by SJ McCoy
She followed him into the shower where he pressed her up against the wall and quickly made her forget all her doubts. He made her forget everything except the feel of his lips on hers, his hands moving over her, his body against hers—and then inside her, moving with an urgency that carried her away with him, until she gasped his name again. Damn! He was amazing.
They arrived at the Boathouse an hour later and, true to his word, Nate held her hand firmly in his as they approached the table where their friends were sitting.
Ben was the first to spot them as he came outside carrying a fresh carafe of coffee. He smiled and raised an eyebrow at Nate.
“I’m not going to let her shut me up this time,” Nate shot Lily a grin, and he held their joined hands up in the air. “Yes. We’re together.”
Lily smiled at Ben as he nodded approvingly. “Good. I’m happy for you both.”
“Thanks, Ben.” It made Lily want to ask him about Charlotte, but she’d wait until she could get him on his own for that.
“Come on over, and I’ll grab you some menus. The others have only just ordered.”
They followed him to where the gang was sitting and were met by a range of reactions—from happy smiles, to inquiring raised eyebrows—and it seemed they all wanted an explanation. The one reaction she liked the least was Pete’s. He didn’t seem happy to see them together at all. He’d have to get used to it. Lily gave him a bright smile. He surprised her. He didn’t try to stare her down or give her the intimidating Pete routine. If anything, he seemed sad as he shook his head and looked away.
It was Michael who broke the silence. He was sitting in the middle of the group, with Megan beside him. She smiled happily at Lily and nodded her approval.
“Blimey, Lil! You must be good!”
Lily laughed. “What do you mean?”
“He never sticks around for breakfast, let alone hand holding the morning after.”
“Michael!” Emma slapped his arm.
“What?” Michael laughed. “Tell me I’m not saying what you’re all thinking?” He looked around the table with a grin.
“Shut up, Morgan.” Missy scowled at him, then smiled at Lily. “You did leave yourselves open to that kind of comment, though. I assume you both want us to know you’re together?”
Lily nodded, and Nate grinned. “We do.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t we, Lil?”
She nodded again. “Yeah, and we figured that showing up for breakfast hand in hand would leave us wide open to all the questions—and to comments like that.” She made a face at Michael. “It’s best to get it all over with at once.” She smiled around at them all. “Anyone got any questions or comments?”
Most of them smiled back at her and murmured congratulations. She stopped when she met Pete’s gaze. “What about you?”
Pete smiled, but it was one of those that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Enjoy yourselves,” was all he said. Though Lily clearly heard the implied while it lasts that came afterward.
They took their seats at the end of the bench. “Okay, then. Now that’s over with, what’s happening? What’s going on in all of your worlds?”
Conversation resumed and soon splintered into little groups of those who were sitting closest together.
Lily found herself sitting next to Megan and smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Great, thanks. I just can’t wait for the baby to get here now. I’m tired of feeling like an elephant.”
“You’re the most beautiful elephant I’ve ever seen, Meggie,” said Michael with a grin.
Lily laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to just tell her she’s beautiful and not like an elephant at all?”
Michael winked at her. “I am, but I’m sick of trying and her not believing me, so I’m just working with what I’ve got.”
“Wise man,” said Nate. “Pregnant women are not people to be argued with.”
Lily froze. How would he know that? What experience did Nate have with pregnant women? She looked up and caught Pete watching her with that odd look on his face again. Why did he look sad? Did he know something she didn’t? Apparently not. Nate grinned at her. “My sister’s a little sweetie, but she turned real demanding while she was expecting.”
She looked around the table as everyone chattered on. Were she and Nate really going to become one of the couples, like the rest of them? Or was she just kidding herself?
The conversation lulled, and Jack looked around at everyone. “Who’s coming to the grand opening at the plaza next weekend?”
“You know we’ll be there,” said Dan.
Missy nodded. “I’m a bit worried about Scot. He’s having friends over for pizza and a movie night.”
Emma smiled. “He’ll be fine. He’s a big boy now, Miss.”
Michael laughed. “I think that’s what she’s worried about, Em. He’s ready for getting into big boy stuff, too. I saw him chatting with a little blonde outside the library last week.”
Missy groaned. “Don’t, Michael. Please, don’t.”
“He’ll be fine,” Ben reassured her. “He is growing up, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
“Thanks, hon. That’s what I need to hear. Not your crap, Michael Morgan.”
Michael waggled his eyebrows at her. “Aww, critter. All I’m saying is, you’d better hope he’s more like Ben was at that age than like his momma was.”
Missy balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “Just you wait, Michael. It won’t be long before you’re in the same boat with Ethan.”
“I know. You’re right. Luckily for me, we’re not there yet. But that does mean that we’re not coming to the opening.” He smiled at Megan. “We’re nesting and staying home with Ethan.”
Megan smiled. “Yep, and April and Eddie said they’ll be back by then, too. So, we’re having Marcus so they can go.”
Jack nodded. “Good. That’s everyone, then?”
Pete nodded. “Me and Holly, you and Em.” He glanced at Nate with that look that made Lily uneasy. “Nate and I presume, you, Lily.”
She nodded, glad that Nate had already asked her if she wanted to go with him.
“Smoke and Laura,” continued Pete. “We’ll all be there and also be working to a greater or lesser extent.”
“Aww, you poor things,” said Missy. “Dan and I will just be there for the free food and booze. Along with Kenzie and Chase, April and Eddie, and Gabe and Renée.” She looked around the table. “Is that everyone? There are so many of us these days; I’m never sure if I’m forgetting someone.”
“Just me,” said Ben with a rueful smile. “But then I guess I don’t count since I’m now the only single guy left.”
Missy blew him a kiss. “Don’t be silly. It’s not that you don’t count, Ben. It’s that you go without saying. You’re the lynchpin of everything.
He smiled at her. “Good save, Miss.”
“Thanks. I thought so.”
“It should be a good day,” said Pete.
“It will,” said Nate. “I’ve spent months working on this to make sure it’s a great day, and a great party afterward.”
Pete looked at him. “Yeah. I need to catch up with you tomorrow. We’re going to have some VIP guests that are going to need taking care of.”
“Okay, boss man.”
Lily could tell by the look on Nate’s face that that was a big surprise to him, and not one he liked the sound of. She hoped everything was okay between him and Pete, though she was starting to get the feeling that it wasn’t—and that it might be down to her.
Chapter Thirteen
On Monday morning Pete hung up the phone and stared out his office window. That phone call should make him feel great. But he didn’t. He’d just closed the next big deal for Phoenix. He’d thought he’d lost it a couple of weeks back and Ged Powers calling him like that had been a surprise, to say the least. He sighed. It was a great move for the company. It’d have them working their next big development up in Seattl
e for the next year to eighteen months. Normally he’d call Jack and Nate in to share the news with them. He rested his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers under his chin. What to do?
He pressed the intercom on his desk.
“What do you need, bro?” asked Jack.
“You got a minute?”
Jack sighed. “I have a minute. I’m not sure I have twenty, and I’m guessing that’s what you really mean.”
Pete smiled. “Maybe only fifteen?”
“Okay. I’ll be with you in a few.”
Jack appeared in the doorway a few minutes later carrying two cups of coffee. He set one down on the desk and took his own over to the sofa, where he put it on the side table and lay down. “Okay, lay it on me. But remember, Em could go into labor at any time now, so if you want me to travel the answer’s no.”
Pete smiled. “I know, asshole. Even I’m not that bad.”
Jack took a sip of his coffee and gave him a skeptical look.
Pete blew out a big sigh. “Well, I’m not that bad with you and Em. I know the score there, but what I need to ask you is whether I’m about to be that bad with Nate.”
Jack sat up and raised an eyebrow. “How? And why?”
“Ged Powers called me back. Seattle’s a go.”
“Awesome!” Jack punched his fist in the air with a grin, and then lowered it slowly. “Ah, I get it. And we need Nate out there ASAP, right?”
Pete nodded. “Except …”
“Except Nate just got together with Lily and you’re worried that you might be nipping their great romance in the bud?”
Pete snorted. “I’m not that delusional. I was just hoping that Nate would get back to being Nate of his own accord before we needed to send him back out in the world.”
Jack frowned. “You think this thing with Lily isn’t going to pan out?”
“I can’t see it, can you? I think he’s just playing with the idea. I think he’s curious about what’s gotten into the rest of us and he wants to give it a try. I can’t see him being in it for the long run. Come on; he’s Nate.”
Jack continued to frown. “You could have said that about any of us a couple of years ago. I wasn’t exactly a monk before Em. You worked your way through a whole crowd of female admirers. And Smoke? He was as bad as Nate, if not worse.”
Pete nodded slowly. “You’re right, I guess. I just find it hard to believe with Nate. I just don’t see him settling down ever. And if he does, I can’t see it being here, or with Lily.”
Jack looked surprised. “I know the lake isn’t exactly a major metropolis, but it’s not as though he’s trapped here. He can get to the city whenever he wants, just like the rest of us. I’d never have seen you settling down here either.”
“But I grew up here.”
“Nate grew up in a small town, too.”
Pete sighed. He’d been hoping that Jack might agree with him—that whatever Nate had going on with Lily was a short-term thing, and that he didn’t need to feel bad about cutting it even shorter by sending Nate away to work in Seattle. “So, what do we do?”
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s Nate’s job to go where we send him, for as long as we need him to be there. I don’t want to screw up his love life, but …” Jack shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Me neither, but we’re going to have to decide pretty soon here. We need to get someone up there. You can’t go. I can’t go. If it’s not Nate, then who?”
Jack mulled it over and shook his head. “We could send Todd? He worked with Nate in Houston and back in Miami. He’s good.”
“Yeah, but he’s not Nate, is he? Do you really want our biggest project to date riding on Todd?”
Jack shook his head. “Maybe what we should do is talk to Nate, instead of about him? He should get to decide for himself.”
Pete nodded. “But what if he doesn’t want to go? What happens then? How do we keep him here when there’s not much left for him to do here? And how do we keep him here when we need him in Seattle?”
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. But I think we need to involve him in the discussion.”
“Okay. Is he in the office this morning?”
“No, he’s out at the plaza.”
“Do you want to take a ride up there?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
Lily smiled when she saw Holly’s blue BMW pull into the parking lot. She went out to greet her at the fence.
“Morning. Are you ready for this?”
“I’m more than ready for this. I’ve been crazy up at the plaza getting things ready for opening on Saturday. I’ve been looking forward to this. Just getting some time for myself to do what I want.”
“Just wait here then. I’ve got you riding Mindy today. I’ll bring her around, and we’ll work in the arena.”
Once Holly was mounted on Mindy, Lily had her walk around the arena for a while, getting horse and rider used to each other again before they got down to work. Holly was learning well enough, but she tended to hold onto the reins for balance when she got a little scared. Lily needed to break her of that habit. Horses didn’t need the bit yanking around in their mouth while their rider found their confidence.
Holly was doing it again this morning and Lily was glad she’d put Mindy in a bit-less bridle. “Okay, walk her over to me and bring her to a halt on the center line.”
Holly turned the mare in and again used too much force on the reins to ask her to stop.
“Okay. I want you to take the reins and tie a knot in them.”
Holly gave her a puzzled look.
“Tie them together so that they just rest on Mindy’s neck when you let go of them.”
Holly did as she was told.
“Good. Now you’re going to leave the reins there, and you’re going to walk her back out around the arena for me.”
“How?”
“By using your seat and legs, like I’ve taught you. You’ve been getting too heavy handed. We need you to be able to ask her to do what you want without yanking her head around the whole time.”
“Oh.” Holly looked mortified and reached down to pat the mare’s neck. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” said Lily with a smile. “I’d never let you hurt her, but if you learn to ride from your seat, life will be a whole lot more comfortable for both of you.”
Holly nodded and urged Mindy forward with her legs. Mindy walked on.
“When you reach the kickboards, ask her to turn right.”
Holly’s face was a picture as she focused on squeezing with her legs. It worked though, and the horse turned right onto the track around the outside of the arena.
“Yay!” Holly looked thrilled. “I can do this.”
“You can,” said Lily. “That’s great.”
When the lesson was over, and they’d returned Mindy to her stall, Lily took Holly through to the office. “When do you want to come back out?”
“Have you got anything tomorrow? I feel like I made huge progress today and I’d like to build on it while I’m on a roll.”
Lily checked the book. “I can get you in at eight?”
“I’d normally say no way, but that’s probably a great time. I can get done here and then get out to the store.”
“How’s it going out there?” asked Lily. She was curious about the plaza. She hadn’t been out there since they’d started building, but when she and Nate had gone hiking the other week she’d been stunned by how far the place had come. She couldn’t wait to see all the stores, and she felt a certain pride in the fact that Nate had made it all happen.
“It’s going great. It’s going to be an amazing shopping center. I think it’ll draw crowds from all around and even day-trippers from the city. The guys always do a great job, but Four Mile is like the crown jewel.”
“I’m glad. And I’m glad it’s enabled them all to come live up here. It’s worked out perfectly, hasn’t it?”
Holly nodded. “It has for now. And I love that Pete decided to build a mini HQ here so that going to the office only means going a few miles, but I’ll be honest, I’m a bit worried about what will happen once Four Mile is fully operational. Once the plaza is open, and the houses are sold, there won’t be much for them to do here. I know Pete will be looking for the next challenge, and Jack’s been getting twitchy for a while now about wanting to build something new.”
Lily hadn’t thought about it like that before. She’d just been happy that their work had brought them to the lake—and she’d assumed that it would keep them here.
Holly patted her arm. “You’d better make the most of Nate while he’s here.”
Lily frowned. “It’s not just a fling, Holly. I told you that before. And after this weekend, it’s even more than …”
“You two are really serious?”
“As serious as we’re capable of being, yes.”
“Oh.” Holly looked concerned. “So, how’s that going to work?”
Lily met her gaze. “I have no idea.”
~ ~ ~
Nate climbed into his truck at the end of the day and sat there for a long moment. He should be getting a move on. He was supposed to be picking Lily up and taking her for dinner at Giuseppe’s. He needed to get home to shower and change first. But he needed a minute to gather his thoughts, to pull himself together.
His chat with Pete and Jack earlier had thrown him for a loop. Just when he thought that, for the first time in his life, he was ready to settle down and enter a relationship with a woman, they’d told him that it was time to move on. Well, that wasn’t fair. They’d asked him what he wanted to do. The prospect of heading out to Seattle, of starting up a new project held its appeal. He wouldn’t deny that. But, damn! The thought of leaving Lily now held no appeal at all. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to spend his nights with her curled up in his arms. He wanted to be able to come home to her after work and wake up with her in the morning. He shook his head. But if he didn’t go to Seattle, what exactly would his work be? He’d worked for Phoenix since college. Since the beginning. Jack and Pete were partners, but he was a part of the team.