Page 13 of Patio Lanterns (The Blue Canoe Cottage #1)

Robin

Dove rummaged through her bag for the right accessories to match the outfit Robin had on: a stretchy black tank top and a floral maxi-skirt that probably wasn’t designed to be floor length, but she still managed to make it look cute.

“Is it just me, or is Lark trying to play matchmaker?” Robin asked.

“Without a doubt. Tonight is a setup.” Dove handed her a pair of gold hoop earrings.

“I don’t get it,” Robin said, poking the metal posts into her ear lobes. “Why now?”

Dove shrugged. “Maybe after all these years, she realizes you and Aidan would be a good fit. I mean, why not? You used to be crazy about him. It’s got to at least pique your curiosity.”

“A little,” she admitted, recalling how the figure she thought was Naked Aidan Hunter nearly caused her curiosity to peak right there out on the dock. “But I have a hunch I’ve been permanently sister-of-a-friend-zoned.”

“Who knows?” Dove shrugged. “Think he remembers the letter?”

Robin cringed. “Please, please don’t bring up that goddamn letter tonight. How would you like it if I made you relive one of the worst moments of your life in front of the one person who made it infinitely more humiliating?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know it was still such a trigger for you.”

“Tell you what, if I ever run into Tommy Millican, I’ll be sure to remind him about that time you got your period at school while wearing white pants and he teased you mercilessly. Then you’ll know exactly what it feels like, Shark Week.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Dove flinched. “I won’t say a word.”

There was a sudden knock at the door. Mutt barked. Robin gasped.

Dove’s eyes widened. “He’s here.”

Lark’s voice echoed up the stairwell. “Robin, would you be a dear and get that please?”

Would I be a dear ? Ugh. Robin hated it when Lark misdirected mommyisms her way. She quickly grabbed fistfuls of her wavy hair to crimp her curls before Dove tossed her a tube of lip gloss. She swiped her lips quickly, then smacked them together. “Well?”

Dove nodded. “You look great. Go, go.”

Robin lifted the hem of the long skirt, clearing her ankles while she descended so she didn’t trip. Now wouldn’t that make a grand entrance? It wasn’t until she reached the bottom, rushed through the cottage, and pushed open the screen door that she nearly toppled over.

Aidan Fucking Hunter.

He waited with one foot planted on the second step, the other confidently claiming the third. Behind cool aviator shades, he flashed the same charming grin that had always turned her insides to goo.

“Heya, Robbie. Good to see ya.”

Time had done the man no disservice. Tall, tanned, and broad-shouldered, this version of Aidan was still the teenage dream he used to be, albeit a little more filled out and his bleach-blonde hair dimmed to sandy brown.

He still had that cocky, movie-star swagger, maturing into more of a Glen Powell type than the Cole Sprouse he used to be.

“Robbie?” Aidan repeated, removing his sunglasses and tucking them into his shirt pocket.

Robin hurtled back to reality. “Oh, hey...” She snapped her fingers, pretending not to be able to place the face. “It’s… uh, Aidan, right?”

He stepped inside, and his low laugh rumbled into her chest. “Duh, of course it’s me, silly. You look great.”

Beaming, she threw back her shoulders. “You too.”

“Bestie! You made it!” Lark elbowed Robin out of the way like she wasn’t even there, jumping into Aidan’s arms and climbing him like a koala.

“Are you kidding me, Bestie? I missed you so much.”

“Oh, me too,” she said, clinging tight until he set her down on the floor again.

“All right, Lark,” Robin said, rolling her eyes. “Let the poor guy in already.”

“Oh, right,” Lark said, laughing as she pried herself out of Aidan’s arms. “It’s just so good to see you. It feels like it’s been forever.”

“Years, even,” Aidan added, his eyebrows shifting as he mentally calculated the time that had passed. “But you look exactly the same, and a ray of sunshine as always.”

Lark blushed. “Aw, Bestie.”

Dove came downstairs and waved. “Hey, Aidan.”

He waved back. “Hey, Dove. How are ya? God, this is so surreal, right? Like old times again.”

Lark grabbed Aidan by the hand and hauled him over to the stove to show him what she had on the menu—some kind of pasta dish and a Panzanella salad. She popped a cherry tomato in her mouth and he did the same. Before Robin knew it, they were chatting and laughing and lost in their own little world.

“Just like old times,” Robin echoed, feeling utterly invisible as she faded into the background. She looked over at Dove, who tilted her head and shrugged.

“Uh, Aidan?” Dove called out. “Is your father still joining us? We thought he was coming with you.”

“Yeah, he should be here any minute,” he called back, momentarily pulling his attention away from Lark. “I offered to pick him up, but he said he’d make his own way over.”

“Can I offer you a beer, Aidan?” Robin asked casually, even though she was the one who could really use the drink.

“Actually,” Lark said with a twinkle. “I made up a pitcher of Caesars.”

“You didn’t!” Aidan cackled. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

Robin rolled her eyes. “Remembered what?”

“One time, me and your sister were over at Capsized, and there was a new bartender working there…”

“Billy Joe,” Lark interrupted.

“Right, Billy Joe. He swore to us that he made the best Caesars on the planet because his

uncle invented them back in 1969 or something,” he said, snickering. “So naturally, we ordered a couple of Billy Joe’s famous Caesars.”

Lark squawked with laughter. “Do you remember his face… when we told him…”

“…you can’t make Caesars with tomato juice!” Aidan guffawed. “All along, he’d actually been making Bloody Marys!”

Oh my God.

Now they’re finishing each other’s sentences. Robin bristled. “Guess you just had to be there.”

A knock at the front door interrupted the frivolity.

“That’s probably Mr. Hunter,” Dove said to her. “You get the door, I’ll pour the Caesars.”

“Extra thick celery salt on the rim?” Robin requested.

Dove flicked her a double-barrelled finger gun salute. “That’s the only way I roll, baby.”

Robin welcomed any excuse to leave the lovefest in the kitchen. This evening was turning out to be a total bust. Aidan’s father would be well advised to leave and save himself before he, too, got sucked into the Lardan vortex.

A man in a light blue dress shirt stood at the bottom of the steps, facing away from the cottage. She immediately noted his impressive shoulder span. Just like Aidan. The apple sure didn’t fall from the broad-form tree. “Mr. Hunter?”

He did an about-face.

Rick?

She instantly felt a glow inside, the warm, sensual heat erupting low in her belly, sending lava between her thighs. While she was certainly happy to see Rick again, he couldn’t have had worse timing. She and her sisters were expecting another guest to arrive any minute.

“Hi,” she greeted him brightly, pushing the door open. “What are you doing here?”

He looked pale. And from his lopsided smile, she couldn’t tell if he was confused or having a stroke. “Robin? This is… your cottage?”

“Yeeeah,” she said, dragging out her reply as more questions pinballed in her brain.

How did Rick find her? Why did he come over?

And why was he now staring at her with that goofy, stunned look on his face?

Now she was as puzzled as he appeared perplexed.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but now’s really not a good… ”

“Hey, Dad!” Aidan called out from behind her.

D-dad?

Robin’s knees buckled as she gaped in disbelief. “You’re Aidan’s… dad?”

Before Rick could answer, Aidan, Lark, and Dove had joined them at the entrance. Woozy, Robin braced herself against the wall. Holy fuck.

Lark thrust out her right hand while bouncing Nova on her left hip. “Mr. Hunter? It’s so good to finally meet you,” she said. “I’m Lark Pelletier.”

“It’s Rick, please,” he said as they shook. “And likewise, Aidan has always spoken so warmly of you.” He presented her with a bottle of wine. While Lark tittered over his thoughtfulness, Robin thought she might burst into flames.

“I’d like you to meet my sisters, Dove,” Lark said, allowing them to exchange hellos, “and this is Robin.”

“Robin,” Rick repeated, reaching out to grasp her hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

“You too, Mis-ter Hun-ter,” Robin said, punching every syllable extra hard.

How could she have missed it? The truth was as plain as the nose on Rick’s fine-looking face that he was Aidan’s father.

Well, of course he is, you idiot. You were inside Aidan’s goddamn cottage!

How did you not put two and two together?

He sheepishly held her stare before turning to Nova. “And who’s this cutie-pie?”

“This is Nova,” Lark said. “Say hi to Uncle Aidan’s daddy, sweetie.”

Instead of saying hi, Nova curled herself around Lark’s neck and played shy. Robin didn’t blame her one bit, especially now that she herself was the poster child for stranger danger.

Rick held up his palm. “I bet you know how to do high fives, don’cha?”

Nova’s eyes brightened. She knew precisely what was expected of her, and slapped her chubby toddler hand against Rick’s palm with gusto. He winced, overacting like she’d really knocked the wind out of him. Nova laughed heartily.

“Think you’ve got a future lightweight champ there, Lark,” he joked.

“She doesn’t usually get it on the first try. You have the touch,” Lark told him, looking down at Mutt. He was rubbing his head against Rick’s leg trying to get his attention, his tail happily thrashing from side to side. “And a way with dogs too, I see.”

Rick leaned down and scratched Mutt behind his ears. “Well, hello there, pup,” he said, acting like he’d never laid eyes on the dog in his life while smoothing his hand over Mutt’s shiny, clean fur. “Aren’t you the handsome fella?”

“Well, come on in,” Dove said cheerily. “You’re just in time to join us for a Caesar.”

“Sounds great,” he said, as the group moved toward the kitchen. Rick lightly tugged on Robin’s arm to separate her from the rest of the pack.

She spun around to face him. “You’re Rick Hunter ?” she hissed. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Because at the time, I didn’t know you were Robin Pelletier ,” he whispered hoarsely. “And let’s face it, exchanging last names wasn’t exactly on our minds last night.”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re Aidan’s dad .” Robin’s eyes darted around, making sure the coast was still clear. “And by that, I mean oh my God, I can’t believe I fucked Aidan’s dad!”

His lips were so tightly pressed together, they formed a straight line. “Look, no one has to know about this but us. As far as anyone else is concerned, we’ve only just met. So, let’s calm down, and do whatever we can to get through this evening.”

Get through this evening? Christ on a cracker, man, have you forgotten that you came inside me only hours ago?

Her brain scrambled and her tongue tangled.

She was completely tied up in knots. While she’d hoped to run into Rick again, never in a million years did she picture it happening in her own fucking cottage in front of her sisters.

Making matters worse, even now knowing he and Aidan shared DNA, she still felt like a moth to a flame, finding herself having to tamp down the urge to kiss him right then and there. It was all so fucked up.

Turning on her heel, Robin took a deep breath, pasted on a smile, and traipsed down the hallway, leading Rick to the kitchen where Dove was having a ball playing bartender.

“Geez, you two get lost?” she joked, handing them the last two glasses. Both were filled to the brim with the tangy red concoction, artfully garnished with a celery stalk and a skewer of olives and pickled pearl onions. “All right, who wants to make a toast?”

Aidan raised his glass first and highest. “To lasting friendships and happy reunions.”

Lark clinked her glass to his. “To the Hunters and Pelletiers, together again.”

Wearing an uneasy grin, Rick lightly tapped his drink to Robin’s. “Together again.”