Page 7

"That's a terrible signal," Haley protested. "What if you actually have to sneeze?"

"I don't have allergies," I pointed out. "If I sneeze three times, it's deliberate."

Before she could argue further, Jake spotted us and waved enthusiastically. "Ladies! You made it!"

We made our way over to the group, exchanging hugs and greetings. Jake introduced his friends—the guy with glasses was Ethan, the redhead was Connor, and the blond was Liam. And then, with a barely concealed smirk in my direction, he turned to the tattooed one.

"And this is my cousin Matt. Matt, this is Haley, my girlfriend; Anna, who you met at Christmas; and Geri, who you haven't met yet."

Matt's eyes—a startling shade of green that reminded me of sea glass—locked onto mine. "Geri," he repeated, as if testing the name. His voice was deeper than I expected, with a slight roughness to it. "Short for Geraldine?"

I nodded, bracing myself for the usual "that's an old lady name" comment.

Instead, he smiled—a slow, genuine smile that transformed his serious face. "It suits you."

"Thanks," I said, surprised. "Matt suits you too."

He laughed, the sound rich and warm. "Better than Matthew, anyway. Too many syllables."

"God forbid you have to say two whole syllables," I replied, the sarcasm slipping out before I could stop it.

Instead of being offended, his smile widened. "Exactly. Exhausting."

And just like that, the ice was broken. We fell into conversation as naturally as if we'd known each other for years. The group migrated to a cluster of couches and chairs in a corner of the living room, but somehow Matt and I ended up slightly apart from the others, perched on the wide windowsill overlooking the ocean.

"So," he said, taking a sip of his whiskey, "Jake tells me you're a skin therapist and a waitress. That's a lot of hours on your feet."

I shrugged. "Bills don't pay themselves. And I like being busy."

"Where do you work? The restaurant, I mean."

"The Harborview. It's down by?—"

"The harbor?" he suggested, eyes twinkling.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Original name, I know. My friend James is the sous chef there. He got me the job when I moved back to town a couple months ago."

"Moved back from where?"

“Seabreeze Haven. I was living with..." I hesitated, not wanting to bring up Ben so early in the conversation. "With a roommate. It didn't work out."

Something in his expression told me he caught the evasion but was choosing not to press. "And the day spa? You like that too?"

I wrinkled my nose. "It pays well. The clients are mostly rich women who want to complain about their husbands while I exfoliate their skin."

"Sounds thrilling."

"It's a living. What about you? Haley mentioned engineering and the army?"

He nodded, rotating his glass between his hands. "Studied civil engineering at uni. Joined up after graduation. Just finished my initial training."

"Why the career change?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting to the window. "Needed something different. A challenge. A purpose."

There was more to that story—I could feel it—but it wasn't my place to dig. Not yet, anyway.

"And the tattoos?" I asked instead, gesturing to his arms. "They don't mind those in the army?"