bad taste in my mouth.” She points at KT. “Not meant to be a double entendre. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
KT laughs. “I don’t even have to say anything, and I still get in trouble.”
They toss around more good-natured banter, but that damned kiss with Levi is still on my mind, and now it’s tainted by the disgusting idea of him with Tina. But he kissed me. Sure, I kissed him back, but he started it, and Levi was nothing if not loyal to a fault. Tina’s lying. Again.
Our waitress comes to the table, and we all order. At the last second, I say, “Is Tina dating Levi?”
I don’t have to say his last name. There’s still only one Levi in town.
The waitress sputters. “Pfffft, she wishes. They might have had a thing for like a second forever ago. But that’s it.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
When I refocus on the table, KT and Chloe are giving me a look like they’ve just uncovered some deep dark secret.
“What? I wanted to see if she’s still a compulsive liar.” And now that I know she is, I allow myself to remember the feel of Levi’s mouth on mine, the taste of his tongue, that hard body wrapping me in lust and warmth and affection.
In a matter of seconds, Levi pumped more heat into my system than an entire day out in the sun. I’m still tingling to prove it. Unfortunately, all that did was remind me of everything I haven’t been able to find in other men.
“Where did you go this morning?” KT says, eyes narrowed in clear suspicion. “And don’t use the donut excuse. I saw you leave in a suit and come back in shorts.”
“How in the hell do you seem to know everything that goes on?”
She points two fingers at her eyes, then at mine. “Gotta keep your head on a swivel in the engine room. Where did you go?”
I tell them about my meeting with the loan officer and conveniently leave out the part about Levi. “I was embarrassed he knocked me down, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it.”
“You can always tell us you don’t want to talk about it,” Chloe says.
“You can even say it’s none of our damn business,” KT adds, and Chloe agrees with a nod.
“After you woke me up this morning,” KT says, taking out her phone and tapping into the internet, “I did some research on houseboat rentals.”
“Seems random, but okay.”
“You were talking about it the night before, and I think it’s a great idea. Not so random. I looked into the demographics of the surrounding area, and the average cost of a family vacation. Turns out, American families are very predictable, and while they’re willing to spend a good chunk of money on a vacation, there’s only so much cash to go around, so the more a family can do in one place, the better.
“It really does make more sense to create a family getaway here rather than an escape for the rich and famous. Celebs and millionaires have all kinds of choices for vacation. Money isn’t an issue. So while they may come here for novelty, they will most likely spend the majority of their vacation days somewhere more exotic.”
“I’m the first to admit it wasn’t the best idea,” I say, embarrassed about it now. “But my mind was racing, and you guys weren’t available to knock some sense into my head. I’m fine with a family resort. Maybe a little disappointed, because I do love my luxury and my bling. And I’m not a mom
, I’m a career-focused millennial.”
“You’re also influenced by years of doing blingy work for your parents,” Chloe says. “Makes sense you’d move toward what you know. I think gearing it toward families in the summer and retreats in the winter would be a great plan for year-round income. And year-round income looks good to potential buyers.”
The door to the pub opens, and customers enter the shadowed foyer.
“You may be able to work with celebs,” KT says, “but not everyone can, which could cut out a lot of potential buyers.”
“True,” I say. “Fine. I’m onboard with creating a new plan.”
The man who just walked in saunters toward the bar, and I instantly know it’s Levi. The way he moves, the cut of his hair, his build. My stomach grows wings and takes off.
“You have a lot of good stuff in your original plan,” KT is saying. “It’s really just a matter of taking it down a notch and adding some family-friendly things to the property.”