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They gathered their things and moved toward the house. Franky looked back over his shoulder and saw Skylar in a deep conversation with Merritt. He’d never seen such a sad expression on her face, and it broke his heart that he couldn’t go to her and hold her and let her cry it out on his shoulder. But it was best to leave that up to her sister-in-law this time.
Franky leaned his head back and opened his mouth, letting the snowflakes melt on his tongue as he luxuriated in the warmth of the hot tub. When he looked out toward the mountains, barely visible in the night, the snow seemed to fall halfway and disappear beyond the line of light given off from the house.
“I have to say, you’ve got yourself a pretty good life here, my friend,” Franky told Sebastian.
“It’s not where I saw myself, that’s for sure.” He looked across the deck toward the house. “I thought when I found someone, we’d settle down in Grand Rapids, and I’d work full time for the family business. I imagined raising my family there. But things don’t always turn out how we think they will. And seeing Genevieve here, working with the horses. It’s what she was meant to do.”
“What about you?”
“I’m starting to settle in and find my place here, and I know it will take time, but it’s a great place to live. And I’m still helping out with Schultz remotely when Skylar needs me.”
“She seems to be happy about the job.”
“I think she is.” Sebastian glanced over at Gus then back at Franky.
Franky had nearly forgotten Gus was there because he was sitting so quietly. He probably didn’t appreciate them talking about the job Skylar had taken from him, so he changed the subject.
“Where’s your wife?” Franky asked.
Gus shrugged his shoulders.
“Is something wrong?” Sebastian asked his brother.
But there was no time for Gus to answer that question as the door to the house opened, and the ladies emerged. Their laughter echoed around the yard as they made their way across the snow-covered deck, trying not to slip. They reached the hot tub safely, removed their robes, and climbed in.
Franky tried to keep his eyes off of Skylar. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her in a swimsuit before, but it had been a long time. His eyes flitted to the yellow of her bikini, covering her smooth skin, and he forced himself to turn his gaze to the dark outline of the mountains again as he thought about Ivy asleep upstairs.
Genevieve moved through the water and settled in next to her soon-to-be husband, Merritt took a seat across from Gus, and Skylar sat next to Franky.
He tried not to react when her arm skimmed his under the water, but he couldn’t help it. And then her arm rested against his, and an electric current surged up his arm and through his body.
“Where’s Ivy?” Skylar asked.
“She has a thing about bacteria in hot tubs and pools.” He shrugged his shoulders, moving his arm away from hers, needing the distance.
Skylar’s mouth turned down in a little frown the moment he put space between them.
He hated when she didn’t smile, so he bumped his shoulder against hers playfully, trying to will things back to normal between them. “How come you didn’t bring a date?”
“Well, isn’t it sort of understood that the best friend is your date when you don’t have one?” Her words hearkened back to his own the night of her birthday party, and she gave him a tight-lipped smile.
His heart sank. “Sky, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
But worry about it he did. After that silent ride home from her parents’ house, he knew she had been upset with him, but he thought it was because she found out he’d been out with Ivy when he stood her up for the Christmas party.
“Look at that,” Genevieve suddenly said. Her eyes focused on the sky as the heavy snow-filled clouds slid away, and everything around them became light and shadow as the bright moon revealed its face. “I see stars.” She glanced over and smiled at Sebastian, who hadn’t been looking at anything but her.
The stars were brilliant without the light from neighboring cities, but the thing that caught Franky’s attention the most was the moonlight shining off the mountain peaks. He elbowed Skylar and nodded toward them, and her eyes widened in awe.
“That’s beautiful.” Skylar stared at the mountains for a long minute before looking at him with a sweet smile. “I’m glad we got to see that together.”
His heart warmed. “Me too.” That’s better.
This was the Skylar he had missed. His friend. He hated the distance that had been growing between them, but this, right now, felt normal and good.
“I hope you brought work gloves along with you,” Sebastian said.