Page 79 of Decidedly Off Limits

Trent was too far away for me to tell if he was breathing—or if like me, his breath had stalled in his chest while waiting for Holly to piece things together.

“You’re probably confusing me for someone else,” Matt said. “I get that all the time.”

Holly didn’t look too convinced.

“I can guarantee with your Australian accent I would remember you,” he cleverly pointed out.

“I guess that’s true.”

Erin was looking at him, her head tilted to the side, as if noticing for the first time that he did looked familiar.

Shit.

I didn’t think Erin watchedCriminal Minds, but there was always a chance she had seen the one episode Matt had been in.

Quick, think!

“So, Holly,” I said, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Maybe Erin can help you find a great guy since I’m officially off the market for one.”

Foot, meet mouth.

Erin’s face lit up with a grin. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea.”

Holly shifted in her seat, as though it were made of burning coal. “Thanks…but, um, I think I’ll take a rain check. It’s quarter end…and I’ll be really busy for a while.” Holly changed the topic so fast after that, I was surprised none of us ended up with whiplash.

By ten o’clock, Erin was fighting to stay awake. She leaned her head against Darren’s shoulder, and a few minutes later she was asleep.

He scooped up his wife. She didn’t even stir. “See y’all tomorrow,” he said.

Holly uncurled herself from her seat. “I’m up for the hot tub. Who wants to join me?”

“I will,” I said, even though the only place I really wanted to be was in Trent’s arms. On the bed…or bent over it. I wasn’t fussy.

But…

Hot tub safety 101: friends don’t let friends hot tub alone under the influence of Napa Valley wine.

Trent, Matt, and Jillian also said they were in, and we headed upstairs to our rooms. Except Matt’s swim trunks were in Jillian’s room and Trent’s were in mine…where they weren’t supposed to be according to Erin’s sleeping arrangements. The men had purposefully switched suitcases back in San Francisco, to make things easier for once we got here. Trent’s clothes were in my suitcase. Matt’s were in Jillian’s.

So much for that plan.

Matt stood in the middle of the bedroom and checked his phone. He removed Trent’s swim trunks from the suitcase and walked out onto the balcony. Curious what he was up to, I followed him.

Trent was already out on Jillian’s balcony, with what I guessed to be Matt’s swim trunks.

“How are you planning to get them to him?” I asked Matt.

“Like this…” He placed the trunks on the ground, rolled them into a tight ball, and tucked in the ends.

He stood back up and walked over to Jillian’s balcony. “Ready?” he called to Trent, arm cocked back as if he was about to throw a baseball.

At Trent’s nod, Matt threw an impressive pass and Trent intercepted it. Trent did the same with the makeshift ball he’d made out of Matt’s swim trunks. Matt easily caught it.

Jillian pretended to throw him a kiss. He easily caught that too.

I chuckled. “Wow, you’re really good.”

He let out an easy laugh. “I was an all-star baseball player in college for a reason.”