“Were you guys there for the party?” I asked.
“Oh no,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “Brighton had the whole thing planned out. She got them all wasted—well, everyone except Willa, of course. Had them dress up in these skimpy outfits, then called in a noise complaint and bribed the responding officer to page me and Hunter so we’d show up.”
I frowned. “Why would she do that?”
Bishop and Hunter both looked at each other and smiled.
“Let’s just say Bishop and I weren’t with Abby and Arabella at the time,” Hunter said, “and Brighton was trying to give us a little push.”
“Fucking worked,” Bishop added.
I couldn’t help but smile. “That sounds like something she’d do. She adores all of you. Talked about you a lot.”
They all grinned.
Kyle held up his beer. “I, for one, am glad you showed up in Boggy Creek. I think you’re a great actor, but you’re an even cooler guy.”
The rest of the guys held up their bottles, and I picked up mine. “Thanks for including me tonight. You have no idea how nice this was.”
“You’re stuck with us now, dude,” Hudson said. “Poker twice a month.”
For the first time in a long time, I truly felt like I was somewhere I belonged, with people who wanted to hang out with me…and not because I was an actor.
We played another hand of poker and then decided to call it a night. As we were leaving, Aiden walked up to me. “Luke, I wouldn’t mind setting up a business meeting with you.”
I raised a brow, curious about why Aiden would want to talk business. He must have seen that curiosity on my face.
“Me and another ex-Navy SEAL—his name is Mitch Hathaway and he’s also a Boggy Creek police officer—have a counseling clinic in Boggy Creek. It’s mostly to help veterans and people who suffer from PTSD, but we also offer counseling for other things, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, or other traumatic experiences. I’ve got a law firm in Boston that handles a lot of our stuff, but I’d really like to work with someone here in Boggy Creek. If that’s something you’d be interested in, I’d love to talk to you about it.”
I couldn’t help but notice the hopeful look on his face as he waited for my answer, and a part of me really wanted to explore the opportunity. “I’d love to sit and chat with you about it.”
A wide smile spread across his face. “Great. Um, here’s my card, and it’s got my cell phone on there. Give me a text and let me know some days and times you’re open, and we’ll set up a time to talk.”
I took the card and pulled out my wallet, slipping it inside one of the pockets. “Will do.”
Aiden reached his hand out to shake mine. “I really am glad you and Brighton were able to work things out.”
“Thank you, so am I.”
“Welcome to Boggy Creek, Luke.”
“Yeah, welcome to BC,” Bishop said as he tapped the side of my arm.
“Thanks.”
Hunter and Hudson repeated the welcome, and I was soon left standing on the front porch with Kyle. Before I headed to my car, I turned to face him. “Thank you for tonight, Kyle. I had a really good time.”
He winked. “I have a feeling your evening will get even better.”
Bree
Exhaustion.
I had never been so tired in my life. Four guests. We only had four guests, and I’d been running around like a crazy woman. After Candace and I had cleared off the dinner table, I got to work cleaning up while she got everyone set up in the living room for game night.
Once I’d gotten all the dishes cleaned and put in the dishwasher, wiped down the table and the kitchen, I joined them. What started off as fun, quickly turned into a Pictionary showdown between Mrs. Cole and Candace.
The younger couple, Lee and Will, decided to duck out of game night when things became too heated. They decided to go and check out our local bar, Brew’s Place. I was almost positive they’d seen the look on my face pleading them to take me too.
When Candace almost called Mrs. Cole a cheating whore, I put an end to game night and suggested the Coles sit by the outdoor firepit to enjoy the nice evening.
Candace decided to head home while I put the three gift bags on the doors for our guests. I smiled as I placed Luke’s bag on his door. Even though I wanted to text him, I knew he was with the guys and they would make him feel welcome. Well, almost all of them would. Lord only knew what in the hell Kyle would say or do.
I walked through the house and turned on the small lights that we kept on all the time for guests who might arrive during the night. The Coles had already come back inside and made their way up to the room. I sat on the sofa in the main living room and yawned. I had already let both couples know I lived in the cabin down the path past the firepit and told them to call the desk if they needed anything.