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Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? That is beautiful. Will they mind that we’re here?”
“They don’t own the beach.”
“Oh. Right.”
The sun was nearly below the horizon now. They sat in silence watching it dip lower and lower until it disappeared completely, giving way to gorgeous reds and oranges streaking across the evening sky.
“Lake Michigan sunsets are the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen,” Genevieve said.
“Me too.”
She glanced behind them again. “Do you think we could get closer to the house? Or is that not allowed?”
“Do you want a tour?” he asked.
“A tour? Can we even get in there?” she asked.
“Sky gave me the security code,” he replied as he stood.
She was surprised by this. When she followed him to standing, her hands rested on her hips. “Be straight with me. What kind of relationship do you and Skylar really have? I know you said nothing’s going on there, but I mean, you’re friends with her friends, you all go out to dinner and hang out, she lets you borrow her car, and you can get into their beach house. I mean, it seems like a bit much for just friends.”
He stepped closer to her and took her face in his hands, which made her heart skip a beat. “I promise you, she is my friend and nothing more. We just go way … way back.”
“Friends.”
“Please believe me.” His forehead scrunched together as he pleaded with her.
She wanted to. So badly. “Okay. I believe you.”
This didn’t seem like what he’d been holding back from her, though.
They climbed the many steps that led up the hill to a beautiful deck overlooking the lake. There were couches and chairs situated in a seating area to one side and a large dining table covered by an umbrella to the other. He took her hand and led her past all that to an entrance. Pressing several buttons, as if he’d done it hundreds of times before, the lock released, and he opened the door and led her into an expansive living room. The windows wrapping around the room gave way to the very last of the sun setting outside, and Kurtis went around flipping on lights while she admired the space.
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”
As she passed by a cabinet, she noticed a framed photograph of a group of people. Kurtis and Skylar were in the group as well as Sebastian. She wondered who all the others were.
“So, you weren’t kidding that you all go way back.”
He took the photo from her and set it back down. “Yeah. That was at a company party here a few years back.”
“I think I’m going to like working for this company. A lot.”
“You will,” he said as he took her hand and led her into the kitchen, then on through to some bedrooms and their gigantic bathrooms with jacuzzi tubs, downstairs to a game room, and then out onto a private patio below the deck that held a hot tub.
“Hot tub,” she stated the obvious. “Nice.”
“We can go in if you want.”
“I didn’t bring a suit.”
“There are suits to borrow here.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure if she was ready for him to see her in a bathing suit. “Maybe another time.”
He smiled. “We should probably get back down to the lake. The fireworks will be starting soon anyway.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”