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I almost say as with Colton.

“As happy as here with your best friend?”

“Exactly,” I say.

Phew. Another crisis averted. This whole secret dating behind Maggie’s back thing is getting ridiculous. I’d be so much happier if we could have all of it out in the open. Maybe I should talk to Colton about it. I mean, there’s no reason to sneak around anymore, is there? We’re both into each other, and Maggie doesn’t have a say in our lives. Not where love is concerned anyway. Yes, that’s right. I love him. The realization makes me grin like a maniac.

“What are you smiling at?” Maggie asks.

“Nothing in particular. I’m just extremely happy to be here.”

It’s not even a lie. If it weren’t for Paul leaving me, I wouldn’t have come to Summerville Creek, and I wouldn’t have met Colton, which is—without a doubt—the best thing that could’ve happened to me.

Chapter Eighteen

Colton

“All set?” Frank asks during my last break of the day.

Two more hours before I get to go home, take a shower, and meet my sister for dinner. I’ve been on my feet all day, so I’m really looking forward to putting my feet under a restaurant table and eating what someone else has cooked.

“Just one more meet and greet,” I say.

“Great. The group arrives in an hour. I’ll make sure they get a nice welcome before I send them to you.”

I frown. Group? What is he talking about?

Frank catches my eye and laughs. “Don’t tell me you forgot.”

I hold my hands up. “You got me. Would you mind catching me up?”

“Remember I told you how the members of the knitting club won an exclusive tour of the park and an evening with our park’s royalty?”

“That’s today?”

He nods. “Yep. And word on the street is that they’re looking forward to a few hours with Prince Charming like a kid looks forward to a trip to the candy store.”

“What street is this word being spread on?” I ask with a laugh.

“Oh, I talked to their bus driver. You’re quite the celebrity to them. Some claim to have known you when you were still in diapers. Anyway, they’re all yours after your shift. Make sure you don’t exhaust them, though. They’re all seventy plus.”

Oh, man, how could I forget something important like this? Where work is concerned, I always remember special events. I guess I’ve been spending way too much time thinking about Elle and now my work is suffering because of it. Maggie won’t be amused when I tell her. She’s been asking me to go out with her for quite some time, but I was always too busy.

I groan. I guess there’s no point in postponing. If I call her now, she might be able to make different plans.

“Hey, brother. Ready for tonight? I got us the last available table on the beach deck. Isn’t that great?”

“I’m sorry, sis, I won’t be able to make it after all.”

I hate disappointing her like this, but what choice do I have?

“What do you mean, you can’t make it?”

“I’m being held up.”

She gasps. “At gunpoint?”

“No, not at gunpoint,” I say. Sometimes I wonder whether she wasn’t swapped at birth. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to reconsider the insane amount of crime documentaries you ingest every week.”